Planning a trip to the Blue Mountains (NSW) but don't know where to start? Try our weekend travel tips.

Only 110km's drive from Sydney, NSW, the Blue Mountains are only 'down the road' by Australian standards.  It is not surprising then that the area gets busy with visitors especially on weekends and holidays. Did you know that more than three million people experience the parks views and activities each year?

Another good fact to impress your friends whilst driving there is to inform them the Blue Mountains got its name due to the blue haze that can be seen from Sydney created by light interacting with the vapour given off from the millions of eucalypt trees.

To make exploring easy for you the Great Western Highway takes you through the Blue Mountains so it is just a matter of following the road and having an idea about where you want to stop in advance, Wentworth Falls is usually the first port of call.

Wentworth Falls is a beautiful town and is a natural stop-off point for visitors to the area.  Not only do you have the opportunity to enjoy the variety of shops, cafes and galleries but the views of the Wentworth Falls Lake is well worth a visit.   

A visit to Wentworth Falls is not complete without walking the Charles Darwin Walk, its an easy walk and will take about 90 minutes.  The Walk into the Blue Mountains National Park will take you past many spectacular lookouts and waterfalls, the most popular waterfall is the Wentworth Falls.

Leaving Wentworth Falls and passing through Leura (one of the prettiest Blue Mountain Towns) is the town of Katoomba.  From here you can walk out Echo Point Lookout where you will see the famous pinnacles of rock Three Sisters.

The Eco Point Walk will take about 2.5 hours/10 kms return but takes you past outstanding views of waterfalls, rainforest and wildlife.
Further along the Great Western Highway again is a town called Blackheath, from here there is a walk to Horseshoe Falls and the distinctive rock formations of Pulpit Rock (popular in photographs).

This medium level walk also takes you to the spectacular view down Grose Valley from Govett's Leap, the walk is about 6kms long.

In addition to the mind-blowing views the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area has a diverse range of rare and ancient plants and isolated animal populations tucked away in its deep gorges.

It is fortunate that the roads take you so deep into the national park, but you really have to take a walk to experience all there is to offer here.