You will find the Sandstone Caves on the Newell Highway just north of Coonabarabran in the Pilliga National Park. To get to the Sandstone Caves, follow the Yaminba Trail signpost. This will take you to a car park where you will find a map board showing you the local walks available.
The well-formed tracks take you around the sandstone outcrop that the caves are located in. As well as the caves the sandstone has eroded into some fascinating shapes. Several of the caves are sealed off to protect aboriginal artifacts, such as grinding grooves and rock carvings. There are boards explaining the importance of these artifacts to the local indigenous groups.
We took around 45 minutes to walk around the track at a relaxed pace. there were some steps to climb but overall it was an easy walk, highly recommended.
The Maitland Bay Track is in the Bouddi National Park near Gosford on the New South Wales Central Coast. This is one of many walks available locally. We chose this one because it goes down to a beautiful beach with some amazing rock formations.
Maitland Bay Track Information Centre
The car park is large but becomes full on busy days. Nearby is a visitor centre which has information about the local area, from the bush walks available to the local fauna and flora. At the back of the building is a room with the history of the SS Maitland , which sank here on May 6, 1898. Of the 36 passengers aboard the Maitland, 24 lost their lives.
SS Maitland Memorial
Outside the information centre is a small memorial to the Maitland and those who lost their lives. The centre piece of the memorial is the Bell from the Maitland.
Bell from the SS Maitland Bay
Maitland Bay Track
The Maitland Bay Track starts from the car park and then descends down a series of pathways and steps to the beach. Rated grade 3, the track is well maintained, but you will need a reasonable level of fitness at the track is quite steep. Over its one kilometre length, the track descends 146 metres. This might not sound like much until you have to walk back up.
Bush Walking TrackMaitland Bay Track Steps Going Up
The scenery as you walk along the track is very nice Australian bush, with eucalypts and ferns everywhere.
Maitland Bay Beach
The walking track ends at Maitland Bay Beach. This is a lovely sandy 500m long stretch of beach that is great for a swim or relaxing on. Have a look at the rocks and small cliff faces and you will find some interesting weathering patterns.
Maitland Bay BeachRock WeatheringRock WeatheringWaves at Maitland Bay BeachHoneycomb Rock Weathering
At the north end of the beach is Bouddi Point. This is the area where the SS Maitland came to grief. We had a look and could not see any wreckage. The volunteer at the Information Centre told us later that it would have to be a very low tide to see much. Still, the rocks were fun to climb over.
Bouddi PointBouddi Point
Walking Back to the Car Park
The walk back up took us twice as long as walking down because of the uphill grade. We decided to take a detour along the Bouddi Coastal Walk, which takes off to the left as you go uphill. There was some really nice coastal views along this walk and made the detour worthwhile.
We enjoyed the Maitland Bay Walk and will be going back to walk some of the other tracks in the area.
If you are up for an amazing amount of breathtaking scenery, friendly people and relaxed environment, then the Blue Mountains is the place to go. From the centre of Sydney a car journey to Katoomba in the Blue Mountains will take nearly two hours. This will vary depending on traffic and the day you travel. The big advantage of driving yourself is that you can stop at places along the way and enjoy everything from lookouts and small places like the Norman Lindsay Art Gallery in Faulconbridge prior to reaching the Blue Mountains. .
Katoomba can be reached by public transport from Sydney, using the Blue Mountains Line. Depending on you departure point and day, this journey takes two and a half to three hours. When you arrive at your destination, you will need transport from the train station to your hotel and from there to other points of interest.
Where To Stay at Katoomba in the Blue Mountains
There is a great choice of places to stay in and around Katoomba. We have always stayed near Echo Point, so that we can walk to the Tree Sisters at night and see them lit up, as it’s a magnificent view.
Accommodation from basic to five star is available depending on your budget.
Where To Eat
There are many eateries in the centre of town, ranging from take away and pub food to fine dining at restaurants. The Blue Mountains cater for backpackers through to overseas visitors. Other restaurants are scattered around town at other locations and hotels, some with great views of the National Park.
Walking Tracks
Katoomba is on the door steep to the Blue Mountains National Park. There are numerous walks available, for all fitness levels. All walks allow you to see picturesque mountains, waterfalls and breathtaking scenery.
Echo Point
Echo Point is the best place in Katoomba to view the Three Sisters because you have easy parking and great viewing areas. There is an information centre here where you can get directions for the many walks available and buy souvenirs. The Blue Mountains are very popular, especially on the weekend, so there are usually a lot of people around. This is the starting point for the Three Sisters Walk and you can join the Prince Henry Cliff Walk here, if you don’t want to do the whole track.
Foodlights illuminate the Three Sisters at night, so it’s worth visiting then for a great view.
The Three SistersViews From Echo Point
Three Sisters Walk
The Three Sisters Walk starts at Echo Point behind the Information Centre. As you would expect, it takes you down to the Three Sisters, where you can walk out onto the Giant’s Stairway, a bridge out to the first of the sisters. From here you get some spectacular views of the escarpment and surrounding scenery. A great photo opportunity!
The walk can be strenuous as there are a lot of stairs to go down (and then climb back up) and they are not all even. Many are irregular so you need to be careful. They are not always wide enough for two people to pass so you will need to be patient on a busy day to allow other people through. There are spots on the way to stop and have a break.
On the way down, check out the small metal animal sculptures along the track as they add some great interest to the walk. Overall a great walk with rewarding views at the end.
The Escarpment From Giants Stairway
Lizard Sculpture
Prince Henry Cliff Walk
We have only walked the part of the track from Echo Point to Katoomba Cascades. There are fantastic views out over the surrounding bush and national park, making it a very popular walk.
Katoomba Cascades
The Katoomba Cascades can be seen as part of the Prince Henry Cliff Walk, or by themselves. There are several car parks nearby so parking should not be a problem. The walk down to the Cascades is short but steep. At the bottom there is a nice shady area where you can relax near the water.
Katoomba Cascades
Wentworth Falls
Wentworth Falls is one of the classic and must do walks in Katoomba. Parking can be difficult as the car park becomes full quickly. Every time we have been there, we have parked in the street nearby .
The track to the top of the falls is downhill on a well formed track. There are some steps to negotiate and some small streams with stepping stones to cross. The top of the falls is where most people stop, as you have a good view of the surrounding valley, but you can only see the upper section of the falls.
For the really fit, there is a track to the base of the falls. We have never taken it as it appears to be mostly steps down and back up again.
The climb back to the car park is all up hill, but if you want a break on the way, you can look at the Underecliff walk or just stop and take in the scenery.
Top of Wentworth Falls Top of Wentworth Falls
Stepping Stones Wentworth Falls
Under Cliff Walk
The Under Cliff Walk starts from the same car park at the Wentworth Falls Walk. Part of the way down, there is a side track to the right. The side track is all flat and will take you to the undercliff area after about 10 minutes. This is a beautiful undercut area dark, shady and full of ferns.
Katoomba’s Scenic World provides three ways to view the Blue Mountains all starting from one location.
Scenic Skyway
Part of Scenic World, the Skyway is a cable car that runs across the Jamison Valley. The cable car can be taken in either direction, to or from Scenic World. If you have a day pass, ride it as often as you like.
The car has a glass bottom, so there are superb views of the valley below. The operator will take photos of you on the glass floor if you want. We went early in the morning, so had this all to ourselves.
Half way across, you get a great view of the Katoomba Falls from the best vantage point there is. On the eastern side, the cable car exits onto the Prince Henry Cliff Walk, which leads around to Echo Point and the Three Sisters.
Katoomba Falls
Scenic Railway
The Scenic Railway leaves from the Scenic World main building and travels down to the bottom of the valley. A very short ride, but fun if you want to go in the steepest inclined railway in the world. The ride finishes where the Scenic Walk begins so you can look around the valley floor before going back up, either on the railway, or the cable car.
Scenic Railway
Scenic Cableway
The Scenic Cableway runs from the Scenic Walking Track to the Scenic World main building. You can travel either way, or combine it with the Scenic Railway. We chose to use it for the leg back up to the top after walking around the walkway in the valley.
The Cableway gives you some fantastic views of the surrounding country. The cable car itself has large glass windows for uninterrupted views. The operator provides a running commentary throughout the journey, pointing out places of interest.
Scenic Walk
Scenic Walkway can be accessed by either of Scenic World’s Cableway or Railway. We used the Railway to get down and the Cableway to return, allowing us to get both experiences.
The walkway is mostly board walk around the base of the valley. The environment is very different to that at the top of the escarpment, being shady and cooler. There is some memorabilia for pioneering days on display and a statue honoring the pioneers .
Scenic Walk
Places to See in Town
Katoomba has many old historical buildings, making the town’s older area very attractive. There is also a memorial park to Sir Kingsford Smith, to commemorate the great Australian aviator.
In Leura, the main street has some good photo opportunities, especially the old post office.
Leura Post Office Kingsford Smith Memorial
What Did We Think Of Katoomba?
Katoomba is a great place to visit, especially if you like bush walking. There are so many tracks to chose from, ranging for short and moderate, to long and difficult.
The scenery is fantastic, from waterfalls and the Three Sisters to Australian bush landscapes.
A great place to stay for a few days and experience the Blue Mountains.
To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.
