by Diana HoflandThe Carrington Hotel, a beloved Blue Mountains icon steeped in history, celebrates its 140th birthday on August 15.

by Ellen HillYou know the towering escarpments and plunging valleys, the eucalyptus trees, Three Sisters and heritage hotels. But water is also a big part of this ancient landscape. The Hawkesbury Nepean River, known as Dyarubbin by the local Darug culture, laps at the foothills of the Blue Mountains.

By Ellen HillGliding up to a little-known lookout where there’s only you and a couple of black cockatoos (Wumbarrung in Gundungurra language).

By Ellen HillA group of Irish travellers are relaxing by a roaring indoor fire in the Hotel Mountain Heritage lounge one freezing July evening in 1980. The windows are frosted. Snowflakes are dancing on the wind outside. They let nostalgic thoughts of home creep in.

By Julie MillerCool, fresh air and a diversity of landscapes are a major lure for visitors to the Blue Mountains. And now, it seems, these qualities may be key to the very future of Australia’s most beloved furry icon – the koala.

By Julie MillerBeneath the Medlow Bath escarpment and the Shipley Plateau lies a pastoral valley that’s often admired through the picture windows of the Hydro Majestic’s Wintergarden Restaurant.