Blue Mountains & the Southern Highlands Adventure

Your journey begins today with a welcome meeting and 8 am departure from Sydney CBD, heading inland to the Blue Mountains National Park. Make your way through Western Sydney’s suburbs, then help support the local community with a stop for morning tea in one of the towns along the highway. Walk off that morning pastry with a hike to the double drop Wentworth Falls, one of the Mountains’ most spectacular cascades. Refuel with lunch in the heritage town of Leura – chat with local store owners and maybe choose one of the cafes along The Mall that has views across the valley to Katoomba. Check into your hotel this afternoon, then set off for an easy walk to see one of the Blue Mountains’ most famous geological formation – the Three Sisters. Learn the Gundungurra story behind the rocks, then round off your first day back in town with an included welcome dinner and drinks.

After breakfast turn your attention south and stretch the legs with a morning nature walk along the way. The Southern Highlands is known for its wine, so today there’ll be a tasting tour of local produce. Begin with a sampling of local drops at the cellar door of a nearby vineyard, then try some other beverages, including locally made mead, at a winery where you’ll also enjoy a gourmet lunch overlooking the vines. Continue south towards tonight’s accommodation, stopping in some of the small towns en route and maybe supporting local businesses with some shopping. Freshen up in the hotel, then this evening’s free for dinner in Bundanoon, where it feels like not much has changed since the early 20th century.

It’s a short drive this morning to the edge of Morton National Park and Fitzroy Falls, an 81-metre cascade that drops into the upper reaches of Kangaroo Valley. Take a walk with a local ranger to view the falls, learn about the area, and maybe spot a platypus in the wild if the season is right. Head towards the coast, making your way through towns that were largely affected by the bushfires at the beginning of 2020. Use some free time to see how the locals are bouncing back, and maybe help support the community by buying local goods. Head out to the gorgeous Kangaroo Valley, crossed by creeks and carpeted with rainforest and neat farms, and lookout for a wombat or two as you look across the surrounding mountains. Later tonight is a real treat for the tastebuds with a First Nations food experience, where you’ll try incredible dishes made with local native ingredients under the stars. You will also learn how, when the land is managed in the way it was for thousands of years, fire and traditional knowledge plays an important part in the management of the land.

Begin the day with a nature focused cruise out into Jervis Bay, where the chances are high that a pod of dolphins might jump from the water and race alongside the boat. This is one of the best dolphin and whale watching areas along the whole NSW coast, and from May to November you might just spot a number of these big beautiful creatures breach the blue waters. Take your time returning to Sydney in road trip style – enjoy a slow pace to drop into the regional towns that have been affected by the bushfires, and take in the beautiful coastal cliff lookouts that dot the route back to the city. You’ll arrive at tonight’s drop off point – conveniently located near to the Royal Botanic Gardens – in the early evening, with the rest of your night free to check out the restaurants in areas like Darlinghurst or along the harbour front as your trip comes to an end.