Bushwalk through dense forest that is tinged blue from more than one hundred species of eucalypts. Explore the expansive wilderness areas. See Wentworth Falls plunge into the Jamison Valley and explore Glow Worm Tunnel in Wollemi National Park. Look out at the Three Sisters from Echo Point. Wind through the rivers and huge chambers of Jenolan Caves, the world’s oldest open underground cave system. Then see the Wollemi Pine, a plant species which dates back to the dinosaurs, in Mount Tomah Botanic Gardens.

Go walkabout with a local Darug guide and learn about the songlines that connect sacred sites. See bark and body painting demonstrations and taste bush tucker. Visit the ancient Aboriginal campsite of Lyrebird Dell and see axe-grinding grooves at Camp Fire Creek. Explore Finchley Trig and Mt Yengo in Yengo National Park. Hike to Red Hands Cave, where fine hand stencils and prints were etched into the walls between 500 and 1600 years ago. Visit the Three Sisters, a trio of rocky pinnacles that form part of the Dreamtime story of this place.

Lunch on Leura's pretty tree-lined streets, then browse the galleries, boutiques and bric-a-brac stores. Pamper yourself in a day spa or sit down to coffee and cake in Katoomba. Stay in grand old hotels, five star resorts with valley views or bed and breakfasts in scenic bush surrounds. Shop for gourmet food at Blackheath or take high tea in a majestic, historic hotel at Jenolan Caves. During June, July and August, you can embrace the Yulefest celebrations with a Christmas roast and pudding around a roaring fire.