Who knew a short train ride from a city the size of Sydney could take you to a magical landscape like this. It wasn’t even a high speed train, with plenty of stops along the way. These mountains really are on the doorstep of Sydneysiders.
Oddly enough, as I was waiting on the train for it to depart, the advertisement board displayed a performance called The Three Sisters. Strategically placed on the platform heading to the attraction of the same name?
Who knows. But before long, the Sydney skyline disappeared into the horizon.
What replaced it was a blanket of green, trees as far as the eye could see. Every now and then the station would stop in smaller and smaller towns, eventually the platforms were so small there weren’t signs telling me where I was. I had to use the TripView ap- which is fantastic- to get my bearings.
Leaving the station in Katoomba, I headed to the hostel. This was roughly a ten minute walk and after dumping my bag and getting directions from the lovely staff, I found I was halfway to some great Blue Mountain viewing points.
The clifftop is lined with reminders of those that worked to build the roads and the people that lived here at the time. I took a moment to reflect on this and the hard work it must have been to create such infrastructure in the summer heat. A pretty powerful reminder.
There was also messages from those that had visited for the first time during times of exploration and discovery. One was by Charles Darwin, stating that the view through the trees was ‘quite novel and extremely magnificent’.
This is the view he was speaking of.
The weather certainly improved which helped greatly for some nice shots.
This stairway was a little nerve-racking, although doable even with a mild fear of heights. It was cool to be able to touch one of the Three Sisters, even if it did get a little crowded.
Now, walking west towards Scenic World, there are two ways to head to the ancient rainforest below. The worlds steepest railway or Australia’s steepest cable car. You can choose to go down one way, walk through the rainforest on one of the various route lengths and up again via the other route. I decided to head down via railway and up via cable car.
If you’re in and around Sydney and have a enough time to venture out of the city, definitely make time for this place. I only spent one full day here and headed back early the next day after a pleasant night in the local YHA hostel. I have a feeling I could have spent more nights in the region and ventured a little further off the beaten track, however 24 hours was still great fun.
Let me know what you think and if you have been! Speak to you all soon.
One Chance to See the World 
I love stunning scenics & these are exceptional. You crammed a lot into your one day.
I live within some of the best scenery in Canada, & I know how to appreciate it.
Thank you!
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Yeah I was worried one day wouldn’t be enough, but it can certainly be done. Thank you and hopefully one day I will get to experience some amazing Canadian scenery!
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We have mountains, including the Rockies, lakes, oceans near the coastal provinces, massive forests, rivers, ranches, old west type towns, gorges, & even a desert in the south of the province. So much to see here, & one day would definitely not do anything much.
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Oh trust me I would give myself a month at least haha
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Many come here for 6 weeks vacation & have to come back several times. The province is very different from north to south…..different climates & terrain to name a couple.
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The views are breathtaking and the pictures makes me want to visit the place.
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You really should if you find yourself nearby. I couldn’t stop gazing out over the horizon! Thanks for the lovely comment Bel 🙂
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Beauty at its best, Sam and such breathtaking pictures. Great.
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Thank you Kamal, I’m pleased you enjoyed the post. I hope you’re having a great day!
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Welcome Sam and yes absolutely. Have a wonderful day too.
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The shots across the valley to the opposing cliffs remind me of the grand canyon. More trees obviously! Is there a river there that could have eroded the cliffs? or is there another explanation for their formation?
Nice views BTW. Definitely something I need to do. As someone who struggled with the glass floor at the CN Tower earlier this year, I can see that train giving me a wibble! I’d still do it though.
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The CN Tower seems seriously tall! I think I would be more scared doing the glass floor actually than this train…
I told my friends that it reminded me of Palo Duro Canyon in Texas, which isn’t as big as the Grand Canyon however very similar, so yes it is just a little greener here with some similarities!
Regarding the formation, there are four rivers that run through the national park, however the range formed 50 million years ago when the area was ‘uplifted’. How it was uplifted, I don’t know despite trying to google! They are also called the ‘Blue’ mountains because of the vast numbers of eucalypts in the range, the oily discharge they give off creates a haze when the sun shines down on it, giving off a blue colour.
I hope this helps to a degree 🙂
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Awesome! Cheers 🙂
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Anytime!
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A little more than a year ago, my partner and I were house sitting in the Blue Mountains; we’d never heard of the area before, either. You brought me back to the day we hiked from Katoomba.
The stairs leading to The Three Sisters didn’t scare me, but the crush of tour bus riding, selfie-stick wielding views did. We just walked away! Good on ya’ for braving them!
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