The Blue Mountains from the sky!

There is nothing like a big Aussie breakfast to set the tone for the day and what better than a fantastic view to gaze at as you eat it – and that is what you get at the Mountain Heritage Hotel and Spa Retreat in Katoomba in the Blue Mountains, perfect after a sound night’s sleep and all that fresh mountain air

What a great start to a spring day in the Blue Mountains with so much to see and do and where to start?

It has to be Scenic World, which is without doubt the Blue Mountains’ leading tourist attraction, with the large groups visiting, but with their hurtle in and hurtle out itineraries, few appear to take enough time to really savour what this excellent attraction has to offer.

Scenic World has evolved over the years to what it is today, with very smart terminal building from which visitors can experience the three core elements of the attraction irrevocably tied in with nature, the recently unveiled float on air Skyway with its world first electronically revealed glass floor, which after you start the traverse across the valley, reveals the valley below right under your feet; the steepest incline railway in the world down to a lush and hidden valley, where you can stroll along a walkway through towering Jurassic rainforest, and refresh both your spirit and soul and the Cableway where you glide silently out of or into the valley taking in the breathtaking panorama of the stunning World Heritage Listed Blue Mountains National Park, with 360° views, taking in the famous Three Sisters, the magnificent Katoomba Falls, Mt Solitary and the near endless vista of the Jamison Valley.

Philip Hammon [pictured left] descendant of the founders and now responsible for the whole operation, told the Mole that he recalls in 1958 when his father Harry Hammon had built the Katoomba Skyway 200 metres above the Jamison Valley, using old shale mining equipment he bought in a scrap yard, they first they tested it with some big bags of sugar, but then his mother Mary Hammon, her husband Harry and their two children went themselves, determined to all go down together if it failed.

The original 1958 cabin was made of flimsy plywood and tension was put on the cable using a four-wheel-drive tractor borrowed from the council.

Philip, who was 13 at the time, recalls that the cabin had no doors and a large hole in the middle of the floor, but like almost everything the late Harry Hammon turned his practical mind to, the Skyway worked and for 46 years until it was replaced by the current state of the art ride, [pictured right: the view through the glass floor and that is my foot at the bottom of the picture!] provided breathtaking views of the Three Sisters, Orphan Rock, Mount Solitary and Katoomba Falls, operating beside the Scenic Railway – the world’s steepest funicular track, first built in 1878 to service a the Katoomba colliery which in 1884 is recorded as employing 56 men who extracted approximately 20, 000 tonnes of coal a year.

Philip said that their biggest year was in 1996 when they carried 1.2m passengers and while inbound has been struggling of late they are still running at about 930,000 passengers a year, but 70% of their business is inbound, with domestic business predominantly Western Sydney, but that is very weather dependant.

For more information visit www.scenicworld.com.au

Ah well, it’s a tough life, back to the Mercedes, roof down and off to lunch – more later this week on where to eat in the Blue Mountains!

The Mole was a guest of The Mountain Heritage Hotel and Spa Retreat, www.mountainheritage.com.au and Luxury Car Hire, www.luxurycarhire.com.au

A Special Blue Mountains report by The Mole