blue mountains
 

I am going to be in Syndey around Oct. 26 and I have been told to see the blue mountains, my husband can't do alot of walking so I need to know if I book a tour that will pick us up at the hotel is there ony one better then another and is they anything else that we should not miss when in Syndey.

my family recently visited Sydney and had no idea which Blue mountains tour to chose so were advised by the local tourist information centre.
We wanted a smaller tour bus - liked the look of the
Tours R Us leaflet and booked on to see the Blue mountains.
What a fabulous day ! They picked us up at the hotel at 7.30am .Also picked up 3 other couples at other hotels and ,the driver ,who was also the guide - John ,was so friendly and a mine of info. It only cost $95 with lunch at Katoomba. We patted koala bears and kangaroos and he took us to all the BLue Mountains lookouts.
Don't miss the scenic rail and funicular - and get off the train to do the rainforest boardwalk. The mountains are beautiful . Also the Leura village is quaint . John showed us how to throw a boomerang . At the end of the day we made some new friends on the trip. It included a cruise back to Sydney harbour. Us and the others all had a great day and would really recommend this company ,so glad we went !
Also ,in Sydney ,catch the public ferry to Manly - only cost $5 ,it's 45 minutes - the beach is lovely ,and lots of shops and restaurants over there.
We also liked dinner at the Sky Tower - we went at dusk to see the sunset - a fab. view and good dinner ,but it's not cheap !
Also ,just wander around Darling Harbour - the Aquarium is also nice.

Koalas ARE NOT BLOODY BEARS. Sorry about the shouting but they are marsupials not eutherians.

Glad you enjoyed the Blue Mountains paulione.

donnamae, if you want a personalised tour try Carol Probets. She has a nicer personality than me.
E-mail Address(es):
[email protected]
Personal Information:
Address:
PO Box 330
> Katoomba NSW 2780
> Blue Mountains
Phone: +614782 1831
Mobile: +61400821862
Web Page: http://www.bmbirding.com.au

We have spoken to people who visited the Blue Mountains when it was "socked in" and they couldn't see anything.

What months are good for the Blue Mountains if you want to see the views, not just soak in ethereal fog!

We'll be in Sydney Nov 8-11, is that likely to be blue sky weather for the Blue Mountains?

I hope so Kimby, because I'll be in the Blue Mountains that weekend too. I would normally say it should be fine then, but these days it's impossible to predict the weather anywhere. If it's fog it will normally clear by mid-late morning. Last year we were in Blackheath at that time and it was mid-high 20's and sunny every day.

Thanks, Toni.

The climate info is so broad as to be meaningless. Once we get there, we'll have to look at actual weather reports and decide if it's worth a look.

BTW, you might want to check your metric to English conversions, as you've got Katoomba at about 4X the elevation of Everest!

KimbyMT,
Your comments about the climate info are most generous.

"The climate and weather in the Blue Mountains is said to have the world's most equitable climate." Said by whom?

If anyone is interested, have a look at http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averag...3039_All.shtml

LOL KimbyMT and Saltuarius, very witty responses to very unconvincing self promotion!

So it appears that Toni's response was deleted. Too bad that Fodor's doesn't add a place marker to indicate a deleted post, so that subsequent posts aren't confusing to those who missed the deleted post...

We once had a visitor in January whom we took to the Blue Mountains and it was indeed too foggy and rainy to see the Three Sisters. In case this happens to you, you could make your way to the Jenolan Caves, where you will be able to see what is on offer and keep dry at the same time. Worked for us, although our guest felt seriously put out by the weather (Australia's always hot and dry, don't ya know ...).

Lavandula

I am a local and often drive past the Blue Mountains. I am amazed at the number of tourists that head up there on a good day. I feel there isn't that much to see, after you've seen the three sisters (it isn't the grand canyon!!). Whatever you do, DO NOT stay at the Leura York Fairmont Resort. It is atrocious... filthy accommodation and facilities, staff have been reported as saying in the media that the hotel's policy is NOT to wash towels and linen if it looks clean. They say they were told to just brush off stray hairs and remake the bed. They said they just hung towels up and didn't wash them. Eewwww. Have a great time on your holiday... Australia is very pretty!

I thought the Blue Mountains were absolutely beautiful--and bear in mind that I've visited the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and many other natural wonders worldwide. No, they're not the Grand Canyon. But they're the Blue Mountains. For me, that is a "must-see" part of visiting the Sydney area. I can't recall which tour I took -- but they all seemed to visit the same spots -- and I had the sense it wouldn't have made much difference which one we chose.

It was a cloudy day and seemed to be threatening to rain. We made a couple of impromptu stops to photograph kangaroos and kookaburras; visited several lookouts and then had about an hour to walk/hike a fantastic, moderate/easy trail. We also did the steep little tram and loved seeing the gorgeous parrots.

About midway through the tour it started to rain. By the time we reached the final lookout point it was impossible to see. That was disappointing and I would have loved a bright, sunny day -- but I'm still glad I got to see the part I saw.

Of course, on that trip (June '08), we had rain almost every day (or part of each day) for twelve days. We didn't let it stop us from taking an umbrella and doing what we wanted to do.

I second the recc to take the tram and do the walk down in the valley. Even if your husband can't walk much, it is easy, boardwalk'ed loop. I fell in love with the tree ferns! The Blue Mountains are in fact not mountains but an eroded plateau, so not the bumpy humps that we Americans think of as mountains. But lovely scenery and they are BLUE and smell divine. You know you ain't in Kansas when you're there. We stayed in Jenolan Caves resort and had a great time. Hope your time is great, too!
Sally in Seattle