KATOOMBA BLUE MOUNTAINS NSW AUSTRALIA KIMBERLY MEEHAN CIT061725

INDEX Page 1 – Index Page 2 – Location & surrounding towns Page 3 – Katoomba overview Page 4 – Getting there, Events & Weather Page 5 – Accommodation Page 6 – Echo Point – Three Sister Page 7 – Tour Operators Page 8 – Scenic World Page 9 – Scenic World Continued Page 10 – Jenolan Caves Page 11 – Bibliography 1

LOCATION SURROUNDING AREA Katoomba is located in the Blue Mountains which are approximately 100 kilometres or 2 hours drive west of Sydney, New South Wales SURROUNDING AREA Most of the Blue Mountains comprise of National Park and have recently been listed as a World Heritage Area. There are 10 major points to visit in the blue mountains, these are: Lithgow Hartley Mount Victoria Blackheath Oberon Jenolan Caves Megalong Valley Katoomba Leura Wentworth Falls 2

KATOOMBA THINGS TO DO FAST FACTS 3 Katoomba is the main tourist destination & residential area in the Blue Mountains. It is a gateway to a host of magnificent valley & mountain views. It is also home to the famous Three sisters. Coal mining brought settlers to the area in the 1800’s and it wasn’t until 1878 that the town officially became known as Katoomba. Katoomba started to attract holiday makers just before WWI, they were attracted to the area by the mountain air. Soon after the town blossomed into a tourist centre. THINGS TO DO Visit Echo Point for a great view of the Three Sisters. Travel on the Scenic Railway. Have a ride on the Skyway Cable cars. Go on guided bushwalks or 4WD tours. Go abseiling, canyoning, rock climbing or mountain biking. Visit the Katoomba Falls FAST FACTS Population 900 100km west of Sydney 1017m above sea level 3

GETTING THERE EVENTS WEATHER The most popular means of getting to the Blue Mountains is by car. Katoomba is 122km drive from Sydney travelling along the Great Western Highway. You can also reach the Blue Mountains by train. City Rail offer an efficient service departing from Central Station, the trip to Katoomba is approx 2hrs long. Many Coach Companies offer day trips into the Blue Mountains, most departing from Circular Quay in Sydney. EVENTS Just a few of the annual events held in the area: Winter Magic Festival - Katoomba Winter Magic is the largest event on the Blue Mountains calendar and is organised exclusively by the community, celebrating the change of seasons. Blue Mountains Folk Music Festival - A three day festival of acoustic folk, jazz & world music featuring artists from around the world & around Australia. Wines of the West in Katoomba, Australia Day long weekend in January. Six Foot Track Marathon, a 45 km-track from Katoomba to Jenolan Caves. WEATHER During the winter months, the average temperature in the Upper Mountains is around 5°C while in Summer, the average temperature is around 18°C. The Blue Mountains generally has a reputation for snow in winter, however, despite the cool temperatures there are only around 5 snow days per year in the upper mountains. 4

ACCOMMODATION With Katoomba being the most visited location in the Blue Mountains there is a wide range to choose from when it come to accommodation. Backpackers Hotels & Motels Cabins Camping Hotels Bushland & Country Retreats Guest Houses Luxury Resorts Self Contained Cottages 5

ECHO POINT THE THREE SISTERS FAST FACT THE LEGEND A visit to the Blue Mountains is not complete without visiting the spectacular Three Sisters. The character of the Three Sisters changes throughout the day and the seasons as the sun brings out the magnificent colours. The Three Sisters are located approximately 2.5km from the Great Western Highway. The Giant Stairway is also found at Echo Point, you can take the 800 steps down to the floor of the valley. FAST FACT The Three Sisters are 922, 918 & 906 metres tall, that's over 3000 feet above sea level! THE LEGEND The Aboriginal dream-time legend has it that three sisters, 'Meehni', 'Wimlah' and Gunnedoo' lived in the Jamison Valley as members of the Katoomba tribe. These beautiful young ladies had fallen in love with three brothers from the Nepean tribe, yet tribal law forbade them to marry. The brothers were not happy to accept this law and so decided to use force to capture the three sisters causing a major tribal battle. As the lives of the three sisters were seriously in danger, a witchdoctor from the Katoomba tribe took it upon himself to turn the three sisters into stone to protect them from any harm. While he had intended to reverse the spell when the battle was over, the witchdoctor himself was killed. As only he could reverse the spell to  return the ladies to their former beauty, the sisters remain in their magnificent rock formation as a reminder of this battle for generations to come. 6

HIGH & WILD MOUNTAIN ADVENTURES BLUE MOUNTAINS CHOCOLATE COMPANY TOUR OPERATORS HIGH & WILD MOUNTAIN ADVENTURES Offer: abseiling, summer and winter canyoning, rock climbing, mountain biking, snow and ice climbing and bushwalking. Wildest of their attractions is the mega jump – abseil a 125m straight jump! www.high-n-wild.com.au BLUE MOUNTAINS CHOCOLATE COMPANY Offer: Chocolate making demonstrations, chocolate making courses, free chocolate tastings & a huge selection of handmade chocolates to take home with you. http://www.bluemountainschocolate.com.au/ MYSTERY TOURS Offer: Scenic Tours & Ghost Tours They are the only tour group in the area to offer ghost tours. www.bluemountainsmysterytours.com.au 7

SCENIC WORLD SCENIC RAILWAY SCENIC CABLEWAY www.scenicworld.com.au Scenic World is the main tour operator in the Blue Mountains. They offer a range of experiences found no where else on earth. They have 4 main tours: Scenic Railway Scenic Cableway Scenic Walkway Scenic Skyway SCENIC RAILWAY The Scenic Railway is the steepest incline railway in the world. The 415m decent will take you through a cliff side tunnel down into an ancient rainforest. The Scenic Railway can carry up to 84 passengers and operates every 10 minutes. SCENIC CABLEWAY The Scenic Cableway is The steepest aerial cable car in the Southern Hemisphere! The Scenic Cableway takes you on a 545 metre ride into or out of the World Heritage-listed rainforest of the Jamison Valley. The Scenic Cableway can carry up to 84 passengers and is completely wheelchair accessible. ADMISSION PRICES – SCENIC RAILWAY/SCENIC CABLEWAY RETURN ONE WAY ADULT $19.00 $10.00 CHILD 4-13YRS $5.00 FAMILY PASS $48.00 $25.00 8

SCENIC WALKWAY SCENIC SKYWAY ADMISSION PRICES - SCENIC SKYWAY 9 The Scenic Walkway could be described as a path through a Jurrasic Rainforest. Discover over 2.8kms of boardwalk through the ancient rainforest, including 380 metres of wheel chair accessible walkway. Coal Mine Exhibition This is located just a few minutes along the Scenic Walkway Here you can watch a 10 minute audio visual display located in the coal mine entrance and you can see the life size bronze sculptures of a mine worker and his pit pony and a display of the tools used by the miners. Take the time to look around and find some fascinating facts about the local flora and history of the valley. Along the way you will also find the Marrangaroo Spring, where you can have a refreshing drink of pure Blue Mountains water. SCENIC SKYWAY The Skyway takes you on a 720 metre journey, 270m above ancient ravines and dazzling waterfalls.  You are suspended over Jurassic rainforests as you glide smoothly across the sky. This ride boasts a world first - an Electro-Sceniglass floor. The 360 degree bird's eye view from the Skyway takes in the Three Sisters, Katoomba Falls, Mount Solitary and the never ending expanse of the Jamison Valley. ADMISSION PRICES - SCENIC SKYWAY RETURN ONEWAY ADULT $16.00 $10.00 CHILD 4 -13YRS $8.00 $5.00 FAMILY PASS $40.00 $25.00 9

JENOLAN CAVES The Jenolan Caves are Australia's most spectacular Limestone Caves, located just 117km from Sydney and just 74km from Katoomba. It is a must see destination when in the area. Open to the public are nine show caves with spectacular lighting, underground rivers and cave formations that amaze visitors. It was recently proclaimed that Jenolan Caves are the largest open cave system in the world. Explore Jenolan’s mysterious depths with Adventure Caving. Abseil, squeeze and climb through undeveloped caves, with only a head lamp to light your way. 10

BIBLIOGRAPHY http://getaway.ninemsn.com.au http://www.bluemts.com.au/ http://getaway.ninemsn.com.au http://www.visitnsw.com/area/Blue_Mountains.aspx http://www.scenicworld.com.au www.high-n-wild.com.au http://www.bluemountainschocolate.com.au/ www.bluemountainsmysterytours.com.au www.jenolancaves.org.au 11