New South Wales - Australia 2004 - page 181

Timing Is Everything: When to Visit
If you can, try to visit the Blue Mountains on weekdays, when most Syd-
neysiders are at work and the prices are lower. Note that the colder win-
ter months (June-Aug) are the busiest season. This period is known as
Yuletide —the locals' version of the Christmas period, when most places
offer traditional Christmas dinners and roaring log fires.

Tips

from A$85 to A$113 (US$55-US$73) for adults, and A$43 to A$86
(US$28-US$60) for children. Another large operator, Australian Pacific Tours
( & 1300/655 965; fax [phone]), offers a similar trip with a visit to the
Australian Wildlife Park and a quick visit to the Sydney Olympic site at Home-
bush Bay. This tour costs A$94 (US$61) for adults and A$47 (US$31) for chil-
dren. If you hate big-group travel then choose another option.
BUSHWALKING & OTHER ACTIVE ENDEAVORS
Whereas almost every other activity costs money, bushwalking (hiking) is the
exception to the rule that nothing in life is free. There are some 50 walking trails
in the Blue Mountains, ranging from routes you can cover in 15 minutes to the
3-day Six Foot Track that starts just outside Katoomba and finishes at
Jenolan Caves. If you are planning on some bushwalking, I highly recommend
picking up Sydney and Beyond — Eighty-Six Walks in NSW by Andrew Mevissen
(Macstyle Publishing). It features eight walks in the Blue Mountains, from easy
1-hour treks to 6-hour tramps. Buy it at bookshops and tourist information cen-
ters. Otherwise, the staff at the tourist offices and National Park office will be
happy to point you in the right direction, whether it be for an hour's stroll or a
full-day's hike.
Great Australian Walks, 81 Elliot St., Balmain, NSW 2041 ( & 1300/360 499
in Australia, or 02/9555 7580; www.greatwalks.com.au), is a superb operator
offering walks in the Blue Mountains. I had great fun on their 3-day “Six Foot
Track Walk” from Katoomba to Jenolan Caves. Though not a wilderness trek, it
goes through pockets of rainforest and gum forests and traverses farming country.
One of the best adventure operators in the area, High 'n' Wild, Unit 3, No.
5 Katoomba St., Katoomba, NSW 2780 ( & 02/4782 6224; www.high-n-
wild.com.au), offers a series of canyoneering expeditions, taking in scenic rain-
forest gullies and caverns made up of dramatic rock formations and fern-lined
walls. Generally there's a bit of swimming and plenty of walking, wading, and
squeezing through tight spaces involved—and sometimes rappelling—but for-
tunately being double-jointed is not a prerequisite.
If you really want to test your head for heights, though, then try High 'n'
Wild's 150m (492-ft.) “Mega Jump”—the highest continuous rappel in the
Southern Hemisphere. This heart-pumping descent down a sheer cliff is suitable
for the fearless beginner, but they assure me you soon settle in by learning the
ropes on the 10-story-high junior slopes beforehand.
If that's too much to handle, though, then you could always try a day's raft-
ing on an inflatable raft between huge towering rock walls on the Wollangambe
River. There are a few minor rapids to navigate, and the bushwalk down to the
river and back up again can be a little testing, but it's certainly suitable for a fam-
ily outing. Rappelling costs from A$69 (US$45) and canyoning from $85
(US$55). Raft adventures cost $169 (US$110).