Jenolan, a small town in the Blue Mountains, where you should definitely stay a few days. You will make 2 tours from here, but also visit 1 or more caves, so a day or 4 is certainly not a waste of time. The dense eucalyptus forests give the sky a blue glow, which is why these mountains are called "the Blue Mountains". The view over these Australian mountains with its native animals, deep canyons, waterfalls and uncultivated scrub is breathtaking. This enormous "wilderness" is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. More than 92 different species of eucalyptus trees are represented in Blue Mountains National Park. An important rock formation can be seen at Echo Point. According to traditions from Aboriginals, three sisters (Meehni, Wimlah and Gunnedoo) are petrified here. The three excellent rock points are therefore called: The Three Sisters.

The Jenolan Caves ("Jenolan Caves") are a series of caves in the Blue Mountains. They are the best known of several similar caves in the country's limestone, and the oldest discovered open caves in the world. They do not contain fossils of great interest, but the stalactite formations are sometimes pure white and exceptionally beautiful. Many parts of the cave are easily accessible to tourists.

Jenolan Caves attract more than 250,000 visitors a year, making it one of the most popular tourist locations in New South Wales. Nine of the "dark caves" in the area are open for fixed trips, and many others for special trips. According to scientists, the Jenolan Caves are also the oldest open caves in the world. Large parts of the extensive cave system can only be reached by experienced researchers, especially those along the underground river system. But there are 10 caves in Jenolan that are used for regular tourism.

Lucas Cave: discovered in 1860 and the most popular cave. The cave is named after the local politician John Lucas, who worked to preserve the caves in 1860. The cave contains several large rooms including the Cathedral, more than 50 meters high. This room is actually used from time to time for wedding ceremonies.
River Cave: discovered in 1903. The most extensive show cave of Jenolan. Contains some of the most famous features including the Minaret, the Grand Column and the Queen's Canopy. Until 1923, when a concrete bridge was built, the river had to be crossed by boat.
Chifley Cave: discovered in 1880, after which electrical light was installed almost immediately. Was known until 1952 as the Left Imperial Cave. Two of the rooms in this cave are covered with colored lighting. The Chifley Cave is probably the first of the caves that was illuminated with electric light.
Imperial Cave: discovered in 1879, this is the easiest accessible cave for tourists. One of the few caves in the complex that shows signs of fossils, as well as bones of the Tasmanian devil.
Orient Cave: discovered in 1904. This cave was not open to the public until 1917. The cave contains some of the largest formations of the complex, and was steam cleaned in 1968 to preserve these formations. Until 1954 the cave could only be reached via the River Cave.
Ribbon Cave: discovered at the same time as the Orient Cave. Originally part of the same tour that also visited the Orient Cave, but now part of a separate tour. Is only 60 meters long, but richly decorated.
Pool of Cerberus Cave: discovered in 1903 and originally known as the Skeleton Cave due to the presence of a wallaby skeleton near the entrance. This cave is a forearm of the River Cave. The most important formations here are the Bath of Venus and part of the underground river system.
Jubilee Cave: discovered in 1893. The Jubilee Cave is the longest cave, and therefore takes the most time during a tour. Furthermore, the cave is somewhat isolated from the others.
Temple of Baal Cave: discovered in 1904. The Temple of Baal Cave consists of only two rooms, one of which is dominated by the 9 meter high scarf formation called the Angel's Wing. The cave is also famous by a formation known as Helictites. The cave got its name when a scout saw inside two "altars".
Nettle Cave: this cave lights between the Grand Arch and the Devils Coach House. The cave owes its name to the stinging nettles that grow there. In December 2006, the cave was reopened for the public as for an audio tour.

The entrance to the Nettle Cave, circa 1888.
The caves (with the exception of the Nettle Cave) were created from a "hub" formed by the Grand Arch, a natural tunnel.

In addition to the caves mentioned above, there are a few caves that are only accessible for special tours.

Elder Cave: discovered in 1848. The Elder Cave was the first cave of the Jenolan that was found and opened to tourists. It was later decided that it was too difficult to adapt the cave for mass tourism, and the tours were stopped. In the 90s the cave was reopened for special tours.
Aladdin Cave: was first explored in the hope of finding a shorter path to the Jubilee Cave.
Jersey Cave: an extension of the Elder Cave. One of the features in this cave is a fossil of a marsupial skeleton.
Arch Cave: This cave is above the Nettle Cave, and part of it can be seen from the Devils Coach House. The entrance to this cave is the basis of the Carlotta Arch.

You leave for Oberon to first refuel and do some shopping. Because in this route you go through gravel roads again through the woods, so no gas stations or restaurants along the way, but you can feel the possibilities for picnics. In Oberon you can also drink a cup of coffee at the
Monkey bean cafe. The second stop is at Lochmaree, this is truly a unique and picturesque accommodation located on the southern edge of the Blue Mountains National Park. Lochmaree has 2300 hectares of marked enduro trails and a 2 km motocross track. Workshops are also offered for a fee.

After the gravel roads you come to Mittagong, refuel and you can also visit the McDonalds. Then set your course for the Burragorang viewpoint, this is a picnic area with a beautiful view of Warragamba Dam. Afterwards taking a piece of The Great Western Highway, this road connects Sydney with Bathurst. In Katoomba you leave the Great Western Highway to drive past a number of viewpoints, where you definitely have to stop at all to enjoy the view and to take some pictures.

In Mount Victoria you make a stop to refuel, because this is the last option before you get back to the hotel. In the last 55 km you will pass a number of viewpoints that were also in the previous route and you will go to the hotel via the other side of the tunnel.

This 4-star rated route is mainly about beautiful roads, over gravel roads, through a few small towns where you can stop for a snack and beautiful nature and you pass countless viewpoints.

General info:
New South Wales is a state of Australia with Sydney as its capital, and is often abbreviated to NSW. The three most important cities are, from north to south, Newcastle, Sydney and Wollongong, which are all on the coast. Other cities are Albury, Broken Hill, Dubbo, Tamworth, Armidale, Lismore, Nowra and Coffs Harbor.

The state is located on the east coast of the continent, north of the state of Victoria and south of the state of Queensland. In the west it borders South Australia. The coast borders the Tasman Sea. New South Wales has two federal enclaves: the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and the Jervis Bay Territory.

New South Wales can be physically divided into four parts:
A narrow coastal strip, with a climate whose temperature varies from temperate on the extreme south coast to subtropical on the Queensland border.
The mountainous areas of the Greater Australian Separation Mountains and the highlands that surround it, such as the Southern Highlands, Central Tablelands and the regions of New England. Even though the mountain walls are not very steep, many mountain tops exceed 1000 meters, of which Mount Kosciuszko reaches 2229 meters as the highest peak.
The agricultural plains, which make up a large part of the area of the state. These areas are much less densely populated than the coast. This part includes the Riverina region.
The dry, desert-like plains in the far north-west of the state, which are unsuitable for settlements of any size.

It is the oldest colony of the former Australian colonies of the United Kingdom. The colony was founded in 1788 and originally included much more of the Australian mainland. At that time, the western half of the colony was called New Holland and the eastern half was New South Wales. New Holland was controlled from Sydney.

During the nineteenth century large areas were separated around the British colonies Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) (1825), Victoria (1851), Queensland (1859) and South Australia (1836) (which at that time also included the Northern Territory) to shape. These colonies and Western Australia voted in 1901 to continue together as the Commonwealth of Australia.

Tourist attractions in the state include; The Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, a national park including the Three Sisters rock formation; The Hunter Valley, 150 km north of Sydney, the oldest wine region in Australia. The Snowy Mountains, on the border with Victoria, a popular ski resort, and the capital, Sydney.