Blessed with some of Australia’s most stunning natural beauty, the Blue Mountains is a destination sure to please any avid sightseer or holidaymaker looking to take some good photographs to present to family and friends back home. The Three Sisters generally comes top of most visitors’ sightseeing itineraries, while the Jenolan Caves and Mount Tomah Botanic Garden vie for second place.

Featherdale Wildlife Park
Located at Doonside close to Blacktown, less than an hour’s drive from the Blue Mountains, is this major tourist attraction which won a Tourism NSW Award in 2005. Visitors get the chance to get up close and personal with a variety of indigenous animals including kangaroos and koalas. Phone: +61 2 9622 1644; website: www.featherdale.com.au/index.htm.

Hartley Historic Site
Comprising a series of historic buildings that sprang up in the decades following the establishment of the Hartley Court House in 1837, the Hartley Historic Site is one of the oldest white settlements in the Blue Mountains region. Some 17 well preserved historic buildings stand in the village, giving visitors an accurate idea of what a 19^th century settlement here looked like.

Jenolan Caves
Located just one hour from Katoomba, these spectacular caverns feature some magnificent limestone rock formations, as well as a series of picturesque underground streams. Tours are available of the nine main caves, with the Lucas Cave perhaps the most notable of these on account of the impressive Cathedral Cavern, a spacious chamber in which music recitals are commonly performed. Phone: +61 1 300 76 33 11; website: www.jenolancaves.org.au/.

Katoomba Scenic Railway
Boasting an entry in the Guinness Book of Records for being the steepest railway in the world, the Katoomba Scenic Railway was originally part of the town’s mining tramways which were constructed from 1878 to 1900. Reaching a height of 415 metres, the railway line passes through sandstone cliffs, a rock tunnel and up gradients of up to 52 degrees.

Mount Tomah Botanic Garden
Mount Tomah Botanic Garden sits at a lofty height of 1,000 metres in the northern region of the Blue Mountains. As one of the area’s top tourist attractions, the garden features more than 5,000 different plant species that have been collected from various parts of the world including China, Southeast Asia, Africa, South America, Papa New Guinea, New Zealand and Australia itself. The garden is an offshoot of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney. Phone: +61 2 4567 2154; website: www.bluemts.com.au/mounttomah/.

Three Sisters
No trip to the Blue Mountains is complete without checking out this famous rock formation that graces many a picture postcard of the region. The three peaks known as Meehni, Wimlah and Gunnedoo stand at heights of 922 metres, 918 metres and 906 metres respectively.

Valley Heights Locomotive Depot Heritage Museum
Whether you are interested in train and railway history or not, you’ll find a trip to the Valley Heights Locomotive Depot Heritage Museum a fascinating experience. The museum, which is an offshoot of the New South Wales Rail Transport Museum, has a variety of objects on display, among which are original locomotives from various different eras. Phone: +61 2 4751 4638.

Head for the Butterfly Farm and INDY 800 kart track in Windsor. There’s fun for visitors of all ages at this exciting destination in Windsor. While it may seem odd to combine a go-kart track with an insect farm, this is indeed what this popular visitor centre has achieved. Other attractions include picnic and barbeque areas, a swimming pool and a water-ski park.

Take an organised Blue Mountains tour. There are numerous tour operators in the region offering many different ways to experience the magic of this picturesque region. Organised tours can last from one to several days, be conducted largely on foot, by bicycle or in dual-terrain vehicles. Stops can be made for activities such as caving, fishing and climbing, or for simply for appreciating the scenery.

Test your fear of heights at Scenic World. Scenic World gives you the chance to get a unique perspective on the Blue Mountains via the Scenic Skyway and Scenic Flyway, two top attractions which are not best suited to visitors who are feint of heart. The former is a glass-bottomed cable car that offers some great views of the Jamison Valley at Katoomba, while the latter is Australia’s steepest aerial cable reaching a maximum height of 545 metres. Phone: +61 2 4782 2699: website: www.scenicworld.com.au.

Visit the Blue Mountains National Park. Annually, over three million visitors make the trip to the Blue Mountains National Park to witness the stunning natural beauty from a variety of key vantage points. The view from Echo Point is famous, capturing the Three Sisters in the foreground and Mount Solitary and Jamison Valley in the background. Other parts of the park are just as ripe for exploring, either on foot or by bicycle.

Walk the Jamison Valley’s giant staircase. You need to be sure-footed and not afraid of heights to walk either up or down the giant staircase located close to the famous Three Sisters. There are ample opportunities to stop along the way and take nature walks in scenic parts of the valley.