The Mountain Heritage, Katoomba

Katoomba, located in the Blue Mountains of Australia is indeed, Flagstaff, Arizona's sister city. Ambassadors of goodwill have traveled back and forth between the two cities for some time nurturing family ties. Katoomba, acting as the civic center for all the Blue Mountain communities, is tourist friendly and easily accessable by car or rural rail from Sydney. The train ride from Sydney Central into the Blue Mountains only takes a couple of delightful hours, stopping in small towns like Wentworth Falls, Blackheath and Mt. Victoria. Protected by the World Heritage Organization, the Blue Mountains are host to many unique National Parks like Wollemi, Kanangra-Boyd, Yengo, Gardens of Stone, Nattai, Thirmere Lakes and the Jenolan Caves. Wollemi Park is home to the Wollemi Pine once thought to be extinct from the Jurassic period. Discovered in 1994, three stands of 43 Wollemi adults happily grow on rainforst cliff gorge ledges inside the park. With this many parks in the region, hiking and sight-seeing are first on most to do lists. For those who wish to experience the diverse botanical samples of the region without bush walking or driving, Mt. Tomah and Mt. Annan have beautiful botanical gardens representing the 40 vegetation communities of the Blue Mountains consisting of 1,300 flowers, 90 species of Eucalyptus, hundreds of plants, trees, and shurbs and 65 of Australia's endangered species. The entire region is a plant lover's paradise! Since the Blue Mountains are a favorite vacation destination for Sydney-siders, it is a good idea to make lodging reservations before your visit. Most folks who visit Katoomba enjoy the 1880's architecture and antique shops but also appreciate the trendy boutiques and cafes that were upgraded for the Olympics. Since the town thrives on tourism there is a variety of accomodations and entertaining sight-seeing adventures available, including a tram that will take you into the canyons of the Blue Mountains, a thrilling ride not to miss.