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The
Blue Mountains, New South Wales Images
Only 2 hours
west of Sydney, the Blue Mountains seem like a world away
with their expansive eucalypt forests with patches of
rainforest, abundant animal and birdlife, craggy cliffs
and quaint mountain villages. Visit one of the many vantage
points and look out over the valleys and gorges.
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Three Sisters |
The Blue Mountains
are part of the Great Dividing Range that runs just inland
of Australia's Pacific coast and initially formed a barrier
to European settlement west of the coastal plain. Now
the Great Western Highway runs from Sydney's suburban
sprawl, through the large town of Penrith and then winds
its way up and over the Blue Mountains through numerous
small towns such as Wentworth Falls, Leura, Blackheath
and Katoomba - the regional centre. To the north, via
Richmond, highway 40 passes through Kurrajong and the
Mt Tomah Botanic Gardens.
Many bus services
operate from Sydney to the Blue Mountains and beyond but
as it's only 63kms to Penrith and a further 53kms to Katoomba,
hiring a car and driving yourself is a good option. See
the Sydney Tours section for one day and longer bus tours.
One of the most popular ways to get up to the hill resorts
is by train from Sydney, with regular services daily from
Sydney's Central Station.
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Govett's
Leap - The highest waterfall in the Blue Mountains
300m high.
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If you like bush walking (hiking) but only have time for
a day trip, the National Pass is a half day walk from
Wentworth Falls which starts with a zig-zag track going
down the sheer rock face of a huge cliff. The walk down
ends at the base of the waterfall and continues along
a ridge with views of the Valley of the Waters before
climbing through rainforest to the top of the cliff once
more.
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Wentworth
Falls
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There are many
good chalets and bed and breakfast accommodations in the
area and plenty of activities if you plan on staying a
few days. See Blue Mountains Accommodation at top of this
page. If you only intend staying overnight, go mid-week
as many
smaller accommodations do not accept single night bookings
on the weekends. There
are extensive national parks in the ranges north and south
of the highway and miles of excellent hiking trails for
all levels of fitness. The area around Katoomba has many
waterfalls and spectacular lookouts with well photographed
natural features such as the Three Sisters. Horseriding
is popular with several local stables open to the public.
Also available are mountain golf courses and Australia's
best rock-climbing and abseiling - the Megalong and Jamison
Valleys are the closest thing to the Grand Canyon in Australia.
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Just
near Katoomba a scenic skyway gives visitors a bird's
eye view and the adjacent scenic railway claims
to be the world's steepest. |
Visit the Blue
Mountains Heritage Centre at picturesque Blackheath for
presentations about the ecology and geology of the Blue
Mountains.
The towns that dot the ranges thrive on tourism and many
have excellent arts and crafts shops and quality restaurants.
Leura is a particularly lovely village with good restaurants,
boutiques and gallaries. If you're visiting on weekends
or during holidays it's best to book ahead as the area's
proximity to Sydney makes it very popular with Sydney-siders
looking for a de-stress weekend or short break.
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90kms south west of Katoomba the Jenolan Caves offer
a spectacular underground experience with interesting
commentary on cave fauna and geology. |
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