What are the best things to do in the Blue Mountains, Australia?
The best things to do in the Blue Mountains include walking in the Jamison Valley from Echo Point, admiring the Govett’s Leap waterfall from Pulpit Rock and canyoning in the Wollemi National Park.
The Blue Mountains is the classic escape from Sydney. The World Heritage region to the west of the city is surrounded by largely untouched national park. It offers waterfalls, walking trails, cute villages and adventure sports.
Book your Blue Mountains tours and accommodation.
Often tackled as a rushed day tour from Sydney, stopping at the Featherdale Wildlife Park along the way, the Blue Mountains is best when given more time. You don’t need a car in the Blue Mountains, as the train line from Sydney stops at several of the towns and villages. Katoomba, Leura or Blackheath makes the best base.
Why are they called the Blue Mountains?
The ‘blue’ in the name comes from the sun meeting the oil from the eucalyptus leaves, bestowing a near-permanent blue sheen. The ‘mountains’ part is a mistake – the area is actually a high plateau cut through by rivers and creeks. The towns and villages are generally along the ridge lines, and two main roads cut through the region.
The Great Western Highway from Sydney to Bathurst is by far the most commonly used of these. It crosses the Nepean River at Jamisontown in Penrith, then climbs through villages such as Blaxland, Springwood and Faulconbridge.
It then reaches the higher elevation and more touristy section of the Blue Mountains, passing Wentworth Falls, Leura, Katoomba, Medlow Bath, Blackheath and Mount Victoria.
7 Blue Mountains experiences you should pre-book
- Scenic World tickets – combine dramatic train rides, cable cars & forest walks.
- The Blue Mountains hop-on, hop-off bus – get around Katoomba and Leura’s top sites hassle-free.
- Guided stargazing with an astrophysicist – learn how to read the clear night skies.
- Give canyoning a try – jumping, climbing and sliding through Empress Canyon.
- Take a half day abseiling adventure – in the Blue Mountains National Park.
- Indulge in a local produce tasting experience – with beers, wines & meats.
- Get adventurous – on a 4WD tour to the world’s second largest canyon.
Bells Line of Road and Blue Mountains Gardens
The alternative is to the north, along the much windier Bells Line of Road. This road passes from Windsor on the Hawkesbury River, through Kurrajong, Bilpin (home of Bilpin Cider) and Mount Tomah towards Lithgow. Many of the most beautiful gardens in the Blue Mountains can be found on or just off Bells Line of Road. Most notable are the expansive Mt Tomah Botanic Gardens and deliberately seasonal Breenhold Gardens.
Things to do in the Blue Mountains: Echo Point and Scenic World
For most, however, the inevitable starting point for a Blue Mountains trip is Echo Point in Katoomba. Here, archetypal postcard view of the Jamison Valley unfurls, the Three Sisters rock formation framing it to the left.
6 top Katoomba experiences to book in advance
- Connect the key sights in Katoomba and Leura the easy way – on the hop-on, hop-off bus.
- Discover your adventurous side – while canyoning at Twister and Rocky Creek.
- Indulge in NSW-sourced wines, beers and tasting platters at Echo Point, while overlooking the Jamison Valley.
- Combine canyoning and abseiling on a full day adventure.
- Explore the Jamison Valley from all angles – with the trains and cable cars of Scenic World.
- See ancient Aboriginal rock art – and the views other people miss – on a 4WD adventure.
The best Katoomba accommodation options include the surprisingly affordable Blue Mountains Heritage Hotel, the pool-equipped Skyrider Motor Inn and the rather grand Carrington Hotel.
From there you can take the classic Blue Mountains walk. The Giant Stairway descends into the valley via hundreds and hundreds of thigh-straining steps. At the bottom, a walking trail heads through the eucalyptus forest, accompanied by riotous birdsong.
Around 90 minutes later, there’s the choice of either ascending a similar number of steps, or taking the world’s steepest railway back to the top. The Scenic Railway has genuine rollercoaster qualities to it, and is part of Scenic World. A day ticket will also allow access to the Scenic Skyway – a cable car across the Katoomba Falls. At the other end, it’s a short and spectacular walk along the clifftops back to Echo Point.
5 fab ways to explore: Which Blue Mountains tour should I book?
There are dozens of Blue Mountains day tours leaving Sydney every day. The best choice will come down to personal preference and what’s included. Almost all include Echo Point and the Three Sisters – it’s just the rest of the itinerary that varies. These tours are the best bets.
- Good value tour including Featherdale Wildlife Park, Scenic World & Parramatta River cruise.
- Similar itinerary, but with small group and lunch included.
- Wildlife-focused tour including Calmsley Hill City Farm, Govetts Leap lookout & Blue Mountains Botanic Garden.
- Small group tour including bushwalks, Featherdale, Glenbrook lookouts and Govetts Leap.
- Crowd-avoiding sunset tour including Euroka campground kangaroos & Wentworth Falls bushwalk.
Things to do in the Blue Mountains: Blackheath and Leura
Other waterfalls in the region include the dainty, photogenic Leura Cascades and Govett’s Leap. The latter can be little more than a trickle, but Govett’s Leap drops 180m into the Grose Valley near Blackheath. There are several lookouts along the clifftops, including the famous Evans Lookout. The one at Pulpit Rock making you feel like part of the panorama, rather than just looking at it.
Leura has its own collection of walking trails, waterfalls and gardens, but it is probably the best place in the Blue Mountains to eat and shop. Leura is the gourmet hub of the mountains, with Silk’s a long-standing higher end favourite.
The Leura Mall is basically the village’s main street, lined by agreeably independent shops. Bijou offers colourful jewellery, Moontree is all candles, while the Teddy Sinclair Man Cave has everything manly from beard wax and wallets to vintage compasses.
Things to do in the Blue Mountains National Park
The lower Blue Mountains are generally skipped in favour of the more spectacular views higher up. But the section of the Blue Mountains National Park near Glenbrook has some beautiful walks to lookouts over the Nepean River. If limiting yourself to one, plump for the Mt Portal Lookout overlooking the Nepean River Gorge. Nearby is the Jellybean Pool, a gorgeous swimming hole. On a hot day, a swim at Jellybean Pool is one of the best things to do in the Blue Mountains.
The Glenbrook section of the Blue Mountains National Park is arguably the best place to see kangaroos. They’re practically guaranteed in the Euroka Campground.
Meanwhile, the $95 Blue Mountains Walkabout from Faulconbridge train station is highly unconventional as walking tours go. Guide Evan Yanna Muru doesn’t just show off Aboriginal rock art sites and cave painting techniques. He attempts to bring guests into the indigenous mindset through thought exercises, walking techniques, stories passed down through generations and traditional plant use. It’s immersive, and highly memorable.
Blue Mountains caves and canyons
The Jenolan Caves are thought to be the oldest cave system in the world, and are packed with impressive shawl-like formations, stalagmites, stalactites and sparkling crystals. The ticketing system is needlessly complicated, but tours of different caves run at different times of the day. It’s worth checking ahead which tour is going when. The Chifley Cave is a good all-rounder with a bit of everything, while the Lucas Cave wins on scale.
If just putting one foot in front of the other is a little too monotonous, then try canyoning. This involves some scrambling over rocks, sliding down waterfalls and swimming through cave-lined creek pools. The Blue Mountains Adventure Company runs trips inside the Wollemi National Park and beyond, with varying degrees of difficulty. The Empress Falls, Rocky Creek Canyon and Fortress Creek Canyon trips are good for beginners.