Wollongong Information

Wollongong Information

The Outback of Australia has been branded treacherous, unforgiving and harsh, but a trip to Katoomba will wipe these conceptions clean from your slate.  What you’ll be left with is the feeling of awe at Mother Nature’s playground mixed with the folksy appeal of this charming country town.

Motor down the Great Western Highway for about 66 miles (100 kms) to reach Katoomba, alternatively there’s the train from Sydney that will take you approximately two hours.  The Blue Mountains is New South Wales’ personal wonder and Katoomba is the region’s gem.  Stunning views envelop you at Echo Point, definitely your first point of call.  Gaze out from the viewing platform at the Jamison Valley and you’ll see hundreds of miles of flora that appear as soft as green clouds.  This is also the perfect place to see the famed Three Sisters - beautiful rock formations named after an Aboriginal legend about three sisters of the Katoomba tribe.  The ladies’ facial features change with the day’s lighting, also being floodlight until around 11pm each evening.  

If you’re a bit of a daredevil then head over to Scenic World for the Scenic Railway, which takes you down into the valley in a cage - beware this steep roller-coaster is not for the faint of heart.  There’s also the Scenic Skyway, which will levitate you over the valley with a glass floor on the cable car, although slower if you have a phobia of heights then you might want to stick to the look-outs and bush walks provided.

Katoomba’s city centre is a town full of characters from the whiskered old gents in the local pub to eccentric artists exhibited in the city’s galleries.  You’ll find many examples of art-deco buildings along the shop fronts, with Katoomba being put on the map between the wars.  If you’re after a meal you won’t quickly forget then check out Solitary restaurant on the Leura Cascades, for inventive local cooking and a serene atmosphere, bookings essential.