Blue Mountains

I love the Blue Mountains. It’s the first place I ever saw kangaroos in the wild. And no matter how many Aussies might consider these marsupials a pest, I think they’re absolutely beautiful and one of the features that make Australia special.

Just a short distance from busy metropolitan Sydney, the Blue Mountains is a great place for bushwalking. It’s a huge national park with dramatic landscapes, steep cliffs, deep valleys, rainforest, rivers, lakes and water falls. There are numerous tracks for hiking (or just ambling along), a scenic railway and plenty of captivating Australian wildlife; more than 400 kinds of animals live in the area.

Are you curious about the name? I was. The area is called Blue Mountains because of the distinctive blue haze, caused by the combination of oil released from the many eucalyptus trees, and sunlight.

Once you get off the train, walk up to the lookout at Echo Point for a close encounter with the Three Sisters and a fabulous panorama. We’ve only ever done day trips in the Blue Mountains, but next time I want to spend at least one night and wander down into the ancient and mysterious valley below.

Blue Mountains practicals

• To get to Blue Mountains National Park, you can drive or take the train to Katoomba (about 1.5 – 2 hours from Sydney).
• The lookout Echo Point is about 2,5 km from Katoomba railway station
• Accommodations in the national park are plentiful. You can camp – or there’s a YHA hostel reputed to be excellent, several small guest houses, holiday cottages, motels, boutique hotels, …you name it.
• Pop over to Blue Mountains official site for more info.

Greater Blue Mountains Area is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Here are more UNESCO World Heritage sites around the world.