Volunteer trail leader, took our meetup group for this bike on a beautiful spring day. Quite surprised with the Chinooks 😄

Edit and disclaimer: please consider this as branded content, details below including trail write up.

We've been building and testing TrekMeet, an offline capable outdoor app with the same volunteers hiking Meetup group, also put together the trail journal: https://trekmeet.com/ruined-castle-furber-steps-spring-walk/

Before posting, this post was tagged as branded content.

Came up from Sydney on Friday for a quick weekend away and I genuinely did not want to drive home last night. Woke up to fog sitting in the valley, walked down to Wentworth Falls, had a pie in the cold, and for the first time in months my brain was actually quiet. Got back to the inner west and the noise hit me like a truck 😩

We’re coming back up next month for a full week (staying in Lawson this time, happy to drive anywhere) so please give me your favourite places to eat. Katoomba and around, nothing fancy, the kind of places locals actually go. Cafes, pubs, Thai, a good Sunday roast, whatever you love

Also the bigger question: if you could live in any quiet village up here, which one would it be and why? We work hybrid so a couple of trips down the mountain a week is fine. Somewhere with a bit of a community feel, a decent cafe, and away from the tourist crush on weekends would be the dream. Bonus points if it doesn’t get completely snowed in or burnt out lol

Honestly just want to hear people’s love letters to their town at this point. Thanks heaps ❤️

Rarely been into such a fantastic physical location and the food is great. Seriously magical. But no more now that I know the truth. Why do humans suck so much? 😩

Please suggest great dining spots in Katoomba (not upscale) and surrounds (staying in Hazelbrook, happy to drive) — all kinds of food. Thanks so much.

Also: which quiet village in the area would you love living in? We’re in Sydney and want out of the chaos, in love with the Blue Mountains. Outside Katoomba or in a part of it that’s away from the crush would be ideal. Thank you very much.

Found this gully today with an unbelievable amount of Waratahs - photo doesnt do it justice, it was like this all the way down.

How long before these fuckheads put a book out?
They keep posting little known tracks, don’t live here, zero fucks.

Hi all, bit of a weird one, we are looking for a designated driver to drive our 12 seater van from Donnybrook hotel to our accommodation in town tonight at 1am. Anyone available?

🚨 Calling All Artists! Submission Deadline Extended! 🚨

October is one very busy month for our arts community, so we're extending our deadline.

You now have until 24 October to submit your original artworks for this year's Blue Mountains Artfest.

Whether you're an emerging artist or a seasoned pro, be part of this terrific community event raising funds for Wentworth Falls Public School.

With hundreds of visitors, your work will be seen by a wide audience—and could even find a new home! 🖼️

Submit your work today and be part of an incredible weekend of art, live entertainment, markets, and more from 6-8 November 2026.

👉 Link to enter:

https://bluemtnsartfest.com.au/artist-entryform/

🖌️ Tag a friend who may need that extra time!

Good morning hive mind,

I would like recommendations for a decent optometrist in the upper mountains, please. Just got routine eye check and new prescription lenses. Also a good place for frames?

Thanks in advance :)

Why does zig zag station still exist? Who uses it. I assumed it was connected to the zig zag railway, but while the bottom of the zig zag railway is right near zig zag station. You cant get on the zig zag railway there, you have to get on at the top at clarence, and all tickets are return tickets. So why does zig zag station exist?

As the title says. I always loved getting a sausage roll at Bakehouse on Wentworth when they came, they were my favourite sausage rolls ever. I'm devastated they closed. What's the next best sausage roll in the mountains?

Please, if you can, support this Blue Mountains family by contributing to this chuffed project &/or sharing on your socials.

A large and breathtaking local population of a native terrestrial orchids, yesterday. A colony containing many hundreds of flowering plants concentrated into a relatively small patch of sandstone heathland immediately south of Wongarra Hill on the Mirrorball track. Likely not rare, but beautiful. Likely identification is..

Spotted Sun-orchid - Thelymitra ixioides Sw. (Orchidaceae)

Last year I went to Katoomba Airfield to have a poke around and just check out the place. There was absolutely nothing there, everything was open and unlocked, no security cameras, nothing.

Today I decided to check the place out again, see what (if anything) had changed since my last visit.

The answer was lots.

The dumped drug-runners plane, for starts, is now completely trashed and covered in graffiti, beyond repair.

The hangars are also coated in tags. It’s to be expected with any place that’s abandoned for this long, I know, but it’s a lot of graffiti in just one year.

But a few things in particular threw me off substantially.
First: the third hangar was locked up, with two trailers out the front of it, and it had signs for an insulation company on the doors of it.

Mind you, the signs don’t face the road either. They face the other two hangars, which makes them impossible to see if you’re not on the airfield grounds.

Second: there were security signs and cameras. What really confused me was the fact there were cameras on all the structures in the airfield, not just the one with the signs on it.

And third: there were several strange items in the first hangar that were not there the first time I went. There’s tyres, a broken fish tank, a small stool, and several other small odd items strewn about.

I had been under the impression that YKAT is still Council property, and as such no private ventures could take place on the property.

So has something changed and this is a legitimate business, or did I just happen upon some sort of sketchy front for something worse?

Hello everyone,

I'm planning on visiting the area at the end of December - I wanted to day hike but I have learned due to the heat it is not advisable / would not be enjoyable. I understand the area will likely be crowded.

What activities are there to do besides hiking, scenic world and wine tasting? Are there any smaller, cooler walks that would be possible?

Thanks!

Hi all! My two friends and I are thinking of taking the train from Sydney to Katoomba next month and would like to visit the Dry Ridge Estate for some wine tasting. From what I’ve seen online it doesn’t really seem like there are some reliable public transportation options but wanted to check here in case you may have some tips? TIA!

UPDATE: Thanks everyone for all your responses (both funny and helpful ones!) I did end up contacting Dry Ridge and Emma was kind enough to offer up some taxi options and mentioned a newer tour group Out of the Blue Experiences but eventually ended up booking with Beyond the Blacktop Adventures as one of you suggested. I definitely underestimated the journey between Katoomba station and Megalong valley just based off of my ignorance and Google Maps alone lol. Overall had a great time!