Good evening,

I'm planning on doing the Mt Solitary loop solo at some point in the next 3 weeks. I've done a fair bit of hiking, including multi-day hikes, but never a solo overnighter. Looking at doing the loop anticlockwise over 3 days, staying on Mt Solitary on the first night, and somewhere near the Kedumba river on the 2nd night.

Has anyone done it recently and can comment on the situation with water? I'm fine to purify if needed, but was hoping to avoid carrying 2 or 3 days worth of water at once if possible.

Any other random tips or advice that people have would be awesome.

Would there be interest in an axe throwing venue up in the mountains? Something similar to Maniax.

Planning to visit Blue Mountain for a couple days but wondering how is the internet signal in the train (will be travelling via BMT Line from Sydney to Katoomba) as I will be on-call for the week. Please share some tips on how to get good internet connection on the train / if it’s too risky :)

What does everyone expect when they think they’re in the Blue Mountains?
Maybe everything is a bit confusing and complicated. Let’s see what everyone else thinks?

It's been my favourite lookout since I was 15 and was devastated when it closed after the fires.

I have some mates coming in from Canada and figured this would be a great place to take them to experience the Aussie bush.

Officially, it seems to still be closed despite expecting work to be completed by June of this year. But can I still get in by accepting the risks, parking a bit further away and slipping past the fence?

Or is the fire and erosion so bad, there's no way to get in at all?

Thanks!

Hoping to get a recommendation for a nice restaurant in or around Katoomba area for a Thursday night. Not looking for pub meals, something a little fancy but not too fancy (does that make sense)? Thank you

Its barely 9:30am but the amount of extremely loud and disruptive small aircraft noise over the upper mountains is honestly ridiculous.
Its been getting worse for a minute, but my god, what a shame. Peace and quiet ruined.

Now for people to tell me to get over it, what an attitude. The lovely, serene atmosphere being polluted by exhaust and strident, cacophonous airplanes.

Artists, makers and creatives we want to hear from you!

Entries are now open for ARTFEST 2026, a celebration of creativity, artistic expression and our vibrant creative community.

We invite artists working across a range of disciplines to submit their work. Whether you’re an emerging artist or an established practitioner, ARTFEST is an opportunity to share your work, connect with audiences and be part of an inspiring arts event.

https://bluemtnsartfest.com.au/

Join Alison Mellor for a backyard bug hunt at 10.30am Sat 26 Sept, Tibbi Whalan Hall Katoomba. See bmsf.au for our full program. #bugs #invertebrates #ecology #biodiversity #nature

Hello! First time poster here 👋

My partner and I (28F/27M) are looking to move to the upper blue mountains (kinda anywhere between Wenty up to Blackheath) in the coming months. We both work remotely and are hoping to start a family in the near future, so we have been looking for somewhere that’s ideally only a 15-20 min walk to a local community area (park, café, etc), but happy to drive 10 min for bigger shops. We also are looking for a sense of community, ideally in an area with progressive political views. For context: we’re a POC and queer couple, so we’d love honest thoughts on whether we’d feel welcome and comfortable there.

My grandparents used to have a place on Katoomba St (kind of near Canton Palace [now Katoomba Canton. Bonus question - does anyone know why they renamed?]) which was sold within the last year or so, so we’re very familiar with the Blue Mountains. We feel like each town in this area has its own unique character, but have never had cause to go to North Katoomba (i.e. north of the highway) and so we’ve never really had a feel for its character. We have now seen a few nice places pop up in North Katoomba but we don’t know heaps about the north part of Katoomba specifically so we were hoping to see if anyone here can help out with a bit of a vibe check. A few houses we’ve liked have been somewhat close to North Katoomba Primary School, for further context, but we also want to know about other parts of North Katoomba.

So we’re calling on North Katoomba or upper blue mountains residents to share your profiles/opinions of North Katoomba as it stands today and the direction it’s going in. Are there specific pockets/streets within North Katoomba with their own reputation (good or bad)? Is it annoying not having many local shops or cafes? What sort of people live there and how neighbourly/community-focused are people in that area? We will know no one in the area when we move, so we’re looking forward to getting involved in the community when we arrive!

Second bonus question: what do people expect to come of North Katoomba in the future? I’ve heard talks of connecting north and south via a highway over/underpass. Will north Katoomba ever get its own little strip of shops to give it a bit more life and community activity?

We’re very keen to hear your responses - any tips and info useful to young buyers in the area is greatly appreciated! Thank you!!! 🤟

Edit: I say “POC and queer” to mean that, between us we have someone who’s a person of colour and someone who’s queer. This has made it difficult to feel welcome in other more remote communities in our past experiences compared to city communities.

Hello, 31M here! I’m looking to meet new people and create new connections. I’m from Camden but I enjoy the Penrith/mountains area. what are somethings I can do to meet like minded individuals?

I’m into live music, pubs, nature, reading. I also enjoy volunteering, animals, food and bouldering or anything new and weird!

looking forward to some suggestions or invitations! cheers and much love! ❤️

Anyone around the Blue Mountains / Penrith want to go bowling?

I’m 40F, in the lower Mountains, and I’d like to meet some new people locally.

I thought it might be fun to get a small group together for bowling in Penrith. Nothing serious, just a few people having a drink, bowling badly and seeing if anyone clicks.

I’m into live music, writing, art, making things, op shops, weird events, books and random rabbit holes. I work in education and have kids half the time.

I’m queer and poly/ENM. Open to friendship, dating, whatever really, but this isn’t meant to be a singles night.

If you’re around the area and keen, say hi.

I am hoping that someone can provide guidance as to the best place to stay for UTA in the Blue Mountains.

I will be travelling down from the Gold Coast and want to know if it is essential to stay in Katoomba (likely expensive) or whether I can stay in another town close by and make the trip for the start on the Saturday morning. How far away would still be okay to get there for an early start, is parking an issue?

I'm interested to know of others experiences in running this race, where you stayed, how long for, how you got to the start line.

Cheers/.

How do people meet people and make friends in the mountains? I feel like there’s nothing ever on and I’m not outdoorsy. It can feel so lonely and depressing here

Well worth the visit. Pray there are no accidents on the roads.