Ride the Glass-Bottomed Scenic Skyway Across One of Australia's Most Spectacular Gorges
Do look down.
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The Scenic Skyway has been adding a dose of adrenaline to Blue Mountains weekenders since 1958. While Elvis Presley was enlisting in the army and Sir Edmund Hillary was hitting the South Pole, a bunch of ingenious engineers were laying cables 270 metres above one of Australia’s most spectacular gorges.
You’ll be pleased to know that the cables and the car have been replaced since then. After serving for a good 46 years, the original Scenic Skyway was retired in 2004, to be succeeded by a schmick new vessel. Today’s high-tech cabin holds 72 people at once. And its floor is part-made of liquid crystal glass, allowing sublime views of the valley below — wherever you’re standing. Does that sound too freaky? No problem – you can opt for seating and a less-terrifying, opaque surface beneath your feet.
Cable car tech might have come a long way since the ‘50s, but the mountain views have hardly changed. Thanks to the Scenic Skyway’s 360 degree views, you get to spend every minute of your 720-metre ride taking in incredible views of Katoomba Falls, the Three Sisters and Jamison Valley. Expect infinite wilderness and stunning rock formations in every direction.
Once you’ve reached the other side of the gorge, you can make an immediate return. Or you can jump off at the Skyway’s east station (built in 2005) and continue your adventure, which starts with the easy, yet beautiful, Prince Henry Cliff Walk. As the name suggests, the trail follows the cliff closely, affording amazing vistas of Jamison Valley and leading you to Echo Point, where you get up-close views of the legendary Three Sisters.
From there, you can follow the Giant Staircase, which winds its way downwards, passing alongside the Three Sisters before reaching the valley floor, to join the Federal Pass. A rainforest walk, soundtracked by bird song and passing by Katoomba Falls, takes you to the base of Scenic World.
If you’re energetic, you can get back to your car by climbing the 1,000 Furber Steps. Or, you can grab a ride on the Scenic Railway, the steepest passenger railway in the world. Prepare for a hair-raising 52 degree incline.
