New South Wales
Blue Mountains
4 Days
Only a couple of hours from Sydney, the Blue Mountains were our first-weekend trip away. I love the area and have returned several times since. Whether it’s spectacular views, mountain hikes or just an opportunity to wind down in a vineyard, it has something for everyone. Most make it a day trip, but to do the area justice, I would suggest extending your visit to a full weekend. And, even if you can’t get through it all in one trip, it’s the perfect excuse to return.
Overview
01
Katoomba
02
Wentworth Falls
03
Blackheath
04
Megalong Valley &
Dryridge Estate
Travel Route
01
Katoomba
Morning
Katoomba is the town most associated with a trip to the Blue Mountains and with good reason. Its train service connects directly to Sydney, and it can be reached by car in a few hours. The town itself is at the heart of some of the best tourist attractions in the area.
On arrival, we stopped off for a cosy breakfast at the Gingerbread House, hidden just off the main high street in a renovated church. I would recommend hot chocolate and the toasted banana bread. Then parking up at our overnight accommodation, which was just behind the Echo Point lookout, we headed to Scenic World – roughly a ten-minute walk to the valley rim.
Scenic World is The Blue Mountain’s version of a mini-amusement park. It’s a full-day adventure if you have children, with attractions that allow you to take in the vistas from a variety of different vantage points. But for us a morning was plenty; opting for the ‘Skyway’ a cable car which suspends you above the Jamison Valley between the cliff tops.
We then hopped aboard the Historic Katoomba Scenic Railway, the steepest cable-driven funicular railway in the world, with an astonishing incline of 52 degrees. Now that also meant nothing to me at first, but I found myself letting out a shriek as we headed down to the Jurassic Forest and boardwalks. There were several shorter walking routes, but we opted for the longest at 2.5km. As it was a relatively easy trail, it only took us about forty-five minutes to finish before heading back out of the valley towards the clifftop walks. But you can also return to the top by train or another cable car.
Blue Mountains National Park
Blue Mountains National Park
Afternoon
Leaving Scenic World, we picked up the 7km Prince Henry Cliff (1.5-2hrs) walking trail along the edge of the Jamison Valley and headed towards the famed Three Sisters and Echo Point lookouts. This is where you can expect most of the day-tripper crowds. Just past the Echo lookout, It is well worth making a short detour to take a small section of the famous Giant Stairway to Honeymoon Bridge that connects to the first Sister. You can then continue on the Cliff trail towards Gordon Falls lookout in Leura. There is also a visitors’ centre at Echo Point if you are looking for further suggestions.
Evening
That evening we headed to the Echoes restaurant. virtually next door to our own accommodation. The hotel had live music, great food and was a lovely way to finish the day.
Accommodation: Lilianfels Blue Mountains Resort.
02
Wentworth Falls
Morning
The next morning, we got up early to beat the crowds and headed to Wentworth Falls, only fifteen minutes back along the highway. Specifically, we parked at Wentworth Falls Picnic Area, which only had a small car park to start the National Pass Loop (4.5km – approx. 2.5hrs). Although at the time, part of the track remained closed due to rockfall, we were able to walk the upper section which traverses the cliffs before crossing Empress Falls and looping back to the Conservation Hut. We hardly saw another walker, so it felt as if we had the entire valley to ourselves.​
Afternoon
We headed back by car to Katoomba and opted for a lazy afternoon, where we dotted between various coffee shops. For those with a bit more energy, we had been recommended canyoning and abseiling trips at Empress Canyon and these remain on our to-do list for our next visit!
Evening
Rather than undertake the 30-minute walk, we took a taxi into Katoomba and enjoyed an excellent meal at the Old Bank Brasserie, part of the historic Carrington Hotel.
Accommodation: Lilianfels Blue Mountains Resort.
Three Sisters Lookout
National Pass Loop
03
Blackheath
Morning
A further twenty minutes past Katoomba and into the Blue Mountains, you will pass through the town of Blackheath where you can turn off for the start of the Grand Canyon Walking Track Loop.
I highly recommend you spend time and effort doing the longer loop. Only 6 km in length, but with steep uphill and downhill sections of path, you will do well to finish in under three hours. But with waterfalls, creek crossings, natural swimming holes (pack your swimmers), and rainforest this is one of my favourite walks so far in Australia.
With a couple of different starting points, I would suggest parking at Neat’s Glen car park and heading anti-clockwise. Most visitors opt for the large car park and recently renovated viewing platform at Evans Lookout but If you follow my advice, it means you leave the best to last and get to finish with the views of Evans Lookout as well as tackling the steepest part of the walk first as a descent, rather than a gruelling climb to the finish. However, be warned, whichever way you go you won't be able to avoid steep climbs.
For a spot of lunch and a well-earned rest, we headed to Potbelly café at Medlow and enjoyed some good wholesome fare.
Evening
That evening we drove down into the Megalong Valley, and into the Blue Mountains wine region. A winding forty-minute drive that took us past the start of the Coachwood Glen Nature Trail and towards our home for the evening, Sunrise Lodge on the Dry Ridge Estate. A two-bedroom cabin hidden between rows of vines, it had a large decking, BBQ and a fully stocked wine fridge (you paid for what you drank!) so there was no reason for us to venture further afield.
Grand Canyon Track
Grand Canyon Track
Accommodation: Sunrise Lodge – Dry Ridge Estate.
04
Megalong Valley & Dryridge Estate
Morning
This was easily my favourite day in the Blue Mountains. It was Australia Day and as the mist lifted during breakfast on our lodge decking, we were gifted with spectacular sunshine and quite magical views across the Megalong Valley.
We had free roam of the estate with options given to us for local walks and waterfalls. However, by this point, we had done enough hiking and instead opted for the shorter five-hundred-yard amble across to the neighbouring vineyard Megalong Creek Estate. A quick stop soon became a few hours of wine tasting and laughs with some of the locals; before we headed back to the Dry Ridge Estate for our second tasting of the day, enjoying generous glasses of wine along with a freshly prepared cheese and charcuterie board.
Afternoon
There was honestly no better way to enjoy our afternoon than at our accommodation, with the BBQ alight and a few bottles of wine purchased from the estate. After a busy few days exploring the mountains, this was the perfect way to bring our trip to a close. It’s fair to say we will definitely be repeating our visit to the wine region!
Accommodation: Sunrise Lodge – Dry Ridge Estate.
Dryridge Estate
