The best family-friendly hikes and walks in Ngula Bulgarabang Regional Park

The Scenic Cableway brings bushwalkers over Blue Mountains National Park. The Scenic Cableway Top Station is an exciting, busy area, where the train and Skyway also depart. There are toilets, Skyway Souvenirs and the Terrace Cafe & Bar, all indoors, ideal in case of rain. Here visitors descend the steep cliff into the valley below, and by steep, it's steep, the cableway is at 36° incline. The Scenic Cableway is open Friday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm and every other day of the week from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Cars depart around every 10 minutes from the top and bottom stations, and ticket prices start at $39 per adult and $21 per child but provides unlimited rides for the day. If you would like to avoid taking the cableway, the climb in and out can be done from the Giant Stairway track.

The Scenic Cableway brings bushwalkers over Blue Mountains National Park and is part of the park's network of cableways, a historic incline railway, and elevated forest boardwalks and scenic skyway. This is the bottom of the cableway. If you get on at the bottom, you will be effortlessly taken up a steep part of the park. By steep, it's quite a steep ride, the cableway travels at a 36° incline and moves at a speed of 3.8 metres per second. The cableway is open Friday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm and every other day of the week from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Cars depart around every 10 minutes from the top and bottom stations, and ticket prices start at $39 per adult and $21 per child but gives unlimited rides for the day. If you would like to avoid taking the cableway, the climb in and out can be done from the Giant Stairway track.

Katoomba Cascades is a picturesque series of small cascades on the Kedumba River, where the water tumbles over wide sandstone shelves before continuing downstream to Katoomba Falls. There are boardwalks, bridges, benches and viewing platforms that surround the cascades for a close-up view of the flowing water within the lush gully of ferns and rainforest vegetation. It’s one of the few places where you can experience the river up close before it drops into the Jamison Valley.

The Watchtower is a lookout perched on the cliff's edge, with breathtaking views over the Jamison Valley, Mount Solitary, and Orphan Rock. Unlike the nearby viewpoints that focus on individual landmarks, this lookout offers a wide panorama of the valley and surrounding cliffs that’s awe-inspiring, and worth snapping a few photos while you’re here.

Solitary Lookout is a great spot to get uninterrupted views across the Jamison Valley to the distinctive profile of Mount Solitary, one of the Blue Mountains’ most recognisable landmarks. A short detour from the Prince Henry Cliff Walk leads to the fenced viewpoint, and its elevated position makes it one of the best places along the route to appreciate the scale of the surrounding wilderness.

Orphan Rock Lookout overlooks the isolated sandstone pinnacle of Orphan Rock, which was once a popular lookout itself in the Blue Mountains, reached via a staircase carved into the rock. Public access was closed decades ago for safety reasons, but from here, you can still see remnants of the stone steps and lookout platform. There are also fantastic views across the Jamison Valley to Mount Solitary and the surrounding escarpments, inviting you to stay awhile and soak it in.

The Giant Stairway is a famous, challenging and exhilarating staircase, totalling almost 1000 steps, from the edge of the Blue Mountains National Park cliffside down toward the valley below. The views are hard to beat, and the stairs are carved into the sandstone cliffs, which do become quite slippery after rain. Remember, you must go down before you come up!

Katoomba Falls is a fantastic multi-tiered waterfall that cascades over sandstone cliffs into the Jamison Valley, and is one of the Blue Mountains’ most recognisable waterfall locations. The falls are surrounded by rugged escarpments, and from here, there are beautiful expansive views across the eucalyptus-covered ridges that stretch through the valley. The combination of plunging water, towering cliffs, and wide valley scenery makes it especially impressive if you're lucky enough to be here after it rains.