Fast facts
- Historic town in the Blue Mountains
- Good base to explore this World Heritage-listed area on foot
- 98 km west from Sydney, population 5,400
Why go there
Wentworth Falls has a good collection of Victorian and other historic buildings and excellent trails into the Blue Mountains National Park. It offers spectacular views over the Jamison Valley and boasts the magnificent waterfall for which it is named. It has been a tourist destination for 130 years.
History
Wentworth Falls is named after William Charles Wentworth, one of the British explorers who established a route over the Blue Mountains in 1813. Charles Darwin briefly stopped there in 1836. The imposing Grandview Hotel (1930) is one of 13 History Highway Inns in the Blue Mountains and stands on the site of the original hotel of the same name, built in 1883.
Things to do
- The Kings Tableland Observatory is sufficiently far from Sydney to provide dark skies for star spotters.
- Take the walking track from Wentworth Falls Reserve to the Princes Lookout for a great view of the Wentworth Falls and the Jamison Valley.
- The Wentworth Falls Lake is a perfect spot for a picnic and has a children’s playground.
Events
- Kadumba Drawing Award in November.
Don’t miss
- The galleries and specialty shops.
- Visiting Empress Falls, Sylvia Falls, Lodore Falls, Valley of the Waters.
- A round of golf in crisp mountain air.
- Conservation Hut, a mud brick, low-energy information centre.
- Have a meal in the bistro at the elegant Grand View Hotel.
