The Blue Mountains, a mere hour out of Sydney and also accessible by public transport, is a major attraction in this part of Australia and justifiably so. The scenery is simply impressive. On the days we were there, it had been raining solidly for weeks so we were lucky to see the waterfalls engorged with water which made up for the grey, overcast skies.

Unfortunately, I felt the visit was marred by a few negative aspects. The visitors centre was hopeless. After such recent bad weather, we were relying on them to tell us which walks were open and which ones were closed due to bad weather. They were unable to do this. This should have been one of their fundamental functions as it has a safety consequence. Only a few days prior to our visit, there was an emergency rescue of people who were stuck on a trail closed due to weather damage.

Also, beware, there is only paid parking near the visitors centre and it wasn’t cheap! This is annoying as the visitors centre is the trailhead for many of the most famous walking trails for the Blue Mountains. After lapping Australia and enjoying free parking in all but the absolute centre of the major capital cities, this was a disappointment and a shock.

The signage on the walking trails were also a bit confusing for such a major attraction.

Nevertheless, as you can see from my photos, this area is absolutely magnificent.