Zig Zag Railway
Ph 02 6355 2955 or 02 6351 4826 recorded timetable. fax 02 6355 2954. email [email protected]. the zig zag railway is a historic railway. it was the main system for descending from the mountains before tunnels were made, and now it is a tourist attraction. you can drive to it from the bells line of road or catch a cityrail train to zig zag station and change. the train journey up and down the mountain takes about 1.5 hours. trains run at 11am, 1pm and 3pm, steam trains only run on wednesdays, weekends, public holidays and school holidays. tickets are $20 adults, $15 students and seniors, $10 children over 5 and free for children under 5. family tickets for 2 adults and 3 children or 1 adult and 4 children are $50. (http://www.zigzagrailway....)
Megalong Australian Heritage Farm
A unique venue offering rural experiences. Set in 2000 acres the venue has a restaurant, horse riding, 4WD, bushwalking, childrens petting farm, wilderness camping sites and B &B accommodation.
show caves
Tour the show caves at Jenolan Caves. Note that this is quite a long way from the Blue Mountains proper, and is probably a full day affair. If you don't have a car, you'll need to join a bus tour.
by tour
Many tour companies operate one-day or longer up to the Blue Mountains from Sydney. A number of companies operate chartered tours (http://www.pegasuscoachto...) that offer tour guides and coaches with modern facilities toilets, air conditioning.
mountain bike
Ride the Oaks Trail on your mountain bike. This is a classic mountain ride, through bushland fire trail well away from the highway. It goes from Woodford to Glenbrook, almost all downhill. You can get the train from Glenbrook back up the hill to the start.
Ride on one of the scenic rides into the Jamison Valley from Katoomba.
Walks
Giant Stairway
The Giant Stairway descends to the bottom of the Jamison Valley, right next to the Three Sisters at Echo Point. You can walk along the base of the valley for around 2km to get to Scenic World, at take the Scenic Railway back up the hill. From here you can walk to 2km back along the top of the cliff, by following the Price Henry Cliff Walk back to Echo Point, via Katoomba Falls. There is food and drink at Echo Point, at Scenic World, and at a kiosk along the Prince Henry Cliff Walk. The track is well marked, you will see the signs to Scenic Railway and well traversed, so you don't need to be too prepared to do this one. If you are driving, then consider parking at Scenic World, and doing the Prince Henry Walk first, that way you can avoid the parking charges at Echo Point. If you want to test your fitness, go down the scenic railway, and then up the thousand steps.
There are literally hundreds of walking opportunities in the mountains, from short 1km trips to lookouts, to multi-day walks, and the famous Six Foot Track from Katoomba to Jenolan Caves. They will have all the details at the visitor information at Echo Point.
National Pass Trail (http://www.nationalpass.c...) at Wentworth Falls is a recently restored trail, running along the cliff line at Wentworth Falls, and not as steep as it may sound. There is about 3 hours of walking in all, but shorter walks are possible. The start of the walk is about 45 minutes walk from the train station.
Faulconbridge Point Lookout/Grose River.
Govett's Leap.
To get away from the crowds in "scenic" Katoomba, get a bus or taxi to Leura falls, and walk down the steps to the wedding veil falls and along Federal Pass - a fantastic walk, not too hard, and loads of wildlife! (http://www.nationalparks....)