Things To Do In The Blue Mountains With Kids + Where To Stay

Visiting the Blue Mountains with kids is a very simple expedition for Sydney families. There are so many fun things to do with kids in the Blue Mountains, you can visit either for a day trip or as a weekend away or even a week away. You and the kids will NOT get bored.

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A misty Blue Mountains sunset, taken by me from Sublime Point.

Here is a guide to the best Blue Mountains activities for kids and their families. 

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The Three Sisters and the Blue Mountains escarpment, from Echo Point. Photo credit: Scenic World

Blue Mountains Family Accommodation

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The beautiful Fairmont Resort, click the image to read our family review

The Fairmont Resort Hotel

We love the Fairmont, it’s the ideal place to stay, with young kids especially. Check out the full Fairmont Resort review here.

Check dates and prices at the Fairmont Resort Blue Mountains on Bookings.com here

Bue Mountains YHA family stay
The striking art deco facade of the Blue Mountains YHA

The Blue Mountains YHA

This budget-friendly option is great for families if you can book early enough to snag a family room.

Check prices and dates at the Blue Mountains YHA here.

Leisure Inn Spires

Also recommended by readers, and a good option if you want to cook for yourself, the Leisure Inn Spires has serviced apartments, also in Leura.

Check prices and availability at the Leisure Inn Spires here.


Things To Do In The Blue Mountains with Kids

Scenic World Things To Do In The Blue Mountains with kids
The Three Sisters from Scenic World

Scenic World 

Scenic World with its Scenic Railway, Walkway, Cableway and Skyway, is an exciting adventure in its own right, plus a terrific way to view the Three Sisters in all their natural beauty.  Kids really enjoy the thrilling rides at Scenic World, especially the world’s steepest railway; adults will be thrilled too.

The Cableway and the Skyway are also very tummy-churning (in a good way) and the lovely walks through the rainforest are a treat. Information boards help visitors learn about the coal seams that can be seen down in the valley and explain the history of this area too. 

See lots more photos and read more about Scenic World on this article.   Scenic World is at the top of the Blue Mountains activities for families list. 

Address: Violet St &, Cliff Dr, Katoomba NSW 2780

Scenic World website is here.

Find all sorts of Blue Mountains Australia ticket combinations and tours on Get your Guide below

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The Scenic Railway, a VERY steep journey down into the valley
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Blue Mountains Explorer Hop On Hop Off Bus 

Excellent for first time visitors to the Blue Mountains, this Hop On Hop Off bus visits 29 places around Leura and Katoomba. Tickets last for one day and buses pass by every 30 minutes. Save yourself parking hassles by exploring by bus. 

Find tickets for the Hop On Hop Off buses and for many other Katoomba, Blue Mountains tours and ticket combinations below.

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Playing in the beautiful Everglades Gardens

The Everglades Gardens, Leura

Families adore this beautiful European-style garden, designed and build in 1923 by Paul Sorenson, a Danish landscape gardener.  There are lots of areas to walk and explore and so many pretty vistas. This is something of a secret garden, beloved by all the generations of the family. Autumn is a wonderful time to visit. You’ll find amazing trees, winding waterways and little waterfalls and tearooms to relax in whilst the children play. This is a family favourite in our Blue Mountains for kids list!

See more photos and read our full article on the Everglades Gardens here.

37 Everglades Ave, Leura. NSW 2780

Everglades Gardens website here

Campbell Rhododendron Gardens in Blackheath

Address: Bacchante Street, Blackheath NSW 2785

Phone:02 4787 8965

Website is here

These delightful gardens are at their best in September – November, with lovely autumn colours being a feature too. There are beautiful walks to enjoy. A well as rhododendrons there are lovely fern glades and many native flowers to enjoy.

Blue Mountains Cultural Centre

Get your culture on at the new Blue Mountains Cultural Centre which is located right next to the brilliant Katoomba Library (hint: rainy day activity).

Here you can learn all about the unique environment, history and culture of the Blue Mountains. And in the brand new library everyone can chill out on the fancy lounges whilst listening to story time – there is a café on site for parents to get their daily caffeine fix.

springwood aquatic centre things to do Blue Mountains with kids

Springwood Aquatic Centre

Cool down at the awesome Springwood Aquatic Centre. Your kids are going to love this place! There’s a kid’s beach area, huge water slide, turbo pool and big toy car for kids to play in. And the cafeteria on site will keep the parents well fed and caffeinated.

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Valley Heights Locomotive Depot Heritage Museum

Train lovers will find this museum so interesting.  Located in the 107 year old State Heritage Listed Valley Heights Locomotive Depot the museum showcases rail transport history with a strong focus on the Blue Mountains rail history. Visitors to our museum also take a ride back in time aboard our historic train or on a 130-year-old original Sydney Steam Tram on selected days.

The Museum also has a railway art display a collection of small exhibits and a working model of the railway depot circa 1951. There is a shop offering light refreshments and merchandise as well as picnic grounds. Further details including open dates and contact details can be obtained from the website, see below.

Address: 17b Tusculum Road, Valley Heights

Valley Heights Locomotive Depot Heritage Museum website is here.

VH Railway Museum lo res
lovely waterfalls tinkling in the Blue Mountains
You’ll see lovely waterfalls on this walk

Wentworth Falls Bush Walk

After enjoying the views from Wentworth Falls Lookout, you might enjoy this family-friendly walk.  The Wentworth Falls track takes about one hour return, it is graded as moderate. There are steps and stairs so this isn’t really suitable for strollers. There are fabulous views and plenty of places to take photos, plus many options to extend the walk by doing longer ones.  Read more about this and other walks on the Blue Mountains National park web page here.

Parking: there is a car park at the Wentworth Falls picnic area at Falls Road, these can be busy though. 

Toilets: toilets are located within the car park

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Lady Darley Walk To Echo Point

The Lady Darley Walk is a short walk to the Lady Darley Lookout, start at Panorama Drive in Katoomba. You can then walk all along to the Prince Henry cliff walk and end to Echo Point lookout with a spectacular view of the Three Sisters.

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The Three Sisters Walk

The Three Sisters Walk is pretty short at less than a kilometre but has some very steep stairs down to the Three Sisters bridge.   You can walk across the bridge for a photo opportunity in the small cave on one of the sisters.  There are railings for the steps and a lot of children do do it, just take it slow. Start from the Echo Point Visitor Centre.

Parking – there is some parking around Echo Point, but by staying at the motel we took advantage and left our car safely there while we explored.

Toilets – there is an information centre and toilets at Echo Point, along with some restaurant/cafe facilities across the road.

Mum’s Report – A nice flat family friendly pathway down to the lookout. You could always wait there if you didn’t want to do the stairs.

There are also cute little animal figurines positioned along the pathway. Keep your eyes peeled. The kids had a great time searching for them!

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The stairs are steep but manageable
Evans Grand Canyon
Stunning views from Evans Lookout where the walk commences

The Grand Canyon at Evans Lookout

This is a 6.3km loop from Evans Lookout or Neates Glen car park. It has many steep steps and is challenging, it is a Grade 3 walk, so not a beginners’ walk and not one that young children will manage on their own. However, it is absolutely stunning, walking through the temperate rainforest and through narrow gorges and gullies is a huge thrill.

Read all about this walk on the NPWS website here.

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The Grand Canyon walk

The Empress Falls Walk

This is a short but steep one hour walk down from Conservation Hut at Wentworth Falls. The walk is through rainforest and is very scenic indeed. Empress Falls is a spectacular waterfall, especially after rain, with a deep though small pool you can swim in.

Read our article on the Empress Falls Walk here.

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Beautiful Empress Falls, well worth the steep walk in and out
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Bush walk at Mount York

More Bush Walks With Kids

There are literally hundreds of bushwalks all over the mountains, ranging from easy family friendly walks to the more serious walks for the hardened adventurer. The Minnehaha Falls are a great walk with small kids. Located in North Katoomba, kids will love seeing the waterfall at the end of the walk.

The short walks around the Mount York lookout in Mount Victoria are also great for families. Another recommended walk for smaller people is the Gordon Falls walk in Leura. For a full list of walks and the length of time they take (as well as their degree of difficult), check out this list.

Jellybean Pool Glenbrook

Jellybean Pool Walk and Swim

Close to Glenbrook in the Lower Blue Mountains, you’ll find delightful jellybean Pool. This popular wild swimming spot can get very busy, so do choose your time widely. There’s a short but very steep walk down (and back up!), with lots of stairs. You can swim in fairly deep water.

Read our full post on Jellybean Pool here.

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Paradise Pool – is really is paradise!

Paradise Pool at Linden

A little bit further into the Blue Mountains than Glenbrook, you will find Linden with its lovely waterfall pool. Check out our full article on Paradise Pool here.

jenolan caves things to do in the blue mountains with kids
Photo credit: Jenolan Caves

Jenolan Caves

Just beyond the main section of the Blue Mountains are these very special caves. You can take the family caving at Jenolan Caves which are apparently the world’s oldest caves! There are 10 caves to be explored with both guided and self-guided walks available for all ages and levels of fitness.

Read our full guide to Jenolan Caves with Kids here.

Blue Mountains Playgrounds

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The railway-inspired playground at Glenbrook Park

Glenbrook Park Playground.  This railway-inspired playground has equipment suitable for all ages as well as BBQs, picnic facilities, toilets and parking. There’s a great selection of cafes across the road where you can grab a take away coffee from as well.

See more photos and read all the info you need on our Glenbrook Park playground post here.

wentworthfalls playground Things To Do In The Blue Mountains with kids

Wentworth Falls Lake at Sinclair Cr, Wentworth Falls. This hidden gem has a cool pirate ship playground as well as gorgeous picnic spots, toilets, parking and family friendly walks around the lake. Mr Whippy is normally in attendance on weekends.

memorial-park-blackheath Things To Do In The Blue Mountains with kids

Memorial Park, Blackheath at Prince Edward St, Blackheath. T his park is really large and has different types of playground equipment scattered throughout it. Kids will love climbing all over the old stage coach, car and boot as well as exploring the fort style playground. Grab a coffee from the main street of Blackheath before heading down here.

Treetops Adventure at Yarramundi

Address: Grose River Park,  200 Springwood Rd, Yarramundi NSW 2753

Opening Times: Monday – Friday: 9:30am – 5pm, Saturday & Sunday: 8:30am – 5pm

Treetops Adventure website is here

Enjoy climbing and ziplining adventures in the foothills of the Blue Mountains at Grose River Park. Each sessions lasts 2.5 huours and there are 10 courses, for kids and adults aged 4+. Please do book ahead and always arrive at least 15 minutes before your session.

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Blue mountains teenagers abseiling

Abseiling and Canyoning

There are many adventurous activities to be enjoyed in the Blue Mountains. Teenagers might especially be keen to explore some of the deep canyons and to throw themselves off the escarpment, firmly secured, of course.

Read about my half-day abseiling expedition with my twin teens on this article, click here.

Find the best tour companies on the Blue Mountains tourism website here.

Mountain Biking

Hire mountain bikes and explore the many trails (and steep hills) on offer in the Blue Mountains.

Find more info on the Blue Mountains tourism website here.

Kid-Frendly Blue Mountains Tours

You can find many guided tours and day trips also available in Katoomba and the Blue Mountains, click below.

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Mushroom Foraging at Oberon

Just on the other side of the Blue Mountains, between themonths of February and May, you can find wild edible mushrooms int he pine forests. Read our article here: Mushroom Picking Near Oberon.

Kid-Friendly Blue Mountains Cafes

The main streets of each village of the Blue Mountains are full of great looking cafes and restaurants. You can also go all fancy pants at one of the restaurants in the beautiful hotels that are throughout the Mountains. But make sure you put these three kid-friendly gems on your itinerary:

2773cafe Things To Do In The Blue Mountains with kids

As you are heading up the Mountains stop in at the gorgeous little mountain village of Glenbrook. Here you will find a brilliant kid friendly café called 2773 Glenbrook. This café serves up some of the Blue Mountain’s best pizza as well as superior café fare. And they have some resident animals and a cubby house to keep the kidlets occupied.

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The Megalong Valley Tea Rooms are just a 15-minute drive from Blackheath and make a terrific lunch or morning or afternoon tea venue. The cafe is charming and retro, set amongst beautiful views and with heaps of space outside for families to spread out. 

Read our review of this excellent Blue Mountains tea rooms here. 

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The garden at Cafe at Lewers

Now if you have time on your journey to or from the Mountains, try to make an effort to stop in at Café at Lewers in Emu Plains, at the base of the Mountains. This fab café is located in the gardens of the Penrith Regional Art Gallery and is one of our favourite cafes in Western Sydney.

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Cafe at Lewers breakfast

The Blue Mountains Chocolate Company is always a popular stop with our family. Cups of hot chocolate and chocolate treats always go down well, especially welcome after walks on chilly winter days.

Address: 176 Lurline Stree, Katoomba

Blue Mountains Map

There are loads more things Blue Mountains activities for families – you could most definitely stay a week if you have the time. The Blue Mountains Tourism website will help you out with more fun things to do. Enjoy!

 
Can you tell us about any other must-visit locations in the Blue Mountains for Families?

It’s always great to add new items to this article!

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Final photo, the Grose River Valley seen from Evans Lookout, Blackheath

 

 kids activities blue mountains,  things to do with kids blue mountains, blue mountain for kids, kid friendly restaurants blue mountains  

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2 Comments

  1. says: Lindsay Bradshaw

    This is possibly the most helpful “travel with kids” website Ive ever encountered. I’m thrilled to have found it!!! The playgrounds, the bathrooms, the restaurants… awesome. We are doing a Sydney vacation with my 9 year old daughter in June and plan to spend a few days in the Blue Mountains. Thank you for putting this together! Lindsay- Orlando FL, USA

    1. says: Seana Smith

      My pleasure- do feel free to join the Facebook group called Family Holiday Planning Australia and ask any questions you have there!

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