Sydney is Australia’s largest city. Its spectacular scenic surroundings make a perfect getaway for a road trip. A drive from the main city to the Blue Mountains Sydney, promises to show you the best of nature.
The city’s major attractions include its Opera House, Harbour Bridge, Watson’s Bay, Hyde Park, Barracks museum, and Bondi Beach, among many others. Travelers from around the world visit the city every year for an unforgettable time.
Exploring the Blue Mountains Sydney
Getting There
You can easily reach the Blue Mountains Sydney by following the signs to Paramatta on the highway. While the entrance to the place at Glenbrook/Lapstone is merely 50 minutes from the main city, the popular destination of Leura/Katoomba is another 40 minutes from here.
Though many tourists return to the city from this point, rest assured that there is so much to explore from beyond here. You can also take an alternate route to the Blue Mountains Sydney from Sydney through the Bell’s Line of Road that has many things to do and places to see.
Mount Tomah, Mount Bell, and Mount Victoria fall on this way, making the drive a visual delight.
Scenic Trips
The trip from the city of Sydney to its Blue Mountains Sydney along the Cliff Drive is as picturesque as it gets. You must stop at Echo point to take in the stunning view of the Megalong Valley.
The calm and quiet of the place serves as a much-needed relief from the urban lifestyle. The wilderness of the spread of this lush green valley will definitely reach out to the nature lover in you.
UNESCO World Heritage Site
The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) inscribed the Greater Blue Mountains Sydney in the UNESCO World Heritage List on November 29, 2000, to increase awareness of the site’s importance, give qualified advice on the protection and security of the area, and to give financial assistance.
The wilds of the Blue Mountains Sydney are listed in World’s Heritage for a reason. The place is home to rare or threatened flora and fauna and numerous unique animals and is preserved for its outstanding value to all of humanity now and in the future.
The Blue Mountains are home to over 100 different types of eucalyptus trees and 12 of those 100 types live exclusively in the sandstones of Sydney. Whether the eucalypt trees are in deep valleys with tall forests, or in the open tablelands as shrublands, this is the most balanced and highly diversified variety of eucalypt trees in the entire world.
Don’t forget to check out the Wollemi pine, one of the world’s rarest species that’s considered a living fossil because it dates back to the Mesozoic Era and was categorically extinct for a million years until it was found happily hiding in isolated gorges within the Blue Mountains.
Here is the home of many rare and threatened species, to date there are about 147 rare plants and 52 rare animals.
From reflecting on the sheer beauty of the protected, the globally valuable ecosystem of eucalypt forests to spotting interesting, unique animals and maybe even feeding a wallaby or kangaroo in the Featherdale Wildlife Park, there is so much to see and do.
You can observe animals such as kangaroos and koalas, symbolic of the country, in their natural habitat a short distance from here.
Since the Blue Mountains Sydney are best to be explored on your own, driving is the right way to go. Car hire in Sydney is pretty convenient from the airport and other places.
Laced with one natural splendor after the other, the drive is nothing less than spectacular.
The Greater Blue Mountains area is over one million hectares and is full of deep valleys, swamps, wetlands, steep cliffs, grasslands, and beautiful forests that offer breathtaking views of almost untouched wilderness and adorable rare animals and plants in their natural habitat.
I am so glad it was added to the World’s Heritage list so that the area will be protected for future generations to enjoy.
This stunning area features over 400 animals you might encounter while exploring that include koala, Blue Mountains water skinks, kangaroos, spotted-tail quolls, green and golden bell frogs, long-nosed potoroo, and the yellow-bellied glider to name a few.
Keep your eyes open and you should be able to spot some of them, grab a camera, and maybe you can snap a picture if you’re quick enough.
Along with taking in the breathtaking panoramic view of the mountains, you can also check out its many little towns. That of Leura is a must-visit, especially if you like shopping.
So pack your bags, hire a car, and hit the roads for a perfect weekend getaway to the Blue Mountains Sydney. The natural beauty of this pristine place allows you to rediscover yourself in the best way possible.
1 Comment
Two or three days in the Blues would definitely be in order, on my next Sydney visit.