Blue Mountains History Tours

Consider a two day tour, combining a couple of tours, in the wonderful Blue Mountains. So much to see and do! We can also recommend a number of suitable overnight accommodation venues.

Investigate the impact World War One and Two had on the Blue Mountains. Hear stories of farewell banquets, a phantom 1914 German invasion, recruitment marches, obscure monuments, visiting schoolchildren, POW's, a Carrington Gallipoli veteran, those visiting Americans etc.

Re-trace this remarkable journey as we travel across the Blue Mountains. See a significant section of the original 1813 route in Wentworth Falls; and hear accounts from Gregory Blaxland's journal. Consider continuing onto Mount York.

"As we toured the hotel its impressiveness and stories in which the Carrington hold captured us."

Hear stories and myths of royalty who have visited The Blue Mountains. Walk where royalty walked when we tour the Carrington Hotel and visit Echo Point.

Discover some of the events and personalities which shaped the physical and social fabric of the Blue Mountains in the 1930's. Collapsing cliffs, tree plantings, sporting crazes, holiday stories, a famous cricket match and even stirring political events contribute to the commentary.

Discover some of the hidden places, strange happenings, and most unique people who have shaped this intriguing landscape, known as the Blue Mountains.

Immerse yourselves into dramatic Australian Colonial History, as we examine the physical evidence of these old roads, and their impact on unsuspecting English travelers who ventured through this exceptional upper Blue Mountains location.

Selected readings from original journals, and letters add to the sense of 'being there'. In addition to its history, this location has superb views, so bring a camera! Please bring a bottle of water, and wear comfortable walking shoes.

The Walking Tours at Mount York are divided into three tours:

Cox's Road, 1814/1815
Lawson's 1824 Long Alley
Berghofer's 1912 Pass Tour

These tours last one and a half hours, and all are a mixture of steep and easy grades.

Please inform us of which of the three you'd prefer before the date of the tour; or if you wish to do all walking tours on the same day.

While on a leisurely stroll around this delightful upper Blue Mountains Village, examine the role 'Mount Vic' played in the tourist trade of the early - mid 20th Century. Old photos, 1913 celebration programmes, humourous newspaper articles, and memories of elderly residents form the basis of the tour commentary. This tour lasts one and a half hours, and is an easy grade. At the end of the tour, consider having a poke around the antique shops, or having some refreshments at the Imperial Hotel, which is itself a historic landmark.

Do you like scuffing autumn leaves, or admiring the splendour of Rhododendrums? If you do, you'll enjoy a walk through the parks and back streets of this upper Blue Mountains town - while soaking in its local history. Old photos, newspaper articles describing such things as 'road hogs', and many anecdotal accounts gleaned from local sources, (including the story of the incredible 1931 Don Bradman innings), form the basis of the tour commentary. This tour lasts one and a half hours, and is an easy grade. At the end of the tour spend some time sifting through antique and second hand book shops, or think about a meal at one of the cafes or hotels. And for those who like 'miniature', pop in and visit the Miniature Shop, which is located next to the Railway Station.

"The members who joined you on the tour were thrilled that they were given the opportunity to visit such a notable building."

Taking you back to an earlier age of elegance, this walking tour of the hotel's gardens and ground floor rooms investigates the social history of this Grand Hotel in the heart of Katoomba - the premier tourist destination of many people over the years. In addition to the splendid architecture within the Carrington, you'll enjoy hearing stories that bring the building alive - stories gathered from many former guests and former employees. Many old photos, menus, and artefacts are incorporated into the tour commentary. This tour lasts one and a half hours, and is an easy grade.

Enjoy a walking tour examining the history of this upper Blue Mountains town, focussing primarily on the social and architectural fabric of the early 20th Century tourist precinct around Katoomba Railway Station, the Carrington Hotel, and top end of Katoomba Street. Hear many stories of this famous tourist town and area, gathered from a variety of written, visual and oral sources. This tour lasts one and a half hours, and is a mixture of easy to moderately steep grades. At the end of the tour, enjoy rummaging through the local antique and second book shops, or having a bite to eat at one of the many local cafes.

At the base of Scenic World's railway ride, you will find an intriguing world where rainforest and a coalmine once lived side by side. Come on a walking tour there, and hear stories of the turn of the 20th Century coalmine, and its miners, while taking in the scenery of glorious Blue Mountains rainforest. There are spectacular views on this tour, so bring a camera. Many old photos and artefacts are included in the tour commentary. This tour lasts one and a half hours, and is predominantly an easy grade.

Stroll through this beautiful upper Blue Mountains town, while enjoying the social history of the town and district based on many stories given by Mr Humphrey Sinclair, a local man whose family lived and worked in Leura between 1902 and 1998. Photos, postcards, old newspaper articles, and church bulletins are included in the tour commentary. This tour lasts one and a half hours, and is an easy grade. At the end of the tour, enjoy rummaging through the local Leura antique and second book shops, or having a bite to eat at one of the many local cafes.

This mid Blue Mountains town has many hidden treasures, including the delightful stories of a parrot, a soldier and a prince! So, what are you waiting for? Many photos, newspaper articles, and local stories collected over the years form the basis of the tour commentary. This tour lasts one and a half hours, and is an easy grade.

Quietly nestled in the lower Blue Mountains town of Faulconbridge is a corridor of oak trees; one planted for each Australian Prime Minister, some more than once! Using researched material, and more recent newspaper articles, this tour outlines the history of the site, (once owned by Sir Henry Parkes), as well as the history of many past Prime Ministers. Particularly poignant is the speech given by Alfred Deakin's daughter, at the planting of her father's tree in 1936, which opens with "I regard it as a great honour and privilege to plant this oak tree in memory of my dear father Alfred Deakin." This tour lasts one and one half hours, and is an easy walking grade.

Tucked away in the bush next to a busy freeway, at the lower end of the Blue Mountains, is a site where we can see a series of railway embankments, cuttings, platform and an enormous railway bridge, from 140 years ago, when steam trains first puffed their way across the Blue Mountains. Old photos, and stories of early trips and rail accidents, researched from local 19th century newspapers, form the basis of the tour commentary. Please bring a bottle of water, and comfortable walking shoes. This tour lasts one and a half hours, and is an easy grade. This tour does not run during the hot summer months.