With an abundance of waterfalls, rainforests, canyons, and valleys, it’s no surprise that the Blue Mountains is a UNESCO World Heritage Area. Combine this natural beauty with quaint mountain towns and great food, and it’s a must-visit destination for a day trip from Sydney.
To get to the Blue Mountains, it’s a minute drive from Sydney’s CBD. There are also train services from the city to Katoomba and a network of bus services within the area. For this itinerary, a car is required.
You’ll need to be fueled up for a big day of activities, so the first stop is the highly reputed Black Cockatoo Bakery. Grab a coffee and don’t leave without a few of their famous mouth-watering pastries and breads.
The Blue Mountains has some of the best lookouts and walks in Australia with a great range of options whatever your fitness level. What better way to start your day than with the incredible Wentworth Falls? Only a few hundred meters from the car park, you can admire the falls and the breathtaking Jamison Valley from Wentworth Falls Lookout. If you’re up for a short walk, then the Wentworth Falls Track and Weeping Rock Circuit will take you right to them as you follow the river down the edge of the gorge, discovering several cascades along the way.
It’s only a minute return trip and is overall an easy walk with a couple of small steep sections. After that little bit of adventure, check out the quaint little village of Leura. Here you’ll find artisanal food shops like the mouth-watering Josefans Fine Chocolates, local art collections such as the Kate Saudi Gallery, and a charming mountain village atmosphere.
Keeping with the charming mountain village theme, we’re off to Medlow Bath and The Teahouse Café for lunch. Located inside a beautiful rustic industrial building, their delicious menu blends unique flavors that you’ll struggle to find anywhere else. It’s the perfect place to recharge for the afternoon’s activities.
The Grose Valley is an immense landscape full of lush forests and surrounded by impressive sandstone cliffs. Evans Lookout offers up amazing views of this impressive vista and is the next stop on the itinerary. This is also the starting point for the Grand Canyon Hike, an incredible walk that will have you drop down into the valley floor hundreds of meters below and into the mystical world of the Grand Canyon. Surround yourself with beautiful cascades, giant ferns, and lush rainforest as you wander your way along the Grose River. The hike is a six-kilometer round trip and will take approximately four hours.
If you have time, a visit to Govetts Leap is well worth the minute drive from Evans Lookout. Another breathtaking view, Govetts Leap looks over a different perspective of the Grose Valley as well as the spectacular Bridal Veil Falls. The falls plunge meters into the valley below, making Govetts Leap arguably the best lookout in the Blue Mountains.
As the sun starts to set, it’s time to head to Katoomba for sunset at the most iconic view in the Blue Mountains, the Three Sisters. The Three Sisters Aboriginal Place is recognized as a place of special cultural significance to Aboriginal people. Echo Point Lookout will give you fantastic views of the landmark, and there is the option to take the Three Sisters Walk. Only minutes return, it will give you more incredible views of the Jamison Valley and take you right up to the Three Sisters via the Honeymoon Bridge.
After a big day, head to the Mountain Culture Brewery for dinner and one of their popular beers that are brewed on-site. Set in one of Katoomba’s historic buildings, enjoy a hearty burger in the laid-back atmosphere.
Finish your day off with the Katoomba Falls Night Walk, which gives an awesome nighttime viewing experience of Katoomba Falls, Witch’s Leap, and the Three Sisters. And there you have it, an incredible day in the Blue Mountains.
