Yes, a day trip from Sydney allows for enough time to experience the Blue Moutain highlights, including the Three Sisters, Scenic World, Wentworth Falls and the charming village of Leura. However, visitors who wish to enjoy longer hikes such as the stunning Grand Canyon Walk or would like to visit other villages should stay overnight.

One day: Start the day with pastries from Black Cockatoo Bakery, then tackle the Wentworth Falls Track and grab lunch in Leura. Drive to Katoomba for the unmissable Beyond Skyway experience at Scenic World. Then, stick around Katoomba for dinner at Mountain Culture Brewery, followed by the Katoomba Falls Reserve Night-lit Walk.

Two days: Add on a visit to Blackheath for lunch at Ates, enjoy the views at Evans Lookout and set out on the Grand Canyon Track for a magical rainforest walk. Another top vantage point nearby worth stopping at is Govetts Leap Lookout. Then end the day with a Blue Mountains Stargazing tour.

Three days: There are plenty of attractions to fill up a three-day itinerary. Choose from a four-hour introductory abseiling adventure with Blue Mountains Adventure Company or ride the local trails with Blue Mountains Biking Adventures. Drive out to Hillbilly Cider for a tasting of their refreshing apple and pear ciders, or grab dinner at the fine dining Echoes Restaurant.

Yes, you can take the two-hour express train from Central to Katoomba. From there, there are public buses to popular sites. Or you can grab a full-day ticket for the Blue Mountains Explorer Bus, a hop- on, hop- off service that loops around Katoomba and Leura. The bus runs every hour between 9am and 5pm every day of the week.

It’s easy to reach the Blue Mountains with a car or by public transport, however it’s quicker to drive and you’ll reach the Blue Mountains from Sydney CBD in 90-minutes.

Absolutely! There are plenty of fun family-friendly activities in the Blue Mountains for kids including stargazing, bike riding, camping, walking tracks and Scenic World.

There are plenty of indoor activities to enjoy on a rainy day in the Blue Mountains including:

• Mountain Culture Brewery in Katoomba
• Lunch at Ates, Leura Gourmet or Little Sista
• Window shopping in Leura
• Japanese Bath House Blue Mountains
• Blue Mountains Sauna
• Bygone Beautys Treasured Teapot Museum and Tearooms Leura
• Lilianfels Day Spa
• Norman Lindsay Gallery & Museum
• Blue Mountains Cultural Centre
• Mount Victoria Museum
• Woodford Academy
• Mount Vic Flicks
• Apsara Day Spa Katoomba
• Hydro Majestic Afternoon High Tea
• Megalong Valley Tea Rooms
• High tea at Ardour Lilianfels Blue Mountains

Absolutely! Even a long weekend is enough to combine Coffs Harbour's coastal icons with a taste of the Waterfall Way hinterland, as long as you pick a handful of highlights rather than trying to see everything.

• The Big Banana Fun Park
• Niigi Niigi – Sealy Lookout
• Solitary Islands coastal walk
• Dorrigo National Park

With an extra day or two, add more of the northern beaches and First Nations culture around Woolgoolga, or head south to Nambucca Heads for quieter estuary and coastal scenery.

• Woolgoolga
• Muttonbird Island Nature Reserve
• Nambucca Heads
• A guide to whale watching on the Coffs Coast

Three days covers the essentials, but four to five lets you slow down and add the northern beaches, the Nambucca Valley and more time in and on the water.

• Coffs Coast
• Bellingen
• Dorrigo
• Nambucca Heads

Stay close to Coffs Harbour itself. The Big Banana, Sealy Lookout, a swim at Jetty Beach and a walk on Muttonbird Island deliver the essential Coffs Coast experience without a detour off the highway.

• The Big Banana Fun Park
• Niigi Niigi – Sealy Lookout
• Muttonbird Island Nature Reserve
• Solitary Islands Aquarium

The standout day trip is the drive up Waterfall Way to Bellingen and Dorrigo National Park, with Nambucca Heads and Woolgoolga good options if you'd rather stay along the coast.

• Waterfall Way
• Dorrigo National Park
• Bellingen
• Nambucca Heads
• Woolgoolga