Blue Mt. Tour with Wonderbus

[bxny]

I'm arranging pre cruise tours for Sydney in 1/08. We have a week to see the attractions. The Wonderbus offers a full day of touring the Blue Mts., Ferndale, private winery and riverboat back to Sydney. Has anyone taken this tour or have other recomendations.

[kaseyoz]

I havent been on this tour but can reccomend the itininary. You will pack a lot into a short space of time and see a lot of the sights out of sydney plus of course the koalas. I am not sure about the winery though, not sure where that may be on that route!

the rivercat sometimes stops at olympic park which is home to some amazing sights not just the stadium but i doubt you will have much time here to see the parks as well as the stadium. NO doubt you will enjoy this day and use a full card of photos!!!!

enjoy your time in sydney

[tomtal]

We're also looking to go to the Blue Mountains in December post cruise. Just looked at the Wonderbus which looks very interesting.. Looking back on the boards, I see someone recommended www.activitytours.com.au. This also look very good - no winery option though - but is a very competitive $AUD72 per person. We may just wait to book the Blue Mountains tour until we are in Sydney as we will have a better idea of the weather in early December and can choose the best day for our trip as I believe temperatures will be lower in the Mountains than in town. I hope this will be viable - if any of our Aussie friends think not, please let me know.

[M&A]

Another option would be to take the train to the Blue Mountains and do your own thing. There are shuttle busses that meet the trains and you can see almost as much as a guided tour. If you take the train you can avoid the traffic and its much cheaper than a guided tour.

We were there in April and the weather was just as warm in the Blue Mountains as it was in Sydney. On our tour the driver picked us up at Circular Quay and then he spent another 45 minutes picking people up at various places in Sydney and then a lot of stop and go traffic getting out of Sydney and then a lot of traffic coming back in to Sydney.

Next time I would take the train.

[rjscott]

If you decide to take the train, you can pick up the Explorer Bus at the station. http://www.explorerbus.com.au/

[tomtal]

Thank you so much M&A and rjscott. Minds are made up - take the train and then the Explorer Bus. This is really what we like doing best as, on the whole, hate having to keep to others timetables and like to choose exactly what we wish to see. Only problem is that we now have so many print-outs, we'll need a larger suitcase! Great info - thanks again.

[alternateamber]

I used to live at the bottom of the Blue Mountains and let me tell you in summer it is HOT.... SLIGHTY cooler when you are actually up the mountains... but the trains and Explorer are air conditioned...

 

Good advise though on taking the train... You will start in the city... travel through the suburbs.. then on to the mountains so you will be able to see quite a bit... Taking the train also means that if you are havinf a good time up the mountains you will be able to stay a few hours longer etc... Being that you will be doing this in December it doesnt get dark till around 7.30 so you would easily be able to stay till then and be quite safe.. Mind you you would be safe in the middle of the night up the mountains...

 

I love the Blue Mountains... very peaceful and lots to see... Dont miss taking the little train to the bottom... it is nearly a 180 degree drop but a must do... and not to worry the train also takes you back up if you dont want to walk...

 

Hope this helps... Have a GREAT time..

 

Meg

[bxny]

Thanks for all the responses. So many decisions to make. Will have to decide for 2 other couples also. They are looking to me to make all the arrangements. I like the idea of the boat ride back to Sydney which should be around sunset.

[matmar]

Here is a link to Scenic World in Katoomba (Blue Mountains), a must do visit.

 

http://www.scenicworld.com.au/

 

And here is the link for the trains to the Blue Mountains

 

http://www.cityrail.info/out_about_sydney/day_trips_bluemnts.jsp

 

Hope you have fun.....

 

Cheers

 

Mark

[tomtal]

Thanks again for all the information -printed and stored. Just tried looking at the web camera - it's pitch black! Forgot it's night in Australia! We will be in Sydney 2-6 December and again 11 and 12th December. Have booked Nutcracker at the Opera House. I know this is the start of summer with you but was thinking it may not be so hot, being the very end of Spring. Whatever the weather, just can't wait. Here in the UK we can get all the seasons in one day!

[Cruisingnow]

I've followed the discussion about taking the bus vrs train to the blue mountains but how about driving? Since there will be four of us I was thinking about renting a car for the day and doing it on our own. Does anybody think that's resonable or is it strictly better to catch the train/bus or bus only.

 

Thanks,

 

Alex

[rjscott]

Alex, my husband and I drove and explored the Blue Mountains on our own. There is a map you can pick up that shows all the scenic spots, and they're really pretty easy to find, with many short hikes to spectacular views. I was so glad we included a visit to the Blue Mountains in our plans, as it is just amazingly beautiful.

[Globaliser]

Does anybody think that's resonable or is it strictly better to catch the train/bus or bus only.

If you're happy to drive, it's a very easy drive - probably almost exactly two hours from the centre of Sydney to Katoomba. Most of the time, this doesn't feature in discussions because most cruisers seem to be quite nervous about driving in another country. But it's a very flexible way of doing it, and pretty much the perfect distance for a day trip.

[Cruisingnow]

Rjscott and Globaliser

 

Thanks for your replies. This fall I'm committed (no pun intented) to a driving tour of Ireland, who's traffic also drives on the other side of the road. If I survive that I figure why not give it a try.

 

Alex

[rjscott]

Alex, you'll do fine, I'm sure. What helped us was that I was the navigator, so I studied the route ahead of time so that I could give my hubby fair warning when he needed to turn and in what direction. We did not drive at all in Sydney (no need to as the transit system is fabulous!), but we did a lot of driving once we left Sydney. We drove to the wildlife parks, to the Blue Mountains, and to Bateman's Bay, on the coast.

[kaseyoz]

the trip out there while not scenic is pretty much an easy drive as a lot on main roads and will be well signposted once you leave sydney cbd.

It will give you flexibility

[gypsealin]

If you take the train to the Blue Mountains does it stop at the Featherdale Wild Life Park?

[rjscott]

gypsealin, yes, you can get to Featherdale via public transportation. Here's a website for transportation that I found very useful:

 

http://www.131500.info/realtime/default.asp