Things to do
LANDMARKS
Top of Katoomba’s must-sees are the Three Sisters. Deeply woven into the region's Aboriginal Dreaming stories, these sandstone peaks rise above the hazy blue-grey mist in Jamison Valley. Visit during the sunset’s ‘golden hour’ to catch the rocks changing from deep orange and fiery red to a pink and purple hue as twilight sets in. Nearby, the boardwalk at Echo Point offers multiple viewing platforms for incredible photos across the vast Blue Mountains National Park. Pack a picnic, and walk down the 998 stone and steel steps into the valley for a ground-up perspective of the Three Sisters. From here, the rugged Federal Pass goes past Leura to Ruined Castle and on to Katoomba Falls.
HISTORY
Katoomba's story stretches back almost 40,000 years, when the Gundungurra and Darug peoples first called these mountains home. The Katoomba Coal Mine opened in 1879, and European settlers transformed the town into a fashionable retreat with its elegant guesthouses, Victorian architecture and art deco buildings. Regular exhibitions, a library and the art gallery at the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre is a great place to learn about the local history, in a way that brings the area's ancestral heritage, traditions and pioneering past to life.
ACTIVITIES
Spot lyrebirds and crimson rosellas flitting through the trees on the bushland trail to Minnehaha Falls. Hidden in North Katoomba, the water cascades 20 metres into a deep pool that’s ideal for swimming. Experienced hikers can challenge themselves with the Grand Cliff Top Walk. While guided canyoning expeditions pass through sandstone ravines. Venture underground to explore the million-year-old limestone chambers of Jenolan Caves, sparkling with pink and white crystal formations. Scenic World is where the world’s steepest passenger train trundles along Victorian railway tracks, tilting at a white-knuckle 52 degrees. Or put your head above the rainforest canopy in a cable car on the Scenic Skyway – the Blue Mountains all around.
