Dramatic views, pretty waterfalls and Reuben the koala
We’re not usually keen on group tours preferring to travel independently but having decided that we would really like to visit the Blue Mountains and only having one day to do it in we considered it prudent to book ourselves on a trip to ensure we didn’t miss anything.
It was a full day trip; we were picked up at 7.15am and arrived back at Circular Quay around 6.30pm. It was small group of 20 with the driver also our guide.
Included in the trip:
Scenic World – home to Scenic Railway / Skyway / Cableway / Rainforest Walkway
Lunch (variety of options & dietary needs) pre ordered at the time of booking. I ordered the Grilled Barramundi, it was delicious!
Lookouts – stops at viewpoints: Echo Point / Boars Head / Cahills
Katoomba Falls
Featherdale Wildlife Park
Boat Trip on the Parramatta River – returning us to Circular Quay.
Cost (at the time – 2020) AU$ 225 each.
The Facts:
Scenic World is in Katoomba, Blue Mountains providing an experience not to be missed:
Scenic Railway – descending into the Jamison Valley on the world’s steepest railway is
exhilarating on its 128% incline! If you want more of a thrill, you can change your seat position to 205%! It is 310 metres in length.
Scenic Skyway – is a journey of 720 metres providing the most amazing views of Katoomba Falls, the Three Sisters rock formation, Mt Solitary and Jamison Valley. You are treated to a bird’s eye view of ancient ravines and rainforest canopy as it suspends at 270 meters. Opening in 1958 it was Australia’s first cable car although a modern Swiss made cabin is now in operation.
Scenic Cableway – Taking 8 minutes to ride the 510 metres it is the steepest aerial cable car in the Southern Hemisphere. The views of the Three Sisters, Orphan Rock and Mt Solitary are breath taking. It descends into the Jamison Valley before returning to the top of the steep slope.
The Cableway gives you direct access to the Scenic Walkway through the rainforest in the Jamison Valley.
Scenic Walkway – this takes you on a walk of around 20 minutes through the rainforest along a wooden walkway elevated at 500 meters between the railway & cable car stations.
Echo Point – Looks out over the Jamison Valley and the iconic Three Sisters rock formation.
Boar’s Head – Looks out to the Boars Head rock formation, Jamison Valley and Megalong Valley
Cahills – Looks out over the Megalong Valley from a different angle
Katoomba Falls – located between Echo Point and Scenic World.
Featherdale Wildlife Park:
Is located on Sydney’s west side. Opening in 1972 It now has over 2000 native animals from over 260 species and is one of the major attractions in NSW.
Boat trip home on the Parramatta River – Places of interest: the Olympic Park (held in 2000), sailed into Circular Quay past Luna Park, under the Harbour Bridge and passed the Opera House.
Our Experience:
This was one time when we were pleased to have booked an organised trip, the driver / guide was deeply knowledgeable about the area and fed us lots of information. It was a packed day but so enjoyable.
Scenic World is an amazing place, so much to see & do, the views from the Skyway and the Cable way were stunning! Walking through the rainforest was so peaceful with an air of tranquillity about it, nothing but the chatter of the birds in the trees, it was just delightful.
The ride down the Scenic Railway literally takes your breath away, it’s very steep & very fast!
The views from Echo Point, Cahills and Boar’s Head Lookouts were just magical, taking in the incredible rock formations, especially the Three Sisters and looking out for miles across the eucalyptus 
trees which give out the blue hue of the mountains. Those views are ones that we will never forget!
Katoomba Falls are part of the Kedumba River which flows 
nearly 150 metres down to the Jamison Valley. The falls are not just to be viewed from a distance you can appreciate the beauty of them from close quarters by walking part of the trail from Scenic World. Following the track after walking over the wooden bridge we came to the section called Witches Leap, if you look carefully, you can see the witches face formed in the rocks. It wasn’t hard to understand why they are said to be one of the prettiest falls in the area.
Being animal lovers, we had been very much looking forward to our visit to Featherdale, not least because I had a hands-on photo opportunity booked with a koala bear! We were not disappointed, lots to see and do, we could walk among the kangaroos and feed them which was amazing!
What can I tell you about Reuben, the koala who definitely stole the show, he was quite happy to munch on his eucalyptus leaf whilst posing with me for the camera, he was so cute!
Our driver dropped us off near the Olympic Stadium to pick up the ferry which would take us along the Parramatta River back into Circular Quay, our hotel was just a ten-minute walk from there, so it was perfect for us. Although it is a pretty journey, other than some nice-looking properties and the Olympic Stadium (2020 Olympics) there is not a lot to see along the river until you near Sydney Harbour,
it’s really quite special to sail past Luna Park, under the magnificent Harbour Bridge, into the harbour, past the splendour of the Opera House and dock in Circular Quay! What an amazing end to an amazing day!
You can read more about our adventures in Australia by following the links below:
Getting Around in Sydney Exploring Sydney’s CBD
Shangri la Hotel Bathurst 1000 at Mount Panorama
Whale Watching Royal Botanic Gardens