Scenic World, Blue Mountains

For us the Blue Mountains is synonomous with Scenic World. For us you can’t experience the Blue Mountains without spending a large portion of your time at Scenic World.

Now we have been numerous times and I have written on the Blue Mountains before. This time we spent the weekend in the Mountains.

This post covers the three “rides” in detail, the special events at Scenic World and what to do when you visit. There is so much to do you want to make sure you have all the information you need to get the most out of your visit.

We do this so that we could get to Scenic World early in the morning for the kids to go on the “rides” as many times as they wanted. It also allows us time to walk around the valley floor or along the top of the ridge to Echo Lookout Point.

 

Just so you are aware, we were given a family pass to Scenic World on the last occasion we visited.

We have visited a million times of our own accord though.

 All views are our family’s own.  

 

Scenic World, Blue Mountains

 

 

What is Scenic World

If you’ve never been to Scenic World the best way to describe it is as Tourist Centre which allows you to view and access the Blue Mountains and Jamison Valley. Everything starts at the top of the Mountain just outside of Katoomba.

Scenic World revolves around three rides which take you across and into the Jamison Valley, I am going to list them in the order that we always visit them:

1. The Scenic Skyway
2. The Railway
3. The Cableway

 

I will explain each of these below so keep reading.

 

Where is Scenic World

For the address and basic information on how to get there and where to park check out the previous post. I would have a look at this so you know what you are getting yourself in for.

 

If you’re wanting to visit free of the crowds, try go outside of the weekend and avoid the period between Christmas and New Years. You also want to make sure that you go for the first session of the day because then the “rides” are pretty empty and you can go in the front which is awesome!

The Skyway

 

This is a cable car suspended 270m above the Jamison Valley floor.

Aside from the breathtaking views, the magic thing about the Skyway is that a portion of the floor is glass. Through the glass floor you can see the Valley and the Katoomba Falls. Out the windows you can see the Three Sisters.

Don’t worry there is a portion of the floor that is solid for those that are a little scared of heights.

 

 

Scared of heights? 

From taking three sets of visitors to Scenic World I now know from experience that people who are scared of heights find this “ride” to be the scariest. If you are one of those people, stand on the outer side of the car and make sure you are at the end with the open windows.

 

What to do at the end of the Skyway

Once you have crossed the Valley you can get out on the other side and walk to Katoomba Falls or walk in the other direction towards Echo Point. Echo Point is a great lookout point for the Three Sisters.

If you don’t feel like the walk you can drive to Echo Point or Katoomba Falls Lookout once you have left Scenic World.

We have done both walks with the kids, the first time our youngest was 2 years old, and it was fine.

 

It is so beautiful to walk along the top of the mountains and look out into the Valley.

 

The Railway

This is my kids favourite of Scenic World’s experiences – they call it the “Steep Train”. They love telling anyone who mentions the word “train” about the steep train in the Blue Mountains. I also just love it, I’m not sure why because I hate heights and I hate rollercoasters. Maybe this isn’t as hectic as a roller coaster, it’s actually quite tame, even with my two kids screaming with glee in my ear.

While the Railway is the steepest passenger railway in the whole world it isn’t scary. You can adjust the incline of your seat so that you aren’t facing too far forward and it moves at an acceptable speed. Realistically, if they let little children on it can’t be that bad.

What is a little scary – spoiler alert – is when the train comes back up. It doesn’t turn around – it just reverses and the speed at which it comes back up is a little frightening. Once you get over the initial shock of going backwards it isn’t so bad.

 

Scared of heights?

On one of the occasions when we visited with my in-laws, when my Father-In-Law climbed on the Railway I thought he was going to have a heart attack. He did not enjoy Echo Point lookout (too high) and he just survived the Skyway while standing on the glass floor. But he survived the Railway and he thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

 

What to do at the end of the Railway

There are two options, either you can walk around to the entrance to the Railway and go back up or you can take one of the walks.

In the past we have just walked between the Railway and the Cableway as our kids were too little to walk much further. And we also had a habit of always visiting in the rain.

 

On your walk in the direction of the Cableway make sure to:

• get a picture on the old Railway
• take a few steps down to see how the mine used to be ventilated
• check out the mine entrance
• read the signs and discover interesting facts about the trees in the valley

 

 

The other alternative to getting back in the railway or just walking to the cableway is to actually walk along the Valley Floor. We did this for the first time this year as our youngest is now 3 and it was so so lovely. It felt like Sydney was a million miles away.

If you’re walking with kids, a nice and relatively easy walking route is to the Miner’s Hut and then on to the cableway. I tried to convince the kids to spend the night there but they weren’t having any of it!

 

The Cableway

The Cableway is similar to the Skyway in that it is a cable car but it s a more classic cable car. It goes up and down rather than across and doesn’t have a glass floor.

The Cableway is fully enclosed and moves gently down into the Valley. This gives you an opportunity to check out Mount Solitary and get close to Orphan Rock. Orphan Rock used to be the original attraction before the Three Sisters took centre stage.

 

the Cableway is the steepest and largest aerial cable car in the Southern Hemisphere

Once off the Cableway you can walk around the Jamison Valley floor on a long wooden deck. There are a few routes which you can check out. One of the walks takes you back to the Railway so you can return back up the mountain by the Cableway or the Railway.

 

 

Eating at Scenic World 

There is a restaurant at Scenic World – Eats 270 which is open from 10:30 3pm daily. They serve hot and cold meals and are fully licensed. Aside from the restaurant there is also a cafe which is open for slightly longer in the day from  9am to 5pm. You can grab a good coffee and delicious snack from the cafe in between experiences or first thing when you arrive.  And don’t forget the gift shop.

In order to get the best of Scenic World go check out The ideal itinerary for visiting Scenic World, Blue Mountains. 

 

One of the things I love about Scenic World is the enthusiasm of everyone who works there. The drivers of the various “rides” share their knowledge with you and answer any questions posed. Staff at the Centre are always ready with a smile and to help out. In peak seasons there is a group who entertains guests with some great dance routines. It’s just such a happy place to visit and you can learn so much without realising all the information you are taking in!

Scenic World is the best way to get a feel for the Blue Mountains whether you are a local or a tourist, whether you have hours to spend or just a single hour. I really can’t recommend Scenic World enough and it really is amazing that it is a family owned business (now in its 3rd generation).

 

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Tickets

 

You can buy tickets at Scenic World when you arrive but for any period during school holidays or over Easter or the Festive Season you must buy tickets online because they sell out quickly.

 

Your ticket covers entry into Scenic World and as such can be used for all three of the “rides”.

 

Tickets start at $21 for children (under 14 years of age), $39 for adults and $99 for a family of 2 adults and up to 5 children. 

 

 

 

Special Events

There are also some special events that happen at Scenic World. From celebrating Luna New Year in February with a traditional lion dance and the annual Ping Pong Pro tournament to Scenic Summer Fun  with its interactive wildlife display.

The next event happening is Dinosaur Valley…

 

Dinosaur Valley is running from 1 November 2018 to 28 January 2019 and entry is included in the price of your ticket.

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More Information 

If you’re interested in visiting you have got to check out Scenic World’s Website because it is really impressive, to name just a few of the things you can find on the site are:

• the local events calendar 
• live images from the webcam
• Geography Teacher’s Kits (right at the bottom of the page in the link) (you can also sign up for Educator News) 
• details of other great things to do in the area
• suggested itineraries for different types of people

 

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