Page 164 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Sydney

162  BEY OND SY DNEY

4 Blue Mountains

The Blue Mountains, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, prevented
westward expansion of the European colony until 1813, when explorers
Gregory Blaxland, William Lawson and William Charles Wentworth
found a way across. The magnificent scenery, characterized by rugged
cliffs and rock formations, ravines and waterfalls, is best appreciated
on the bushwalks that wind along cliff tops and through valleys.
The restaurants, cafés and antique shops in the centre of Katoomba Zig Zag Railway
will tempt the less energetic. The mountains are named for the Steam trains travelled this
blue haze, caused by light striking eucalyptus-oil particles in the air. railway until fire destroyed
the historic carriages in
2013; services resumed
KEY Zig Zag in 2017.
1 Mount York 5 Mount Banks railway
2 Victoria Falls 6 Kings Tableland
3 The Grose River flows 7 Jamison Valley
between the two roads crossing 8 Leura village is listed by the
the mountains. National Trust. Nearby are Leura
4 The Cathedral of Ferns is a Cascades, floodlit at night and
remnant of the temperate rain- one of the pret tiest sights
forest that once covered this area. in the mountains.

Jenolan caves
Grose Valley from
Govetts Leap
Considered by many to
be the most imposing
view in the Blue
Mountains, a great
panorama with a series
of ridges stretches into
the far distance.

Three Sisters
This giant rock for mation
near Echo Point takes its
name from an Aboriginal
legend. The story tells of
three sisters turned to stone
by their witch-doctor father
to keep them safe from an
evil bunyip or monster.
Jenolan Caves
About 55 km (34 miles) south-
west of Mount Victoria is a magical
series of spectacular underground
limestone caves with icy blue rivers
and fleecy limestone formations.
They are surrounded by an
extensive wildlife reserve. People
have been making the trek here
since the caves were discovered
in 1838, staying originally in the
Grand Arch cave and later in Key
the Edwardian splendour of
Jenolan Caves House, which The vividly coloured Pool of Cerberus Major road
still operates today. at Jenolan Caves Other road
Suggested walk

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