Scenic World Blue Mountains Australia is a must-visit attraction in the Blue Mountains National Park near Sydney. Read our Scenic World review and tips here!
The Blue Mountains national park is a world heritage area just a 2-hour drive west of Sydney and visiting the Scenic World Blue Mountains is one of the most fun ways to take in the stunning surroundings here.
Australia’s answer to the Grand Canyon, the Blue Mountains Australia offer 1 million hectares of spectacular scenery, including ancient rainforest, impressive rock formations and sandstone cliffs, canyons, waterfalls and ravines.
There are 140km of walking tracks to explore here, making a Blue Mountains day trip or weekend from Sydney popular with hikers and outdoor enthusiasts.
If you are visiting the Blue Mountains as a family, or prefer to admire the impressive scenery with minimum effort, but maximum amounts of fun then buying some Scenic World tickets is a great option.
We recently visited Scenic World from Sydney during a weekend in the Blue Mountains and had a great time. The kids are already asking when we can go back. Here is our full Scenic World review.
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The Scenic World Rides
There is a choice of fun record-breaking rides to take at the Katoomba Scenic World, including the steepest railway in the world, the steepest aerial cable car in the Southern Hemisphere and the largest aerial cable car in the Southern Hemisphere.
All of these offer fun and varied ways to take in the stunning surroundings of the Blue Mountains.
Scenic Railway Blue Mountains
This Blue Mountains train ride is like no other, boasting the accolade of being the steepest passenger railway in the world!
With a 52-degree incline, this Blue Mountains railway takes 84 passengers plunging 310 meters through a cliff side tunnel, to emerge in to the rainforest below.
The glass-roofed carriages of this Katoomba scenic railway allow expansive views of the rainforest and the Jamison Valley beyond.
Adjustable seats on the Scenic world railway allow you to add to the thrill by choosing the 64-degree Cliffhanger setting, or if you prefer to take it easy, you can move it to the Laid Back setting.
We opted for the 52-degree Original setting and it was quite steep enough! My 5-year old son was a little apprehensive about taking the ride, but once we got to the bottom, he was shouting to do it again!
Scenic Skyway Blue Mountains
This Blue Mountains cable car is the largest aerial cable car in the Southern Hemisphere and is a very cool way of taking in the views here.
As you glide the 720m between two cliff tops, it doesn’t matter where you stand aboard the Scenic World Skyway, you will be rewarded with 360-degree views of the Katoomba Falls on one side and out over the Three Sisters on the other side.
A glass bottom floor in the middle of this Blue Mountains gondola gives even more thrilling views as you gaze 270 metres into the ancient ravines below. The kids loved sitting here and taking in the views beneath them.
Once you arrive at the Skyway East station, there is a choice of bushwalks. The Prince Henry Cliff walk to Katoomba Falls is a popular choice.
We opted to walk to Echo Point Lookout, one of the best places in the Blue Mountains to view the famous Three Sisters rock formation. This was around a 30-minute walk from the Skyway.
Scenic Cableway Blue Mountains
Another thrilling journey, the 454 metre cableway is the steepest aerial cable car in the Southern Hemisphere.
Following a recent $4 million upgrade, the new sleek Katoomba cable car offers a spacious cabin with wide floor to ceiling windows to admire the views over the Three Sisters, Orphan Rock and Jamison Valley beyond.
Try to get a space at the front or back windows for the best views.
Scenic Walkway Blue Mountains
There are 2.4km of boardwalks within the Jurassic rainforest of the Jamison Valley to explore.
10, 20 and 50-minute loops are well signposted, with information boards along the way to help you identify the flora and fauna. The walks are along well-maintained boardwalks and are buggy friendly.
When we visited, part of the Walkway had been transformed into Dinosaur Valley (see more below) and other seasonal attractions here include the Sculpture at Scenic World exhibition (see more below).
Scenic World Itinerary
The Discovery Pass Scenic World ticket price includes unlimited rides on all the attractions throughout the day. We only had time to visit each ride once (return trip on the Skyway), and we followed this itinerary:
- Rode the Scenic Railway down to the rainforest
- Followed the Scenic Walkway, including Dinosaur Valley
- Took the Scenic Cableway back up to the main building
- Enjoyed a coffee and ice cream break at the Terrace Café
- Took the Skyway to the Skyway East Station
- Walked to Echo Point to see the Three Sisters and back
- Took the Skyway back to main building to exit
This whole itinerary took around 4 hours.
You could also grab lunch at the Eats270 restaurant, which dishes up a selection of burgers and sandwiches and has impressive views over the Skyway and beyond to the Katoomba Falls and Three Sisters.
Dinosaur Valley at Scenic World
If you are visiting the Blue Mountains between now and 28th January 2019, you have the added bonus of being able to visit Dinosaur Valley. There are more than 20 animatronic dinosaurs scattered amongst the Jurassic rainforest, together with information signs.
My kids loved this. Using their free Ranger Trail Guides, they tracked down a baby triceratops, a duelling pair of pachycephalosaurus and even a hatching dinosaur egg. Lots of fun for everyone, and buggy friendly too!
Sculpture at Scenic World
Another fantastic event worth putting in your diary is this Blue Mountains sculpture exhibition, which gives visitors the opportunity to view 26 world-class sculptures within a beautiful natural rainforest setting.
The artists shortlisted for the 2019 sculpture exhibition include 4 from the Blue Mountains, 19 from New South Wales and 2 international artists.
Sculpture at Scenic World will run April 12th– May 12th 2019. You can read more about it at their website here.
Scenic World Prices
Scenic world prices start at $39 for adults during weekdays and $43 at weekends. Child tickets are $21 at weekdays and $23 at weekends.
A family ticket can be bought for $109 ($99 on week days). The family pass is valid for 2 adults and up to 5 children under age 14.
An annual pass can be a good option if you plan to visit Scenic World more than twice in a year.
The Scenic world ticket price includes unlimited rides on all attractions.
There aren’t many options for Scenic World discount tickets, but a good value option is the combo ticket for Scenic World and the Hop on-Hop off Blue Mountains Explorer bus. Click here to check the latest deals.
Scenic World Opening Hours
Scenic World Blue Mountains is open 9am to 5pm every day of the year.
How to get to Scenic World
The Blue Mountains is around a 2-hour drive from Sydney. There is plenty of free onsite undercover parking at Scenic World.
If you are not driving, Scenic World is located 3km from Katoomba Village Station.
You can get from Katoomba to Scenic World on the Blue Mountains Explorer bus, which operates a hop-on/hop-off Blue Mountains tour around the area’s most popular attractions.
The 686 Bus also stops at Scenic World Blue Mountains.
Click here to visit the Scenic World website to learn more about this fabulous attraction.
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Disclaimer: Mum on the Move were guests of Scenic World Blue Mountains for the purpose of writing this review. This in no way influenced our review and all opinions are honest and our own.
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