Blue Mountains, NSW Australia

The Blue Mountains part of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area and contains seven national parks and a conservation reserve. The region, roughly an hour west of Sydney by road and rail, is formed on a sandstone plateau with rugged eroded gorges up to several hundred metres deep.

It is rich in opportunities for the historian and adventurer alike. Boasting clean, fresh air, an abundance of natural foliage and a comfortable, temperate climate, the region is filled with history, sights, culture and community spirit.

The Blue Mountains has a quiet reputation for snow in winter but despite the cool temperatures there are only around 5 snow days per year, confined to the upper mountains.

This awe-inspiring destination abounds with breathtaking views, rugged tablelands, sheer cliffs, deep, inaccessible valleys and waterways teeming with life. The unique plants and animals living in this outstanding natural place portray an extraordinary reflection of Australia's antiquity, its diversity of life and its superlative beauty. It’s the story of the evolution of Australia's unique eucalypt vegetation and its associated communities, plants and animals.

In addition to the numerous variety of eucalypts, from which the area has become renowned, the Blue Mountains also contains ancient, relict species of global significance. The most famous being the relatively recently-discovered Wollemi Pine, a "living fossil" dating back millions of years and one of the world's rarest. A few surviving trees of this ancient species are known only from three small populations located in remote, inaccessible gorges within the area.

The Greater Blue Mountains Area consists of 10,300 square kilometres varying from vast expanses of wilderness to varied forested landscape on a sandstone plateau 60 to 180 kilometres inland from central Sydney.

For the outdoor adventurer there are numerous opportunities for bushwalking, popular mountain biking and historical exploration all on offer in this extra-ordinary region.

Once considered an impassable barrier, the Blue Mountains is now a major gateway to Western New South Wales. It is easily accessible by road with regular day trips by reputable tour operators and an hourly train service.