Plan to take the train to Katoomba from Central Station early in the morning of Sept 14th from Sydney. Wondering once should i do the Blue Mtn ExplorerLink pass that uses the Explorer buses or the MountainLink Trolley to get from one site to the other. Any suggestion?

The buses and the "trolleys" (they're not real trolleys, only open-air buses in disguise) travel exactly the same route, to my knowledge, so it matters not a whit. The only point here is that if you were leaving Central BEFORE 9 a.m. (i.e. the 8:03 train) you might save a bit of money by buying the pass that does it all on one ticket. However, at 9 a.m. you qualify for off-peak rates, and I think that the savings here (nearly 50% on a day return train ticket) might be substantial enough to indicate buying the trolley as a separate ticket when you get there. I'm really not sure of my facts here, though (maybe the pass allows for this off-peak price), so if I find out any more information later in the day, I will get back to you. I'm sure other posters will be able to correct anything here which is not 100% accurate.

Thanks Alan, as always you are very helpful. I was wondering if we did go for the 8:03am train, what would you recommend for a return time that evening given how long the shops or activities are generally open this time of year. Is it a big deal to leave from either location, Katoomba or Leura station to Martin Place Station?

We were thinking of after doing the usually tourist sites and some bushwalking heading to Leura for dinner and shops, etc.

Hi, again, brazoo!

I consider myself very lucky -- I posted the above at least three hours ago and in the meantime nobody has posted back to pull me up over my errors of fact. I don't think I had my mind on the job when I wrote the original, so here's hoping this will make it up to you.

A couple of blatant errors: the cafe is the Paragon, NOT the Niagara. The Niagara is indeed close by, but no one more celebrated than myself has ever walked through the door. The Paragon is the one with the chocolates -- and a list of past celebrities that include Robert Taylor, Shirley MacLaine, Kay Kendall and Dudley Moore.

The trolleys are not ALL open to the elements... just the side windows of some of them.... and I noticed today that in winter they are weather-protected by clear plastic sheets with zippers.

Now for some additional facts: the trolley costs $12 all day. The bus costs $25, unlimited for seven days. The full train fare is $22.80 return. Off-peak is $14. The combined fare from Sydney does not give any discount (inded you just get given two tickets, for which you pay full price) and the station master says that the best idea is to buy when you arrive. Will have some more to say about this later, but right now.... must fly!

For a few bucks difference on train departure times I would just rather pay it and get the most of our 1 day in the mountains. So we will go out early that day for the 8:03 am train. I know in a previous post on the board you mentioned that one should look at the weather before buying your train tickets, etc. How do I do check on mountrain wheather or Wed the 15th or 16th while I am in Sydney? Any particular service or radio station I can call or listen to?

Any recommended places to eat while in the region as well?

OK, sorry for the delay, but here's the rest of my answer from yesterday.
The information about costs (above) I obtained by asking the station master at Katoomba Station. He is a particularly helpful person and very eager to make sure that tourists get the best out of their day, so I think I will answer your last question first: if you want to know what the weather is like in Katoomba, ring Katoomba Railway Station from Sydney before you start. The number is 02-4782 1902.

As useful as his information was, I think he may be just a little wrong on one point: he said that if you buy the combined bus/rail ticket from Sydney, there is no discount, you pay exactly the same as if you bought them separately. I think, in fact, there might be a slight cost advantage, because the amount I have seen occasionally on posters doesn't quite seem to tally with the $22.80 + $25 which the individual tickets cost. However, his next point is most interesting and worth remembering. He said that if you buy that combined ticket you are issued with two tickets (train and bus), but almost every day he has people who arrive there, having bought the combined ticket, but having only been issued with ONE ticket because the agents in Sydney don't know the rules. Of course, these people get turned away from the bus, and then they head back into the railway station and start abusing him (since the bought their ticket at another railway station). This, he said, is an oft-occurring "nightmare". Nothing is as angry as a tourist who feels he has been ripped-off... he acts like his whole country has been made a fool of. His earnest advice: that I should tell you good people at Fodors that the best way is to buy each ticket at point of departure. Anyway, that way seems to be by far the cheapest option, as the trolley is only half the price of the bus (however, the bus gives concession rates of $22 for seniors and YHA members, $12.50 for children, and $62.50 for a family). The trolley is a single-day pass, whereas the bus can be used over 7 days, but this is not really a relevant point for most of the people reading this forum. Also, the bus includes a "32-page guide book with maps and information". There are plenty of those free, however, from the local tourist offices.

Finally, I asked what the new info is about lockers at Katoomba Station. There are none, nowadays (thanks to Osama Bin Laden), but there is a baggage check-in room which charges $1.50 per bag. It closes promptly at 5 p.m., he pointed out. When does it open, I asked. His reply is, I think, VERY Australian...."Oh, any time... maybe about 7 in the morning". Aussies aren't too fussy about when they START work, but they sure know when it's knock-off time!

It's a good idea to get off the trolley, finally, at Leura Village and have dinner at one of the restaurants in that area. The shops there will close around 5, but it will only take you twenty minutes to stroll through the Mall anyway, so you would still get a full day's sightseeing. The railway station at Leura is right where the shops are, and there are return trains every hour: 5:27, 6:27. 7:27, etc. Allow two hours to get to Sydney terminal, at which point, to get to Martin Place Station, you must change trains and head for the Bondi Junction line.

I can't recommend any particular restaurant in that part of the woods, but my son says that there's an Iranian restaurant in Hazelbrook that serves some of the best food he's ever tasted, so if you don't see anything you like the look of in Leura, just hop the next train and get off at Hazelbrook, 4 stations (20 minutes) back towards Sydney. That is, if you think that Iranian food is appropriate for a day in the Blue Mountains in Sydney Australia (my son is a bit peculiar!)

Well, now I have answered with the facts, so I feel a bit better!

Alan - Wow! What an amazing post and so dead on to what I was looking for. I so appreciate your efforts and if you every get over her in the Green Bay, WI area, I would love to return the advice favor. Thanks again. I am so looking forward to our trip from Sept 11-Oct 1 in your country. Cheers - Brazoo

Thanks again Alan for such an informative post. We are also looking forward to getting out to the Blue Mountains and this is helpful!
LN

Can someone tell me what is going on here. Just looked at the CityRail webpage and the costs for a single person for Martin Place to using the Blue Mountains ExplorerLink is $36/person and for a family of 2 adults and 2 children is $55. Since it is me and the wife, why would I buy to single tickets, when I can save $17 with the family pass even if I don't have kids. Kind of seems weird to me.

Anyone of you when there are 2 adults do what I am thinking of with family pass?

Sorry about the last post I caught my error upon further review. The $55 family is for entry only the $36 if for travel and entry and there is no family pricing available for that option.