Use Sydney as your starting point. Roughly two hours from Katoomba, the heart of the Blue Mountains, Sydney’s Central Station offers inexpensive train rides on a regular schedule to the mountains and allows you to be car free during your stay.
Pick Katoomba as a base, this backpacker hot spot is centrally located to provide easy access for scenic side trips to other mountain villages, in addition to a wealth of overnight accomodations, cafes, bars and travel resources for booking guided bushwalks or planning your own.
Book overnight accomodations if you plan on staying more than one day at a hostel in Katoomba. Hostels are not only a way to save money on the road; they also offer travel information and can make reservations for other trips or accomodations. Additionally, hostels provide an opportunity to meet a number of other backpackers. The Blue Mountains YHA, Flying Fox Backpackers and Katoomba Mountain Lodge are all good choices.
Walk to the lookout at Echo Point from Katoomba for a scenic view of the mountains, including the famous Three Sisters rock formation. Though the walk takes less than half an hour, you must walk up 900 steps up the Giant Stairway to get to Echo Point.
Select a guided or unguided bushwalk on area trails. Travel experts at your accomodation site will be able to provide advice on the best bushwalk for you, based on degree of difficulty, sites and distance.
Take side excursions to Wentworth Falls, Mount Victoria, Glenbrook and Blackheath, all towns in the Blue Mountains. The Blue Mountain Bus Company services all local villages and runs continously. All day passes and single fare tickets are both available.
Enjoy the café and bar culture on Katoomba's Katoomba Street, where live music and wine and dine nightly specials are not hard to find.
