The Blue Mountains provide a great break from Sydney, and it really does not take long to get out to them. It was about two hours if I remember correctly from Sydney to Katoomba, which is a nice place to make a base. It has a kind of faded art deco chic going on. This is where you can see the some of the more famous parts of the mountains such as the "Three Sisters" rock formations. It is also a good location from which you can also descend to the valley floor in a number of different ways. I decided to do hike down the steps, which was particularly rewarding. It was not as tiring as I thought it would be and is well worth a couple of hours. Also fun is the railway which is a bit more like a rollercoaster as it descends at and angle of up to 45* making it one of the steepest in the world. We got talking to the driver and he let us travel up and down a few times for free. I was also able to spend a day just off hiking and horse riding (not normally my favourite things) and quite enjoyed it. Although these are not really what I imagined mountains to look like, they are well worth at least a day trip if you have the time from Sydney.