For anyone living in Australia, or thinking of visiting our shores, the perfect road trip out of Sydney has to be the Blue Mountains. Invest just a little over one hour’s driving time from Sydney CBD and the reward is well worth it: you get to take in the sweeping views of these beautiful and seemingly endless blue tinted mountains, breathe in the fresh mountain air, walk some magical trails, enjoy the wildlife and eat some bush inspired food along the way.
I recently did a day trip to the Blue Mountains. To make it as environmentally friendly (not to mention as fun) as possible, I bundled not just my two children into the car, but also my best friend from high school, giving her a ride from Sydney where she works mid-week to her home up in the Blue Mountains. Here are the suggestions on where to head if you’d like to take a day trip (or even extend it a bit longer) too.
High Tea at the Hydro Majestic
Once we had dropped my friend off at her doorstep it was time for breakfast. The closest location was the Hydro Majestic. Being a weekday and quite early, The Wintergarden restaurant wasn’t yet open, but the staff were very accommodating and let us have a table in the buffet section, where those who spent the night are provided breakfast.
The hotel is perched right on the edge of the mountain, giving you sweeping views, and the food was high quality ‘comfort’ breakfast food like scrambled eggs, bacon and sausages. With extras such as fruit salad, bircher muesli and cheeses. However, my suggestion is to arrive from 11am-3pm for their famous High Tea – choose from the traditional (which includes finger sandwiches, scones and pastries) or Eastern High Tea (dumplings, rice paper rolls and dessert offerings) all served on a three tiered stand along with beverages of your choice.
https://www.hydromajestic.com.au/
The Three Sisters Lookout at Echo Point
One of the most popular attractions in the Blue Mountains is the Three Sisters, an unique and unusual rock formation, which are thought to be over 200 million years old. The Indigenous Australian legend is that the three rocks are sisters Gunnedoo, Meehni and Wimlah, who lived in the Jamison Valley as part of the Katoomba tribe, who fell in love with three brothers from a neighbouring Nepean tribe. When their marriage was forbidden, the Nepean brothers tried to capture the sisters and take them back to their tribe for marriage, triggering a bloody tribal war. But a local Katoomba elder placed a spell on the sisters, turning them into stone, to save the sisters from capture, and the tribe from carnage. When the elder was killed in the fighting, no one had the power to turn the sisters back into their human forms, so these three rock formations
https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/lookouts/echo-point-lookout-three-sisters
Cassiopeia Coffee
While Echo Point lookout has the views of the Three Sisters, if you want a rocking coffee then five minutes away the Katoomba locations of the Cassiopeia Espresso, which also serves up a small selection of food. The coffee is roasted in their dedicated roastery and if you appreciate a genuinely delicious coffee it is worth stopping to have one, or two, as well as taking home a bag of their globally sourced coffee bean blends to brew up some of your own at home.
The Katoomba location is 79 Lurline Street, Katoomba. They also have espresso bars at Springwood and Windsor.
https://cassiopeia.com.au/
Bushwalk Galore
One option for a low intensity bush walk (AKA hike or nature trail) starts right at the Three Sisters Echo Point Visitor Centre, where you can choose to walk 450m to the Oreades lookout or continue a further 50m to the Lady Game lookout. If you’re up for a steep set of stairs, you can add on the Giant Stairways which lead you to the Honeymoon Bridge, connecting you to the first sister of the three.
If you’re looking for something a bit more lengthy but still easy on the legs, the Prince Henry Cliff Walk is seven kilometres long, but boasts 20 lookouts to stop and enjoy the sweeping views of Jamison Valley as well as three waterfalls.
Nature buff? Then you’ll want to embark on the Charles Darwin walk in Katoomba, which famous naturalist Charles Darwin travelled on in 1836. Keep your eyes peeled for honeyeaters, wrens, black cockatoos.
Naturally a night owl? Head to Katoomba Falls Reserve Night-lit Walk, where from dusk until 11pm floodlights and path lights illuminate the 1.5km track so you can enjoy the bush as if you were a nocturnal creature yourself.
https://www.visitnsw.com/destinations/blue-mountains/bushwalking
Black Cockatoo Bakery
You always know a venue is popular if under their opening hours they advise they are open until 2pm “Or until sold out”. I can confirm for this particular bakery this is not a marketing ploy. The dynamic duo behind Black Cockatoo Bakery simply make such magical baked goods that they do sell out. Day after day. Founder Alexandre Rivière was born in Paris and followed his father’s footsteps to become a chef, and then a baker. He moved to the Blue Mountains in 2015 with his family. His wife Lulu is herbalist and art therapist, contributing to the business via interesting plant ingredients. They now have a shop in Lawson and also one in Katoomba, but be sure to arrive early so you get to indulge in their delicious sourdough breads and pastries.
