Blue Mountains

Rugged Range of Sandstone Cliffs With Spectacular Views

Description

Located about 100 kilometers west of Sydney, the Blue Mountains aren't really mountains at all, but a series of rugged cliffs surrounding a plateau that features deeply eroded, sandstone gorges measuring as deep as 760 meters. Whatever they are, though, there's no denying the beauty of the Blue Mountains. Tinged in a blue haze when viewed from afar, they were thought impenetrable by Sydney's earliest settlers whose efforts to follow the river valleys were consistently thwarted by abrupt, vertical cliffs that blocked the way. Once explorers changed tactics and discovered the rugged area could be crossed by following ridges to the plateau, a road shortly followed, and New South Wales was open for colonial expansion. Now a World Heritage Site, the Blue Mountains today is an easy and popular getaway for folks from Sydney and beyond looking for nature trails and spectacular natural scenery. The Katoomba Scenic Railway, the steepest railway in the world, was once a mining tramway, but now offers visitors striking views as it descends 415 meters among the rocky cliffs. Also popular are the Scenic Skyway, a glass-bottom aerial cable car, and the Scenic Flyway, a 545 meter ride and the steepest aerial cable car in Australia. Those looking to do some hiking should seek out the Giant Staircase, which descends a cliff into the Jamison Valley right beside the Three Sisters rock formation, and accesses a number of trails in the valley.