The Blue Mountains

I absolutely love the Blue Mountains. I have probably visited at least a couple of times a year since I was a child. Now our kids like it as much as me (they had no choice really) and we have our favourite places.

There are accessible places in the mountains and the main attractions like Scenic World and Echo Point have been made accessible and upgraded. We would love to see more accessible walks simply because we visit so often and would like some variety.

Our must sees in The Blue Mountains

Echo Point – I never tire of standing at Echo Point and looking out at the Three Sisters and the vast valley as far as the eye can see. There are two look outs here, one above the other with ramp access to the lower level.

Although there is a paved walk as far as the Giant Staircase to the Three Sisters I feel it is too steep for what you see. It starts off deceptively easy but gets steeper as you head to the Giant Staircase. I think the view at Echo Point is fantastic and doesn’t take much effort to access it so is my pick.

Echo Point parking – It is busy at Echo Point nearly any time of the day you visit. Bus loads of tourists arrive from Sydney every day. There is disabled parking in a car park, on the street and there are three 1 hour parking spaces beside the information centre (these are the most level and easiest if available)

Echo Point Disabled Toilet Facilities – There are very good disabled toilet facilities near the Information centre. They are large facilities allowing for a companion to assist the person in a wheelchair if necessary.

SCENIC WORLD

Scenic World houses 3 rides that each give you a unique Blue Mountains experience.

railway

The Scenic Railway is the steepest incline railway in the world. It is currently being upgraded but due to the nature of this ride you cannot remain in a wheelchair. If you can transfer and wish to do a round trip you could definitely do it. We took our son when he was younger. It is really steep though so you have to have good torso control. They have no facilities for wheelchairs so you would need to work out with the operator if you can leave it at the top.

Cableway

This is our favourite but there isn’t the same thrill value as there is with the Scenic railway. The Cableway is the steepest aerial cable car in the Southern Hemisphere. It’s a beautiful ride and fully wheelchair accessible. When you enter the cabin the wheelchair section is at the front giving you the most spectacular view of the valley as you descend. Our son likes sitting right forward for the full experience and this ensures people don’t stand in front of him. Riding up and down the hill I recommend standing on the left side of the cableway to get the best photos of the Three Sisters. When you reach the base of the valley there is a wheelchair accessible boardwalk around to the railway. It’s a lovely walk and takes you past a display on the mines and information boards about what’s in the rainforest you are walking through. It ends at the base of the Scenic Railway. You’ll hear the squeals of those on it before you get there. It is also a great photo opportunity spot with the Three Sisters in the background.

Skyway

When I was a kid I used to go on the original version of this and it would swing in the wind and was open and was all a bit hairy. The Scenic Skyway is a very tame ride but does have a unique glass floor in the middle of it which is frosted until you are over the valley and with a flick of a switch the valley below comes into view. The glass floor is up a step so is not accessible but the ride is. It goes across the valley and gives you a very good view of a beautiful waterfall if you stay on the left side of the carriage. Try and ride one side on the way over and the other on the return. There is a short accessible walk on the other side or you can get off and wait in line for the return journey.

Disabled toilet facilities are located behind the ticket sales counters in a walkway.  These are dedicated disabled toilets and have enough room for a companion.  There are more toilets located directly opposite the entrance to Scenic World next to the disabled parking.  These are located in the ladies and mens facilities and there is no dedicated disabled/baby change toilet.

There is a large multi storey parking lot to the left as you enter the driveway to Scenic World but if you continue up the hill there is disabled parking spaces (4 or 5) opposite the entrance.

Walks

Fairfax walk and Govetts Leap lookout are both accessible in the Blue Mountains.  Both are worthwhile.  Something about the Blue Mountains make me feel like doing walks and most have stairs involved.  It is nice to have a couple that are accessible.