Itinerary

7.30am returns 6.00pm 

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Featherdale Wildlife Park


Kings Tableland Lookout


The Three Sisters.

 

From early 2011, there are extensive roadworks on the highway to the Blue Mountains. This can create  long delays going up to the attractions of Wentworth Falls, Three Sisters, Scenic World etc.

To avoid this traffic problem we are running a "GRAND CIRCLE WILDERNESS TOUR"  up the main Highway into the Blue Mountains through the towns of Glenbrook, Lawson Leura and Katoomba to the Three Sisters and Scenic World. From there we continue to Blackheath and Govetts leap on to Mount York and the across to Bell and back towards Sydney along Bells Line of Road stopping at Mt Tomah and back down to Richmond and Windsor and finally to Olympic Park  Wharf to catch the River Ferry Cruise to Circular Quay in the middle of the city passing underneath the magnificent Sydney Harbour Bridge. Check out the Grand Circle Route map on this website

This Grand Circle Tour  of the Blue Mountains has the advantage of different scenery for the entire day tour with the bonus of avoiding the traffic congestion in the afternoon from the road works at Lawson.

You travel in a 14  seat luxury Mercedes Benz Mini Bus up into the this World Heritage Area for a small personal tour experience of the Blue Mountains.

We cross the Harbour Bridge around 7.30am to arrive at Featherdale Wildlife Park arriving  8.15am to 8.30am. This is before the park officially opens and the morning feeding is underway.

You have the Park to your self and at this time of day the residents, all Australian Native Animals, are at their best. You can pat the kangaroos and wallabies, get a photo up close to a koala, check out the wombats, Tasmanian Devils or take a look at the crocodile together with an extensive  Australian native bird collection. On leaving the Wildlife park we drive up into the Blue Mountains along the Great Western Highway passing through the Villages of Glenbrook Blaxland Lawson Leura to Katoomba. Along the way we stop at Kings Tableland an exposed large Rock on the cliff face looking down into the Jamison Valley. Here you can feel the wilderness aura of this World Heritage Listed Blue Mountains created some 200 million years ago by local volcanic activity.

At this lookout out there are relics of the early aboriginal occupation of this area and was the area for Aboriginal Corrobborees, which was a meeting of the various aboriginal people for social activities.

On leaving Kings Tableland it is on to  Wentworth Falls which after local rain are at their best. on leaving the Falls area we pass through the village of Leura to Katoomba where we stop at the Scenic World Complex. This is the home to the Scenic Railway which was built in 1879 to transport Coal from the coal mines in the Jamison Valley up to the cliff top and on to the Railway station. For those doing the train/cable car rides(included on the BM3 tour only) we take the Scenic Railway down and after a short walk on the raised boardwalk though the temperate rain forest we return up again on the Cable car.(See Scenic Railway/Cable Car details).

On leaving Scenic World it is on to the Three Sisters for some more photos. Then it is on to Blackheath, Australia's Rhodendrum Capital where we collect our picnic lunch. (For those on the BM1 tour they will need to purchase their take away own lunch here). Next  we visit Govetts Leap a fantastic lookout with views down into the Grose Valley and Bridal Veil Falls where there are picnic tables and facilities for our lunch. (BM2 Tour and BM3 tours include a picnic lunch). [Note if there is inclement weather we will visit a cafe/restaurant for our lunch.]

On leaving Blackheath we travel on to Mount Victoria and out to Mt York. Mt York is where the first road over the Blue Mountains, completed to in 1815 began the frightening descent over the cliff and down to the plateau below. There are a lot of historical markers and history at this area and some great views from the lookouts. From Mt York we travel along the Olympic Causeway to bell where we join up with the Bells Line of Road and commence our return to Sydney through  dramatic scenery and wilderness forests.

We have a brief stop at Mount Tomah Botanical Gardens to see the once extinct Wollomi Pine Tree. It was belived to be over 1  million years old and only recently a small thicket of them was found in a remote gorge and new seedlings have been grafted at Mt Tomah. There is an interesting  World Heritage Exhibition on display.

We  continue your Grand Circle Tour of the  Blue Mountains Tour travelling down the mountains through the apple orchards at Bilpin and down to the  through  the Historic villages of  Richmond and Windsor (Circa 1794).

Leaving these villages we travel to  Olympic Park home to the Sydney 2000 Olympics where we take a short drive through to see the developments that have taken place since the Olmpics left towm. It has been a great success in the post Olympics period with a large business infrrastructure.

It is from the Olympic Park Wharf that you board a River Cat Ferry to take you down the Parramatta River under the magnificent Sydney Harbour Bridge to dock opposite the Opera House at Circular Quay around 6.30pm. This is where your tour concludes.

TESTIMONIAL   2011

Just a quick note to thank you guys very much for the Blue Mountain tour Theresa and I did last Wednesday. Keith was a magic tour guide – giving us some great yarns, showing us some amazing spots but also letting everyone have their space at each stop. His  Aussie accent and colloquialisms kept everyone amused especially the Americans who thought he was just wonderful.

We were especially pleased with the small tour bus and we both commented that we would not like to be part of the big coach tours that we saw around. We’ve always been sceptical of guided tours but this was fantastic. He even ensured that we were in front of the queue to board the ferry to so we could get the best seats.

Thank you again – next time we’re in Sydney we will be doing the Hunter Valley tour – and will definitely call Sydney Wilderness Tours – we will also recommend you to our friends.

 Best Regards

Dave Davies

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