New South Wales most popular national park with rugged mountains, walking trails, waterfalls and dramatic scenery and World Heritage listed in 2000.

The listed and protected Blue Mountains, home to the Three Sisters, an unusual rock formation best viewed from Echo point and the opportunity to bush walk and hike the many trails, for the outdoor enthusiast this really is a natural wonder. Discover another world and float on air in a Skyway cable car, ride the steepest railway in the world or stroll through the Jurassic rainforest. This is a must-see for visitors because of the range of experiences found at Scenic World.

Tip: take the walk that starts at Honeymoon Lookout and walk along the trail to descend the giant stairway onto the bridge that leads to the Three Sisters.

Why are the Blue Mountains blue?

The blue haze is brought about by the strong oil vapour emitted by the eucalyptus leaves into the atmosphere which along with fine dust particles and droplets of water vapour, scatter the blue light (blue light is short wave-length) more than any other colour in the spectrum.

Getting There

You have a wealth of options on choosing a day out to Blue Mountains and all range in prices. Being an independent traveler I decided to do alone. From Central Station in Sydney catch a train to Katoomba (2 hours) and then use the hop on / hop off bus in Katoomba to explore the region. There are special fares which include a return train ticket and Blue Mountain Explorer Buses for $51AU (2009) called the 1 Day Blue Mountains Explorer Link (see CityRail), also consider costs to some of the attractions $25AU (2009). Though you may find other tour options better value with hotel pick-ups and return by ferry to Circular Quays but you will be limited to time constrictions and possible hidden costs.

However my experience with the Blue Mountain Explorer was not great, a limited service every 30 minutes and no service between 1-2pm for lunch, ending the day at 5pm... so don't expect to be picked up after this time, especially if you find yourself coming out of a trail later than you expected, I was fortunate enough to have a local give a ride to the train station.

Though the Blue Mountains can be experienced in a day its best to get there early to get the most out of it, and after 5pm, consider the day done, unless you decide to stay the night.