This is just a silly little rant about something that happens with my neighbours when they come up from Sydney from their other home. A couple years ago, I saw my neighbour and what looked to be her grandson SNAPPING the heads off waratahs pretty much growing from within our goddamn fence line 💀 now I didn't say anything because I was younger at the time and more spooked by randoms by our fence in our quiet little bushy street that's fairly well hidden.

But in more recent times, the specific region my street is on has become a national park in the wake of a terribly miscommunicated building project that threatened us all. This is very good, but not good for my lovely little neighbours who snap lovely grown Waratahs in full sight of people in PROTECTED land. Like, as far as I'm concerned if you get caught doing that to a protected plant like that it's a fine.

So yeah. I'm not sure if anyone else has witnessed the douchebaggery committed against beautiful native plants but I can say that a majority of the Waratahs that once thrived around my place have obvious evidence of breakage or snipping and only recently have they even attempted to grow back from the damage. Facepalmmm

Hi all, I’m staying with my Parents in the upper mountains for a few months to give my Mum a break as she is a full time carer for my Dad who is very unwell.

I’d like to get her a gift card for a local place for a relaxing massage and facial. I’m from Sydney and am relying on Google reviews to decide which is the best place.

Does anyone have any recommendations?

Many thanks :-)

The cheap one on the way up is boarded up with a bunch of trucks out front. Anyone know if it's closing down or getting an upgrade? And where should I get my 91 now?

Hi Blue Mountains crew, I’m looking to tap into some of all your wise wisdom. I’m currently looking to purchase a tent and was wondering if anyone has much experience they could share and anything they would recommend. I’m thinking something that comfortably fits 2 people. I’ll use it when I go away on motorbike riding trips, but will also want it available for hiking adventures. I’m looking for something relatively comfortable and durable. Thanks in advance for all and any help.

Hi all,

My partner and I are planning to move to the mid-mountains next year. We will need to use the train at times for commuting - I understand from recent posts that there are issues with the timetable, reliability etc but what about safety? How safe do people generally find it and any tips for keeping safe and secure on the train?

For context we currently live in Western Sydney and experience some occasional scary situations at the stations/on the trains, so not sure what to expect in the mountains.

I'm in the blue mountains for a few days and on the way across from Sydney, I saw a couple dead kangaroos. Since then, I can't stop thinking about the roos.

Where to go to potentially see some? (preferably alive)

What are the best views/lookouts in the Blue Mountains that are accessible by public transport (train or bus) without the need for a lengthy hike?

Hey everyone, been living in the blue mountains for 13 years now but haven’t really made proper contact with any other musicians. Are there any jam nights or places you know of where musicians can meet and jam? Cheers

From the NPWS website:

The Kedumba & Cox's River Valleys are closed from 7am Monday 14th October and 5pm Friday 1st November for feral animal control (shooting). This includes: McMahons Point, Mt Solitary and Ruined Castle accesses, Kedumba River Campground and all accesses south of Sublime Point Ridge Trail, Tarros Ladders and Mt Debert routes.

Does the closure include Tarros ladders and Mt Debert? I’m thinking of doing a hike from Dunphy’s Campground this week or so.

Thanks.

Hi Blue Mountains folks. I'm looking for some suggestions on the best trails to hike with a 9 month old baby.

A bit of background, I would say I'm a confident novice at hiking, have done some fairly difficult hikes pre-baby eg Cradle Mountain in Tas. This will be our first time attempting to hike with the baby. She loves her Ergobaby carrier and has been all over Europe in it, so we aren't too concerned about keeping her in it for up to 4/5 hours (with breaks) but are more concerned about too many stairs / rocky / uneven ground just for our first go.

I know the Blue Mountains are naturally very steep, but looking for suggestions of easy - moderate hikes of 3 - 4 hours that won't involve any scrambling. Ideally a few shorter hikes in the same area we can do over a few days would be great.

If anyone has experience hiking with a baby of this age and can advise if it's worth us investing in a hiking carrier, or if there's anything else to be aware of, please share.

I'm wondering about the logistics of camping along multi-day hikes. Can you camp mostly anywhere in the national park along a trail or does it have to be in a designated campground? Information on the internet is very spotty. Thanks!

I have recently moved back to the mountains after some time living in the city and basically I am looking for some pals to enjoy bushwalking with. While I don't mind going solo, shared experiences are great fun and I am keen to meet some new people.

I am a 32 year old man, slowly getting more obsessed with birdwatching, don't mind a bit of bushbashing and generally open minded. A normal walk for me is between 10-20 kms and will include a swim if the weather is right. I promise this isn't an elaborate plan to murder someone, just a shot in the dark to see if anyone else wants to come for walk.

So please, shoot me a message or comment and hopefully we will all be better off for it.

Hi, heading to the Blue Mountains in a few weeks with some mates and was going to do the Mt Solitary loop as an overnight hike. Given its closed I have been looking for a suitable hike instead. Ideally something that's challenging with a good campsite with running water.

Can start super early on day 1 and happy to get back late on day 2 if needed. Preferably a loop but a point to point would be ok too. I'd rather not an out and back as I find retracing my steps less enjoyable and don't mind a bit of vertical.

Any ideas for a great memorable hike?

Hi, Is anyone up to date with how the repairs to the landslide at Mt Solitary, Blue Mountains is going? Likley to reopen soon or no chance? NPWS were less than helpful on when it might reopen.

doing some family history and trying to work out where is was because it doesn't seem to exist anymore?

Hello. Does anyone have any paranormal experiences with this place? I am a skeptic, but have spoken to a number of people who claim to have seen full body apparitions. Anything to share?

Tried the search feature first. Saw a bunch of recommendations for multi day. Figured I’d ask.

Coming from Canada, avid hikers, wanting to get a good taste of your local mountains. Will be driving from Sydney. Probably around Dec 29/30th.

You can see the new timetable on the NSW train page. Frankly feeling a bit cheated. I now have to leave even earlier (20 mins!) to get to city. (New timetable is from 20th October, I'm just planning ahead for work next week)

Is anyone else in same boat?

So, as the title says, my girlfriend and I went to Hanging Rock in the mountains two months ago. We got there around 11 a.m., parked the car, and started walking the path leading to Hanging Rock. It's a 2-3 hour walk.

While walking, I got this weird feeling that someone was following us. You sometimes get that kind of feeling, and it usually eases off, but this was different. It felt so real, and it haunts me to this day. I got the same feeling 3-4 times on the walk to Hanging Rock, and every time I looked back, no one was there.

When we reached Hanging Rock, there were a few other people there, and it was beautiful. We stayed for about 3 hours, which passed so quickly. As we started walking back to the car park—again, a 2-3 hour walk—I started getting the same feeling, like we were being followed by someone. This time it felt even stronger. I tried avoiding looking back but couldn’t resist.

I asked my girlfriend if she thought or felt like we were being followed, and she responded YES.

We got to the car safely. Overall, it was a beautiful place, but the feeling still haunts me to this day because it felt so real and strange. I had to get this off my chest by sharing it here.

The question is, has anyone else had the same feeling while hiking in the Blue Mountains?

Okay I need to know what is happening at the Katoomba Vintage Emporium at the moment. I know that it is under new management but used to love shopping there. I went in there today and it seems that the new owners live there? It was an absolute mess. So many beautiful pieces of furniture left outside in the rain, literal obstacles to get around, dirty dishes in the sink, rubbish everywhere. I also am 99.999% certain that people were smoking m*th while we were there. There were other people shopping at the same time and we were all so confused? The owners kind of invited us to party with them. It was really strange and uncomfortable. I am sad to see it like this but also just have to know what is going on.

EDIT: Not the antivax one, it's the one next to the Paragon building.