Breath of the wild: exploring Australia’s Blue Mountains on the Grand Cliff Top Walk

It’s a bluebird day in late August when we set out on the Grand Cliff Top Walk . The wind rustles the eucalyptus trees, whose subtle blue-green shade gives the Blue Mountains their name. Barely 15 minutes into the 19-kilometre hike across the Jamison Valley’s northern escarpment, the scene looking due south from its first big lookout is astonishing: a vast jade bowl flanked by tan cliffs.

We’re not even 90 minutes’ drive from Sydney. There are towns directly behind us, just beyond the treeline. But looking south from the trail, there’s no sign of human development as far as the eye can see, across Gundungurra Country’s prehistoric landscape. You can practically hear the Jurassic Park theme’s crescendo, and we find ourselves singing it throughout the walk, with each jaw-dropping vista. There’s something about the valley that inspires child-like wonder. Each boulder is an obstacle to climb and leap off; a rocky canyon incites a Tarzan yell – and smiles as the mountain shouts back.

Unveiled last March after a four-year, AU$10 million (HK$48m) build, the Grand Cliff Top Walk is a continuous path that links the towns of Wentworth Falls and Katoomba, taking the long way around as it skirts the northern edge of the Jamison Valley. It’s the shortest of a network of 13 New South Wales Great Walks – up to 90km long and totalling over 630km – in development across the state’s national parks. These multi-day bushwalks, which span coastline to rainforest to the state’s alpine region, are part of an initiative by the National Parks and Wildlife Service to make the state’s natural wonders more accessible, promote conservation and boost regional economies.

The route is suitable for families and well signposted throughout.

It’s highly recommended to take two days to complete it: there’s a lot to savour, and it’s worth spending a little time in the mountain towns close to the main basin – you could take afternoon tea and explore the boutiques of the pretty garden village of Leura, for example. This mountainous area, long famed for superb wineries, is increasingly home to a flourishing independent food scene: in Blackheath and Megalong, there’s also modern fine dining that makes the best of Australian seasonal produce, and a growing coffee and craft beer culture in Katoomba is built upon the main mountain town’s reputation for countercultural pursuits.

We rise early and set off from the Katoomba start point, which is adjacent to Scenic World. This extensive tourist attraction is most visitors’ gateway to the mountains and comprises two cable cars and the world’s steepest passenger railway, which will take you either across, down to or up from the Jamison Valley to view the forest floor, including former mining infrastructure. The Buunyal Day Pass is a 90-minute tour of the area led by an Indigenous guide. It’s a worthwhile add-on to truly appreciate the value of the mountains to the tribes that have called them home throughout the centuries – and to learn how deeply they’re entwined with Aboriginal legend. The mountains are recovering after a tumultuous period. First, there were the 2019-20 bushfires, known as the “black summer”, which devastated a million hectares of the Unesco-listed National Park and world heritage area, causing AU$400 million (HK$1.9 billion) in damage. Soon after, there were years of flooding that killed two successive wine harvests. The Grand Cliff Top Walk was opened as a tourism boost to the area, its sandstone paths designed to last a century.

Throughout the walk, we pass birders with long lenses to snap cockatoos, whose guttural squawk carries across the valley. As well as wide, wind-swept lookouts, there are sections featuring narrow, steep stairs that wind downwards to giant, fern-laced gullies under rocky overhangs, where the air is cool and fresh. As the day grows long, we ramble steadily uphill through sun-dappled forest towards the Wentworth Falls Picnic Site. We meet Naomi and her two adult sons Tim and Ben from the Sydney suburbs, who’ve come to the mountains for a day of walking, fossil-spotting and waterfall swimming.

“When we got here, I said to the boys, ‘Take a deep breath’,” Naomi says. “There were no fumes, no noise. It was fresh air and the sound of nature.”

Exploring the mountains together allows them to bond as a family away from screens. “It’s hard in this world with technology – we need to just tap out. That’s why I love it when we have no reception. It’s important for us to take that time away from busy schedules and just enjoy life.”

We also meet Sydney resident Angel, who’s tackling a section of the route with her son to top off their trip to the mountains.

“Even with all the steps, it’s invigorating,” says the 69-year- old. “I’m not usually a hiker. In the past, I stuck to the lookout points and the mini train. But we wanted to hike this new trail to say we’d done it. The views are spectacular. I love the flora. It’s all so calming.”

Everywhere you look, there are shaggy eucalyptus trees shedding their bark, a natural ritual that prevents infestation and helps conserve water. As the pieces fall, the tree beneath is revealed in an array of colours, from creamy white to orange and lavender. You breathe in, and your breath becomes indistinguishable from the sound of rushing water and rustling foliage. Here in the Blue Mountains, you’ll feel your old bark strip away, as you, too, are renewed.

Space mountain

Blue Mountains Stargazing runs astronomer-led tours each night of the week in sessions that combine naked-eye and telescope observation and Aboriginal stories of the night sky. Join in winter to see the Milky Way directly overhead; or view the rings of Saturn and moons of Jupiter in summer.

Getting there

Katoomba is 100km from central Sydney – a two-hour train journey or 80-minute drive.

Where to stay

Kyah Hotel

This former 1970s motel was renovated in 2021 into a Palm Springs-inspired, pastel-hued retreat that’s home to the excellent modern Australian barbecue restaurant Blaq and an outdoor hot tub.

Lilianfels Blue Mountains

A classically luxurious spa resort site on the northern cliffs of the Jamison Valley that offers knockout views. Choose a Valley View room or suite for an unforgettable wake-up scene.

What to know

Uber is available in the Blue Mountains, although it’s unreliable. Katoomba Taxis (+61 2 4782 1311) is recommended instead. Weather conditions vary in the mountains and high winds are common. Sufficient planning and adequate clothing are essential. Call 000 in the event of an emergency.