Australia’s best landscapes series: Blue Mountains self-drive

The Greater Blue Mountains Drive encompasses an astonishing 18 World Heritage trails, which will immerse you in the heart of the landscape as they wind in and out between wilderness areas, charming heritage villages and farming communities.

The trails are a great way to meet the locals and share their lifestyle. The Blue Mountains Drive takes you past waterfalls and the iconic rock formations of the Three Sisters. See the golden sandstone escarpments carved over 90 million years and the blue haze of eucalyptus on distant mountain tops.

In the south near Oberon, you can follow the Yerranderie Trail along the rugged road to a ghost town set within the Blue Mountains National Park. In the north-west of the area you can drive the Mounts Discovery Trail, taking in the Mount Tomah Botanic Gardens and the Cathedral of Ferns.

In the north-east on the fringes of Hunter wine country is the Great North Road, a World Heritage-listed road built by convict labour in the 1830s. The journey passes the historic village of Wollombi and enters Yengo National Park, home to Mount Yengo, the most sacred Aboriginal site in south-east Australia.

Where to stay: Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa and Lilianfels Blue Mountains Hotel & Spa

Search Villas