South Mountain Pass

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Blue Mountain coffee comes from the mountains of Jamaica.  Blue Mountain coffee is known for its mildness and a distinct lack of bitterness. Over time, it has become the most expensive coffee in the world, and the most sought after. Besides making incredible brewed coffee, the Blue Mountain coffee bean is used as a base for the famous Tia Maria coffee liqueur.

The Blue Mountains of Jamaica are located between Kingston and Port Maria. Rising to an impressive height of 7,402 feet, the climate is cool and misty, and gets a lot of rainfall. The soil is rich and drains well… an ideal situation in which to grow coffee. Coffee beans were first brought to Jamaica in 1728 by the Governor, Sir Nicholas Lawes.

Once the beans are harvested, they are pulped and washed. The beans are then dried and cured for at least twenty weeks. Next, the beans go through a sorting process. Only a very few countries besides Jamaica allow the coffee beans to age at least six weeks. Aging improves consistency among the beans. Before exporting, the coffee is checked for appearance, and some is taste tested to insure quality.

As with other varieties of coffee around the world, there are several different grades of Blue Mountain coffee. For Grade 1, which is the best quality, 96% of the beans must fit a 17/20 screen size. No more than 2% of the coffee beans can have significant defects.

For Grade 2, 96% of the beans must fit a 16/17 screen size. No more than 2% of the beans may have any significant defects. There is also a Grade 3, a Blue Mountain peaberry, and a Blue Mountain Triage, which is a combination of the top three grades.

There is quite a lot of interesting trivia about Blue Mountain coffee. Many commercial coffee blends add a bit of Blue Mountain coffee to enrich the quality of their blend. Due to the strength of the Blue Mountain coffee beans, more cups of coffee can be made for the money. And even James Bond loves Blue Mountain coffee. The author of the James Bond series, Ian Fleming, lived in Jamaica for a part of every year. In his book, “Live and Let Die,” he has James Bond sitting to breakfast declaring, “Blue Mountain coffee, the most delicious in the world…”

In 1988, Jamaica lost a great deal of its coffee industry, due to damage from Hurricane Gilbert. It is just recently that production has been restored to previous levels for this unique coffee.

Out of all the coffee lovers in the world, Japan is the largest importer of Blue Mountain coffee. They invest a lot into the coffee industry, and they import approximately 80% of the Blue Mountain coffee crop every year. The rest of the world wrangles over the remainder. And is it worth the fight? Anyone who has tasted it would say yes. Blue Mountain coffee is sweet, smooth and mellow… all in all, an excellent cup of coffee.

The Blue Mountains, just 2hrs from Sydney, is an area of vast wilderness, romantic and peaceful accommodation, fine dining, indulgent shopping, awe-inspiring caves and magnificent national parks. With numerous lookouts, you can enjoy the elegant scenic views of towering escarpments and plummeting waterfalls. The start of the Blue Mountains includes the beautiful villages of Lapstone, Blaxland, Glenbrook, Springwood and Lawson. This area features lovely waterfalls, swimming holes, national park walks and art & craft galleries. On the far reaches of the Blue Mountains, Lithgow & Oberon provides the gateway to the wonders of New South Wales Explorer Country and hosts the Jenolan Caves and Kanangra Walls.

Our wide range of Blue Mountains accommodation lets you explore all the area has to offer: From bushwalking and horse riding, to abseiling and rock sports; from vineyards, to culinary delights; from art galleries, to beautiful scenery and places of Aboriginal cultural significance. We have Blue Mountains luxurious hotels, bed and breakfasts, retreats, health spas, self-catering apartments, and guest houses to suit every budget and holiday need.

Whether taking a bushwalk or the Scenic Skway cable car, our Blue Mountains accommodation is a great base for exploring the breathtaking natural beauty of the area, especially the Jamison Valley, which includes the Three Sisters, Katoomba Falls and Mount Solitary. The rugged pristine environment can also be enjoyed and appreciated by taking a paddle wheeler cruise along the scenic Nepean gorge or an abseiling or adventure tour in The Jenolan Caves. Our Blue Mountains accommodation, cottages and holiday homes also make a perfect base for appreciating the art and culture of the area: from antique centres, to arts and crafts displays; from the Norman Lindsay Gallery and Museum, to Casey’s vineyard, which specializes in cool climate wine.

The pioneering spirit of the great land can be appreciated at the Megalong Australian Heritage Centre, which is a celebration of Australian rural life where you can learn how to crack a whip, muster, milk a cow and shear a sheep. The Zig Zag Railway is also a stunning monument to the pioneering spirit. Built in the 1860s to enable travelers to be taken to Sydney from the Blue Mountains, the railway was regarded as one of the engineering wonders of the Victorian age. Our Blue Mountains accommodation acts as a great base for exploring the area’s rich Aboriginal cultural history. The history behind the Three Sisters rock formation is explained by Aboriginal dreamtime myth of three sisters of the Katoomba tribe who fell in love with three brothers of the neighboring Nepean tribe. The unions, where was not permitted under tribal law, and so when a tribal battle broke out a witchdoctor turned the three sisters to stone in an effort to protect them. The spell was unable to be reversed after the witchdoctor was killed and the rock formations of the Three Sisters stand as a reminder of the battle to future generations.

Our Blue Mountains accommodation is great for enjoying one of the area’s various festivals: From the celebration of the change of seasons in late June, the Winter Magic Festival; to celebrations of music, the Blue Mountains Music Festival featuring folk, roots and blues and the Kowmung Music festival, which features chamber music and jazz in unusual venues like limestone caves and cattle sheds.

BookBlueMountains.com.au offers different styles and varieties of accommodation: Whichever you choose, the style is warm, welcoming, and refreshing – the service friendly and informal. So book your accommodation online through our site to receive the best rates available on the web!

If you were to simply open your eyes and find yourself in the Blue Mountains, NSW, you would never guess that you were only ninety minutes drive from the centre of Australia’s biggest city, Sydney. The Blue Mountains is one of Australia’s oldest rural holiday destinations and has not lost it’s popularity. It offers plenty for those looking for a romantic escape and for families wanting a healthy, active holiday.

Getting there: Getting to the Blue Mountains is easy. From Sydney head west following the signs for Parramatta. Then join the M4 (toll section near Sydney) and keep going on the M4 as far as the edge of the Blue Mountains in Lapstone. You can then follow the signs up to the main tourist areas such as Katoomba. An alternative is to catch the train from Central Railway station in Sydney CBD. There is around one train an hour and it takes roughly 90-120 minutes depending on which station you are going to. There are day trips from Sydney as well by coach which return to the city the same day but staying in one of the great Blue Mountains accommodation options for a few nights will allow you to truly appreciate the area.

What to do: If you come to the Blue Mountains there is plenty to do. Obviously you are going to want to take in the fantastic scenery so here are a few ideas.

Viewpoints: The Blue Mountains offers some stunning viewpoints. Some of the most well known include Echo Point in Katoomba offers an amazing view over the Three Sisters and through the Jamison Valley. Wentworth Falls also offer great views of both the falls and the valley.

Bushwalking: There are bushwalking trails throughout the Blue Mountains region and national park. Once you reach the Blue Mountains then head to one of the tourist information centres such as the one in Katoomba and request a bushwalking map marking the main trails. You can choose from short walks on manmade paths to long and adventurous hikes.

Scenic World: Located in the central Katoomba area, Scenic World is the most popular attraction in the region and offers a number of ways to enjoy the great views. Scenic World has a number of attractions including a cable car, a glass floored skyway which takes you across the valley and the world’s steepest railway. There is also a boardwalk around the rainforest at the bottom of the valley. It’s a great family attraction and a fun way to take in some of the views of the local area.

Eating Out: If you’re looking for some special places to eat, here are some suggestions.

Solitary, 90 Cliff Drive, Leura Falls, NSW.

This restaurant enjoys some of the best views you could hope to find in the Blue Mountains and does not things slip when it comes to the food. Solitary was created back in 2000 by husband and wife team Georgia Shepherd and John Cross the restaurant serves fantastic Modern Australian and European influenced food in a fine dining atmosphere. The restaurant has won many awards including Two Chefs hats in the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2007 and ranked as one of the Lonely Planet top 5 places to eat out in Australia in 2004.

Darley’s Restaurant at Lilianfels, Echo Point, Lilianfels Avenue, Katoomba.

Located in the historic and luxurious Lilianfels Hotel, Darley’s restaurant has a long reputation for excellent food and service. They have been awarded Two Chefs hats in the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2009, one of only a small number to achieve such a high accolade. The restaurant specialises in excellent country cooking that fits the location and makes use of high quality local produce and an excellent wine list. This is obviously somewhere for a special occasion and is not cheap. Expect to pay close to $80 per person for two courses or around $100 for three courses with wine being extra. If you can’t make your mind up from the menu you can sample a number of interesting course with the degustation menu served with matching wines. Whey to stay: Blue Mountains accommodation comes in the form of cosy cottages and homely bed and breakfasts perfect for a romantic getaway. From budget to total luxury there is something for everyone. Some of the most popular

When to go: Typically you will find the Blue Mountains will be a few degrees cooler than Sydney year round. The accommodation is well geared up for the cooler months and you will find many of the cottages will have a fireplace to make things nice and cosy. You should find it a little cooler than Sydney in the summer although on the hottest days it may make a long walk feel like hot work.