Blue Mountains Hotels

The Blue Mountains located immediately to the west of the sprawling metropolian area that is Sydney, is one of the most accessible areas of (relatively unspoilt) highland natural beauty in New South Wales, Australia. Although not particularly high as a mountain range, the Blue Mountains is nonetheless renowned for its majestic scenery of a unique kind, for its cultural attractions and for its relatively tranquil, alternative mode of life. The Blue Mountains region was inscribed as a World Heritage Area by UNESCO in 2000. Although not especially high, the Blue Mountains were sufficiently rugged to prevent European explorers and settlers from penetrating the inland of New South Wales from Sydney for some time. Although Aborigines were able to negotiate the mountain trails, it took Europeans from 1788 - when Sydney was first settled - until 1813 (25 years) to discover a way over. Even then, it was never by following the valleys, but only by traversing the mountain ridges, that a road over the mountains was made possible. The culture of the Blue Mountains is not as well known. "The Mountains" are a major weekend destination for Sydneysiders and yet the Blue Mountains locals resist development - you'll only find two fast food restaurants (McDonalds/Burger King) between Glenbrook and Lithgow. The people of the Blue Mountains live in "villages", however in the lower mountains, these are basically suburbs of Sydney.