What's on in Katoomba (Blue Mountains), Australia through the year

Peak crowds — New South Wales summer holidays, Summer holidays in Australia

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Bushfire season (1 Oct – 1 Mar (usually)), Canyoning season (1 Nov – 31 Mar), New South Wales summer holidays (18 Dec – 27 Jan (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Bushfire season (1 Oct – 1 Mar (usually)), Canyoning season (1 Nov – 31 Mar)

Quiet — one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Bushfire season (1 Oct – 1 Mar (usually)), Canyoning season (1 Nov – 31 Mar)

Busy — Autumn / Easter break in Australia, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in April.

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

• Season

  Cloud in the valley

  1 May – 31 Aug · usuallyFog season

  Cold air pools in the Jamison Valley and the Three Sisters disappear for hours at a time, sometimes for a whole day. When it burns off from below it is the best view of the year.

Peak crowds — Yulefest, Winter (July) break in Australia

• Festival

  Yulefest

  1 Jun – 31 AugChristmas & New YearCrowdedBook early

  Christmas in July, invented here in 1980 and now most of the winter: roaring fires, roast dinners and carols at the old guesthouses in Katoomba, Leura and Blackheath. Weekends book out. Source ↗

Still on: Cloud in the valley (1 May – 31 Aug (usually))

Peak crowds — Yulefest, Winter (July) break in Australia

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Cloud in the valley (1 May – 31 Aug (usually)), Yulefest (1 Jun – 31 Aug)

Busy — Yulefest, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Cloud in the valley (1 May – 31 Aug (usually)), Yulefest (1 Jun – 31 Aug)

Busy — Spring break in Australia, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Nature

  Waratahs and heath in flower

  15 Sep – 15 Nov · usuallyWildflowers & blooms

  Waratahs come out along the cliff-top tracks in spring, with the heath and boronia around them. It is the best walking window of the year, before the summer heat and the fire bans.

Busy — Spring break in Australia, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Hazard

  Bushfire season

  1 Oct – 1 Mar · usuallySmoke seasonClosures

  The whole town sits inside the national park, so a bad fire week means smoke, closed tracks and, on the worst days, a closed highway. The fire service rates the district daily. Source ↗

Still on: Waratahs and heath in flower (15 Sep – 15 Nov (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

• Season

  Canyoning season

  1 Nov – 31 MarTrail season

  The slot canyons below the escarpment are swum, not walked, so the guided trips run from November to March. Outside that the water is cold enough to make it a different sport.

Still on: Waratahs and heath in flower (15 Sep – 15 Nov (usually)), Bushfire season (1 Oct – 1 Mar (usually))

Peak crowds — New South Wales summer holidays, Summer holidays in Australia

• Holiday

  New South Wales summer holidays

  18 Dec – 27 Jan · usuallySchool holidaysCrowded

  Sydney drives up for the cool air over the summer break and the lookout car parks fill by mid-morning. The trains from Central are the easier way in on those weekends. Source ↗

Still on: Bushfire season (1 Oct – 1 Mar (usually)), Canyoning season (1 Nov – 31 Mar)