Blue Mountains by rental car or tour

[cjm66]

Like the OP we would like to do the Blue Mountains AND Featherdale but not necessarily with a tour as we find those too restricting. I could drive as being from the UK driving on the left is the only way to go LOL but am not sure would probably prefer the train - less hassle

Is Featherdale another standard recognisable stop on the train? Before or after the Blue Mountains?

 

Thanks for any help

 

This is a link to the directions for catching a train for Featherdale.

 

http://www.featherdale.com.au/PlanYourVisit.aspx

 

If you want to do both in the same day - a long one - this would not be easy by train. Blacktown (the statiion for Featherdale) is on the Same route as Blue Mountains but the fast trains do not always stop at Blacktown so you could have a slow trip after you return to the train station to go onto the Blue Mountains. I would not attempt both by train on the one day, car is a better option and the advice given by other posters above is sensible and the car trip is not onerous especially if you have a second driver. If you are driving during the week, watch the speed limits across the mountains - they do vary a lot and are complicated on school days by go slower areas around schools.

 

Enjoy!

 

Colleen

[agumby]

We are really looking for a top notch excorted tour for one day into the Bluemountains.Are the 4X4 open trucks or vans? We are arriving into Sydney 0n Friday the 17th of Feb staying at the Grand Hyatt, Would I be better off getting the info from the hotel when I arrive, and booking it through them? We are planing to do it on that Sunday if the weather is good, is Sunday a mistake to go then? Or wait till Monday?

 

sunday afternoon is generally a bad time to to travel back to sydney via the Gt western Hwy over the mountains as every man and his dog are headed in the same direction back to sydney after a weekend away. Locals all avoid eatbound travel on a sunday afternoon

 

check out some of these tours, one of them includes the wildlife park as part of the itinery

 

http://www.tourstogo.com.au/tour/7115-blue-mountains-4wd-discovery-tour-money-back-guaranteed!/

 

http://www.oztrek.com.au/

[Acrusa]

Thank you for those websites. Looked up SYDNEY TOURS R US and they have a tour of the Blue Mountains That returns by ferry along the Parramatta River into Sydney Harbor. Have you ever heard of them?

Thanks

[m12e31g]

Thank you for those websites. Looked up SYDNEY TOURS R US and they have a tour of the Blue Mountains That returns by ferry along the Parramatta River into Sydney Harbor. Have you ever heard of them?

Thanks

 

We have booked through them after hearing several great reviews. Our tour is for the end of November, will let you know how it turns out!

[Acrusa]

We have booked through them after hearing several great reviews. Our tour is for the end of November, will let you know how it turns out!

 

Thanks we will be looking foward to your review.What hotel are u staying at in Sydney?

[MMDown Under]

The beauty of having of your own car is you can stop, as often and as long as you like, to admire the view or go on a bushwalk.

 

However, I wouldn't want to drive from Sydney to the Blue Mountains for the day.

 

I wonder if you could take the train, then hire a car, once you are out of the traffic?

 

If not, you could consider a taxi. Drop off at Echo Point, then pick up later wherever you want to be picked up.

 

BTW We love Leura, with its village atmosphere and houses with beautiful gardens. We always have lunch there.

[agumby]

If anyone is looking to be a little bit more adventurous or would like to see parts of the western edge of the mountains that few get to see there are places like the Lost City, Sunnyside Ridge Wolgan Valley lookout, Deep Pass, Glow Worm Tunnels all on the newnes plateau slightly to the north of Lithgow. Have visited these places a lot over the years and still regularly trail ride in the area and never get sick of its beauty and history.

 

 

Found a tour business that seems to cater for some of these areas and can be found at

http://www.wildatheartsafaris.com.au/private-and-single-day-safaris

 

Some info and history on the areas can be found at

http://infobluemountains.net.au/rail/upper/glow_worm.htm

http://infobluemountains.net.au/rail/upper/wolgan-1.htm

http://users.tpg.com.au/newnes/g/tours.htm

http://www.dingogap.net.au/panoramas/lostcity.html

http://www.google.com.au/search?q=wolgan+valley&hl=en&prmd=imvns&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&biw=1024&bih=683&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi

http://www.wildwalks.com/alphacontent/bushwalking-and-hiking-in-nsw/blue-mountains-lithgow-/deep-pass-trail.html

 

West of the newnes plateau is the Wolgan valley which is the site of a $100+million 6 star resort run by the emirates group so for those rich enough have a browse of the resort and rates.

http://www.wolganvalley.com/wolgan-valley/en/reservations/rates/

 

A few pictures of some of these areas

 

The Lost City

 

The entrance road before the glow worm tunnels

 

The main glow worm tunnel about 2/3 or the way through, it is about 300m (900 feet) long and turns 180 degrees

 

The northern exit of the tunnel

 

Sunnyside road lookout overlooking the wolgan valley

[aussie.aussie]

I would take the train. It is a lovely trip up, and you avoid all the traffic problems, especially of a weekend.

 

Once at Katomba, there are tourist buses that will take you anywhere.

 

Make sure you see..... the three sisters, leura, the scenic railway.Mark sure you do a walk from the lookout at the three sisters. If time allows, do a day trip to Jenolan caves. I am sure the Carrington have pick ups from there.

 

Remember, this is bush fire season and Katomba was only under threat a few weeks ago