Breathtaking (Blue Mountains National Park)

Member Name: moronboy

Product:	Blue Mountains National Park
Date:	08/11/00 (50 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A genuinely beautiful place to visit

Disadvantages: Too much to see

It was tipping it down with rain when we arrived in the Blue Mountains - locals told us that the weather here can be changeable, and so you should be aware that fog or rain may be a problem. However, the appalling stormy conditions soon abated and we managed to rush around the place quite happily.

The Blue Mountains are very close to Sydney (no more than a couple of hours once you escape the city traffic), and many people in the city spend the weekend there. You can take day trips, but I would advise anyone to spend a couple of days in the area if you're visiting Sydney.

We stayed in Leura, a pretty little village close to the clifftop drive which is the main attraction in the area - the biggest town is probably Katoomba, where the Three Sisters, a spectacular rock formation, can be seen.

Essentially, the Blue Mountains are a hugely impressive range of mountains, very similar to what you see at the Grand Canyon, except incredibly lush and green. The blue haze, which you really can see, is supposedly due to the eucalyptus oil in the air. You can walk down the mountains and along the forest floor, climb some of them, or just be a lazy but amazed tourist by driving around, stopping at the frequent car parks and being gobsmacked.

I'd particularly recommend going to the clifftop drive along the mountains into Katoomba, and also going to the Jenolan caves, which are a wonderful system of caves found with the national park. There are aboriginal sites, abundant wildlife (lots of parrots) and stunning views

As with everywhere in Australia, I think it's quite hard to eat badly - there were some lovely cafes and bakeries in Leura, and Katoomba had some very classy restaurants - if you're in the area, in Katoomba there's a superb Indian restaurant run by a very nice woman (I curse myself for forgetting the name).

We spent three very full days in the Blue Mountains, and would love to return - don't mis
s them if you have a chance to visit.

Summary: