Scenic World Tours
Scenic World Katoomba
Scenic World is located in the UNESCO World Heritage Listed Iconic Blue Mountains, NSW, Australia, Formerly home of the “Katoomba Coal Mine,” which was registered and owned by John Britty North back in the late 1870s.
The coal was extracted from the mine, and was moved by horse and carts, which carted the coal from the bottom of the Jamison Valley floor where the coal was put on the train and taken up to the top of the cliffs where the coal was then transported from train to the coal fired power stations.
Coal mine was closed, sold and bought in 1945 by Harry Hammon who had an entrepreneurial vision to transform the former coal mine into an iconic tourist attraction. In 1994 Phillip Hammon took over from his father. The 3rd generation Hammon family are now managing Scenic World.
Scenic World has 3 main attraction rides, Scenic Skyway, Scenic Cableway and Scenic Railway. There is also an elevated board walk called the Scenic Walkway.
Scenic Skyway
Scenic Worlds original Skyway Cabin was built in house in 1958. The original yellow Skyway was opened in 1958 and was the first cable car in Australia. The Skyway was in operation until to the 4th of April 2004 after completed 587,401 return trips across the Jamison Valley, travelled 200,000kms (around 5 times around the world) and carried over 7 million passengers. The original Skyways capacity was maximum load of 30 adults per ride. It was removed in 2004.
In 2017 the now modern Skyway was launched and can carry a capacity of 84 passengers per ride. The 720-metre journey suspends 270 metres above the Jamison Valley with views of the Jamison Valley below your feet through the electric glass cabin floor that is in the middle of the floor, there is also solid flooring in the other parts of the cabin.
The Skyway offers some of the best views of Jamison Valley, Orphan Rock, Three Sisters, Katoomba Falls and Mt Solitary which is the large rock formation in the distance.
Scenic Cableway
Scenic Cableway opened in 2000 called the Scenic Sender, the new Cableway what we see today was launched in 2018. Cableway descends 510 metres down into the Jamison Valley floor and returns to the top of the escarpment cliffs where the gift shop is.
Cableway is the steepest aerial cable car in Australia, and is fully enclosed cabin that hold 84 passengers, as you descend into the Jamison Valley below there is breath taking views on the left of Orphan Rock, Three Sisters, behind us Katoomba Falls in the distance, straight ahead in the distance Mt Solitary and on the right the Temperature Rainforest and sandstone escarpment cliffs.
Scenic Railway
Scenic Railway is the steepest passenger railway in the world at 52 degrees. Passengers can adjust their seat position to Cliffhanger position at a steep 64 degrees. The ride travels 310 metres down/up the escarpment cliff tunnel before appearing to the base of the Jamison Valley.
The original Scenic Railway was built in the 1880s to convoy coal to the cliff top escarpment from the Katoomba mine.
Scenic Walkway
Scenic Walkway is located in the Jamison Valley, the easy 500 metre elevated boardwalk takes about 10-20 minutes walk through the picturesque Temperate Rainforest between the Cableway station and railway.
Scenic World’s Temperate Rainforest has the elusive Lyrebird if you’re lucky enough to spot it while walking through the elevated platform boardwalk. Some of the other animals in the Rainforest are brush tailed possums, quolls, cockatoos and other animals.
The walk will take you past the old Katoomba Coal Mine entrance/exit and at end the of walk there is a viewing platform where you take the ultimate panoramic photos in the distance of Jamison Valley, Three Sisters, and Mt Solitary.
After taking photos we will walk down a few steps to head back on the Scenic Railway being steepest railway in the world.
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