Getting there

Planes

Fly into Sydney’s Kingsford Smith Airport (www.sydneyairport.com.au), which handles both domestic and international flights. Don’t fancy the winding drive up the mountains? Charter a chopper through Sydney Heli Tours (www.avta.com.au) for the 45–60-minute flight from Mascot (near Sydney Airport) depending on your destination.

Trains

Sydney’s CityRail service (www.cityrail.info) runs regularly between Central Station and the Blue Mountains, stopping at most of the towns and villages – including the largest, Katoomba, two hours away.

Automobiles

To explore areas away from the train-line destinations, a car is a must. Hire one in Sydney or at its airport, where all the major players have a desk; try Hertz (www.hertz.com.au). The drive west from Sydney to Katoomba takes two hours, but you can reach the fringes of the mountains in just over an hour.