The Blue Mountains have been a favourite holiday spot for Sydney-siders for more than a century.  Situated 65 km west of Sydney, they combine a unique blend of superb mountain scenery and outstanding geographical features.

The towering cliffs of the Blue Mountains seemed an  impassable barrier to the early settlers until, in 1813, explorers Lawson, Blaxland and Wentworth found  a way to cross the mountains. 

In the 1870's the well-to-do of Sydney started to build elaborate holiday houses there and so the resort had its beginning.  At first travelling was by Cobb and Co. coaches, later by rail.

The whole area is heavily timbered with eucalypts which constantly disperse fine droplets of oil into the air.  These droplets cause the blue light rays of the sun to be scattered more effectively, thus intensifying the usual light refraction phenomenon which causes distant objects to appear blue.

The Jenolan Caves were discovered there in 1830, when someone went tracking a bushranger.   The entrance to the caves is in a narrow gorge reached through a high arch.  A truly magnificent spot with lots of caves that are open to the public.  A very beautiful area and the caves are well worth visiting.

Visitors to the caves see the spectacular formation of stalacites, which grow downward, and stalagmites which grow upward.  These are formed by water seeping through limestone cracks.  On contact with air lime carbonate forms.  When the stalagmites and stalacites meet a column forms.  These are delicate structures taking many hundreds of years to form.