Blue Mountains, Australia

The Blue Mountains are a low-lying range of mountains just to the west of Sydney, the capital of the state of New South Wales, Australia. They were named "blue" because of a mist which emanates from the leaves of the mountain's gum trees, which gives the mountains a definite blue tinge when viewed from a distance.

Katoomba

Most tourists who opt to visit the Blue Mountains on a day trip spend most of their time in the town of Katoomba in the upper Blue Mountains.

The main attraction of this town is the Three Sisters, a majestic rock formation near Echo Point, about two kilometers south of the main town. Looking in other directions from Echo Point you can also see Mt. Solitary and the Ruined Castle (actually another rock formation).

While at Echo Point most tourists take a ride on the Katoomba Skyway, a cable car that takes you out over the Jamison Valley. They also normally take a ride on the Scenic Railway, which takes them down a steep incline to the floor of the Jamison Valley. This railway, originally built for mining purposes, is said to be the steepest railway in the world.

In Victorian times Katoomba was a mountain resort offering fresh mountain air and pleasant weekends away from the city of Sydney. One of the hotels which was popular in that era was the Carrington Hotel. This hotel has recently been renovated and it is a wonderful experience to "go back in time" and have morning or afternoon tea in the Victorian era tearooms in that establishment.

Just five minutes' drive from Katoomba brings you to the small village of Leura. The main street is filled with crafts shops, fashion boutiques, bric-a-brac stores, art galleries, bookstores, cafes and restaurants -- all set in the bracing environment of the Upper Blue Mountains. 

One interesting must-visit is Bygone Beautys, a tea room combined with the world's largest museum of teapots (3,500 in all!).

Leura also has a number of magnificent private gardens which may be visited on a certain number of weekends each year. Perhaps the most famous is the Everglades Gardens, a National Trust property, which combines the best of European landscape design with many elements of the unique bushland of the Blue Mountains.

Also close to Katoomba is the small village of Wentworth Falls, which is named after a set of attractive waterfalls of the same name.

The environs of this town are popular with bushwalkers, who can follow numerous trails around the edge of the tops of the cliffs and also down into the Jamison Valley. A justly loved bushwalk is the Charles Darwin Walk.

Other Wentworth Falls attractions include the Falls Reserve, the Valley of the Waters Reserve, the golf course, the lake, and nearby Kings Tableland.

Blue Mountains, NSW, Australia
A look at some of the villages of the Blue Mountains -- Katoomba, Wentworth Falls, Woodford, Faulconbridge and Springwood.

Blue Mountains, NSW
The tourist attractions and history of the Blue Mountains.

Katoomba, NSW
Katoomba's tourist attractions and history.

Everglades Gardens, Leura, NSW
"Everglades is one of Australia’s foremost heritage gardens. This treasure from the 1930s sits in twelve and a half acres of European-style gardens and native Australian bush with breathtaking views over the Jamison Valley in the World Heritage listed Blue Mountains."