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5 Awesome Things To Do In The Blue Mountains

As I’m getting older I’m starting to love doing things that grown ups do. Like go away for couples weekends where you drink wine, eat good food and have afternoon naps. A few weekends ago Mr Smags, The Romances and I headed to the Blue Mountains to do just that.

awesome things to do in the blue mountains

I’ve actually never been to the Blue Mountains as a final destination before. I’ve driven through a few times but never actually stopped to see anything. I’m a cold climate lover and major beach hater so the crisp, chilly weather and rain forests were right up my alley and you can literally park your horse anywhere.

two girls riding horse

We’re city dwellers so this was definitely a trip highlight. Abundance of parking spots aside, here are a couple of awesome things to do in the Blue Mountains if you ever find yourself in the area.

Go to Scenic World

When I first heard of Scenic World, I honestly thought it sounded super lame. I imagined jerky mechanical miners reciting robotic historical facts about Katoomba and a very sad souvenir shop full of dusty, faded key rings. I was completely wrong and it actually turned out to be my favourite part of the trip. There’s a Skyway, Cableway, Walkway and Railway that all show different parts of the Megalong Valley and the Three Sisters.

couple holding hands near waterfall

The floor of the Cableway is glass so you can see into the valley below and it’s positively breathtaking. The Railway is also very excellent. We had front row seats which was… intense… but I made it to the end with clean pants so all in all it was a winner of a day.

Stay at Parklands

When we arrived at our hotel there was this amazing French woman at the counter who pronounced ‘Jacobs’ as ‘Jaque-oobs’ and ‘Butcher’ as ‘Boo-cheur’. We were put in conjoining rooms which was excellent because we could visit the Romances without having to go outside in the cold. The rooms had electric fire places and dual televisions so you could watch the same thing in bed as the person who is sitting on the couch. Technology.

Sometimes when I’m travelling for work I worry about whether or not the cost will be affordable for my readers but I looked this place up and it’s about $200 per night, depending on when you stay. I cannot stress what a bargain this is – the cost includes breakfast and the whole place looks like Anne of Green Gables threw up on it. I’ve spent $200 on hotels in Sydney’s CBD that looked and smelled like jail cells. I can highly recommend Parklands as being the exact opposite of a jail cell.

Have high tea at the Hydro Majestic

The Hydro Majestic is a must do if you’re in the Blue Mountains and that’s a big call for me because I’m actually not really keen on high tea for two reasons. Mr Smaggle is a coeliac so he can rarely eat anything on the menu and I’m not a huge fan of cake so we’re pretty useless when it comes to a meal based around fancy baked goods.

The Hydro totally had us sorted. They had a gluten-free high tea option, which Mr Smaggle obviously had but they had another option called the Eastern High Tea which was basically dumplings, summer rolls and Eastern desserts, totally perfect for a non-cake lover like me. My only issue is that the view was a bit shit. They should really sort that out, it’s an eyesore. *insert heavy sarcasm font*

Walk around Leura

I bloody love a country shopping strip full of antique shops, sweet stores and little boutiques full of funny hats that I impulse buy and then never wear again. Laura is adorable and the main strip is definitely worth a walk.

It’s the type of place where you’ll buy a pie and it will be the best pie you’ve ever had and then every time you hear that someone is going to the Blue Mountains you’ll tell them you had the most life changing pie of the century there. Then it will turn into a never ending pie story.

Eat dinner at Vesta in Blackheath

We arrived in the Blue Mountains quite late on  Friday night and needed to find a place to eat. We stumbled upon Vesta in Blackheath and it was perfect. They had an amazing rustic menu with a gorgeous wine list and we sat there for hours just chatting. The atmosphere was gorgeous too. It wasn’t too loud or too quiet, which I know seems like weird feedback but that kind of stuff just really makes or breaks a dining experience.

Have you ever been to the Blue Mountains? What’s your favourite thing to do there?

 

Smaggle travelled as a guest of Destination NSW in conjunction with Qantas.

23 Comments

  1. Sara | Kid Magazine 9 years ago

    I went away to the Blue Mountains with my husband on our first Valentine’s Day when we were dating 8 years ago. I loved it but when I mentioned it to him recently he had no recollection of it whatsoever. Sometimes I’m lucky he remembers my name! But yes, Leura, pies and shopping!!

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 9 years ago

      It was so cute! There was a candy store that I wanted to go mental at but I’d eaten nothing but sugar for days leading up to it so I just couldn’t face it! 🙂

  2. Sammie @ The Annoyed Thyroid 9 years ago

    Hello my name’s Sam and I’m addicted to going to the Blue Mountains. In the eight years I’ve lived down under I’ve been more than a dozen times. We always stay at the same little BnB in Katoomba (Shelton Lea) where each room has it’s own living room and kitchen so breakfast is served in your own suite, it’s just adorable. I can’t go to the Mountains without a bush walk, a stroll around the shops in Leura and dinner at Avalon in Katoomba. It’s a awesome restaurant at the top of an old cinema with a funky bar attached and none of the bric a brac crockery matches. The licorice cheesecake is sublime. Just saying! Looks like you guys had so much fun romancing the mountains!

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 9 years ago

      Oh that place sounds amazing! I love a good BnB recommendation. We had such a great time I felt like such a grown up.

  3. Darren Cullerne 9 years ago

    The Blue Mountains is my partner and I’s favourite holiday place (apart from the Coast, but, you know…). It’s just a really nice place to wander through.Just after we were married, we took a friend from the US through to have a look, and she was blown away!
    My goal has always been to do the walk to the Ruined Castle. It will happen one day…

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 9 years ago

      See Mr Smags and aren’t beach kids at all. We try but we’re like the nerdy kid from the Simpsons ‘I’ve got sand in my eye!’ We aren’t built for beach. We love camping though and beaches in winter, fully clothed.

  4. hugzillablog 9 years ago

    I live there, so that should tell you how much I love it.

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 9 years ago

      ARGH! I didn’t know you lived there – we could have hung out and been sarcastic together. Damn it. It’ll have to be Problogger then. x

  5. Awwww it looks like you had an awesome time! The Blue Mountains looks absolutely gorgeous. x

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 9 years ago

      It was so gorgeous and perfectly cold the whole time.

  6. lucianacorrales 9 years ago

    “the whole place looks like Anne of Green Gables threw up on it” hahahaha
    Oh Carly! I’m in stitches every time i read your posts!

    I’m copying this link and sending it to my partner. I would love to visit the Blue Mountains

    x Luci

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 9 years ago

      Ha! I can be quite visceral when I want to be. Definitely book mark and do exactly what we did. It was amazing.

  7. Great post Carly!! And well timed! We’re planning on doing a long weekend in the Blue Mountains for our ‘babymoon’ (still not sure how I feel about that word) so will definitely take your recommendations on board! My husband is in charge of making the accommodation arrangements so he needs to get moving on that front if we’re actually going to make it there!
    It’s always good getting travel recommendations from a friend!

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 9 years ago

      I love the idea of a baby moon! My only concern is that you can’t get totally wasted. Send him this link! The place we stayed was amazing!

  8. Hubby and I have had a few naughty weekends up there pre-kids and when we lived in Sydney. It reminded me a lot of my home country of NZ!

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 9 years ago

      Oh I love NZ and is it like NZ! I’m just checking flights to NZ now – I’m bridesmaid for my Kiwi bestie and we have some planning to do!

  9. Bonny 9 years ago

    I love the Blue Mountains, spending time out there was one of my favourite things about living in Sydney, when I was based there.

    My two favourite things to do in the Blue Mountains are bush walking in the Grose Valley, and climbing a cliff known as Sweet Dreams, right near Leura. I also loved bush walking in the Wentworth Falls area, and looking around the quirky Victorian-era towns and relaxing in pubs and cafes.

  10. Vanessa 9 years ago

    I love beach and trees!! I had a great mountain trip away for work the other year and the trees and the fresh air…so nice.
    Now, if I could just get over thinking that if I drive up a mountain that I will fly over the edge, cartoon-style, I could actually GO on a getaway like this….

  11. Natalie 9 years ago

    Aw man! This is making me kind of homesick! I grew up basically at the base of the Blue Mountains, and it’s just SO beautiful! I’ve always wanted to go to scenic world, but my parents always refused. they took my older siblings when they were younger and my Mum is scared of heights 😛 How gorgeous is Leura!?

  12. Lisa Mckenzie 9 years ago

    I love the mountains I only live about an hour away so must get back and visit,thank you for your recommendations Carly x

  13. peter tatani 7 years ago

    i live 20 mins away from scen1c world and i go all the time

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