Blue
Mountains National Park is a great place to visit.
It is the most famous and most visited national park in New South
Wales. Sydneysiders have
been spending their weekends here for the last century and
international tourists visiting Sydney
often visit it as the only
national park in Australia.
Nothing wrong with that
– Blue Mountains is known for its rock formations, blue gums and
wildlife like laughing kookaburras, common wombats and superb
lyrebirds.
And, it’s only 60km from the central Sydney – easily done on a day
trip.
Wentworth Falls. Poster by AllPosters. Click
on
thumbnail to
buy.
Visiting
Sydney and want to
take a tour
out to the Blue Mountains National Park?
You can see the ratings
made by
other visitors, click on each tour for more detailed information, and
make safe and simple
bookings.
Animals in Blue Mountains National Park
The park is full of interesting wildlife. Eastern grey kangaroos,
wallabies,
wombats,
possums,
and gliders are commonly
seen. Birds include King parrots,
Crimson rosellas, superb lyrebirds, laughing kookaburras and
gang-gang cockatoos.
Most birds and animals hide in the middle of day but are easiest seen
in dusk and dawn when they become more active. Winters can get very
cold in
Blue Mountains, much colder than on the coastal lowlands, and snow is
not unknown during the winter when it can be too cold to camp.
Greaves Creek. Poster
by AllPosters. Click on thumbnail to
buy.
Katoomba and Other Small Towns
Blue Mountains National Park is huge – it surrounds many small towns
along the Great Western Highway. Whether you catch the twice-hourly
train from Sydney’s central station, or drive a car, the national park
starts in Glenbrook.
Keep driving and you
come to Faulconbridge – a small town with
the Norman Lindsay Gallery and Museum,
the former home of the famous Australian artist and author. Blue
Mountains have always been an artists’ hideaway because of its
proximity to Sydney, laid-back atmosphere and beautiful scenery.
Three Sisters. Poster by
AllPosters. Click on thumbnail to
buy.
Around Katoomba
After you pass the 300m Wentworth Falls
south of the highway, you come to Katoomba.
Katoomba is the centre of Blue
Mountains’ artists community. With its Art Deco cafes and guesthouses
and views of the famous rock formations within walking distance,
Katoomba is a great place to stay while discovering the national park. Three
Sisters, the most famous of the rock formations, can be
seen across Jamison Valley from Echo Point just south of the town. To
make the most of the views, there are the Scenic Railway,
Scenic Skyway
and the Cable Way,
which crosses the Jamison Valley and stops for photo opportunities.
Bushwalking is excellent around Katoomba
and there are many short walks in Jamison Valley.
There are campgrounds
in the national park, and many
Places to Stay in Katoomba
* As in many other cool mountain villages, you can stay in
cosy
cottages:
Bodhi
Cottages.
Katoomba, Blue Mountains National Park. By
calium via Flickr.com
North of Katoomba
Further north is Blackheath – a great
base while
bushwalking in Grose and Megalong Valleys. In the
Grose Valley east of the town are short walks to Evan’s Lookout,
Govetts Leap, Pulpit Rock and Perry’s Lookdown. In the Meadow Valley in
west are short walks to Meldow Bath, Hargreaves Lookout and Mount
Blackheath.
Govett's Leap. Poster
by AllPosters. Click on thumbnail to
buy.
Jenolan Caves
For keener bushwalkers there is the three-day bushwalk from Katoomba to
Jenolan
Caves - it is a great walk,
and not too hard. For a scenic drive, try the northern road between Richmond
and Lithgow.
Jenolan Caves, Blue Mountains National Park. By Cre@tivity via Flickr.com
Here's a map of Blue Mountains National Park,
where I have tagged the places mentioned on this page. You can click on
the
tags to see what places they are, and double-click anywhere on the map
to zoom it in and see the places closer. Drag the map to move around,
and if you want to see the satellite image with Google Earth, click on
"Sat" in the top right hand corner.
Note:
This site uses
British English, which is the English we use in Australia. You will
find words like "traveller", "harbour" and "realise", and they are all
correct in the language used in Australia.
Disclaimer: Although
best efforts have been made to ensure
that all the information on this site is correct,
gondwananet.com is not to be blamed should there be a mistake.
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All contents of this website are strictly protected
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