South Mountain Pass

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!

Winter Park is “The Mountain Bike Capital of the USA”. Winter Park real estate and development company, Coyote Creek is only 90 minutes outside Denver. Though, primarily a ski town, Winter Park is becoming a four-season town. The desire for mountain homes is making Winter Park a popular place to live, driving the Winter Park real estate market.

Winter Park is located in Grand County, Colorado. It lies at 9100 feet. The area is surrounded by the Arapaho National Forest and three beautiful Wilderness areas. Close by, the Rocky Mountain National Park offers 265,727 acres of natural land and wildlife habitat for public enjoyment. In the Fraser Valley are three different ecological zones offering fantastic views and surroundings for Winter Park mountain homes.

David Moffat founded Winter Park as a workers camp during construction of the Moffat Tunnel while building the transcontinental railroad from Denver to the Pacific. Winter Park began as two small settlements, Old Town and Hideaway Park. The Fraser Valley in which Winter Park is located has a rich heritage of Ute Indians, logging, pioneers, mining, ranching and the railroad.

Winter Park offers the best powder skiing in the nation. Cold and long winters at high altitude are perfect conditions for winter recreation. Average annual sunny days is 250, average snowfall is 231 inches, the average high is 54 degrees, average low is 12.

Tourism drives the Winter Park economy. Retail and service businesses are the major employers. In addition, the Winter Park real estate market is vibrant because so many are seeking mountain homes.

Work in the town is very seasonal. Winter park enjoys low unemployment rates. The average median household income is $44,000, much higher than the national median of 41, 994 (2000 census).

Winter Park is a small town of 662 people with 129 families. Seasonal work fluctuates the population, as well as, second-home owners vacationing in their mountain homes.

Located in the Arapahoe National Forest, moose, elk, deer, porcupines, bear and mountain lions make their home in the mountain region.

3000 acres of skiing landscape offer terrain parks, groomers, bumps, steeps and deeps. In 2006, snow fall was an ideal 365 inches. There are other popular sports – cross country skiing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing.

In the summer with 250 sunny days a year there is mountain biking, fishing, hiking, camping, backpacking and river rafting. There is also a full cultural life with concerts and festivals; the Alpine Art Affair takes place in July.

Smart buyers are taking advantage of opportunities in Winter Park real estate. Booming business and proximity to Denver are increasing the potential for Winter Park real estate, at the same time it is still affordable. As the area has grown, affordable housing needs have to. In Winter Park, 80% of homes are owned by second home owners wanting mountain homes.

The median value of owner occupied housing units is $334, 400; median asking price $541,000. Winter Park real estate ranges from $120, 000 to $2,500,000.

The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Colorado. Denver is located in the South Platte River Valley on the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Southern Rocky Mountains.

Denver is often named the Mile High City because it is exactly one mile above sea level.

The Rocky Mountains get a lot of snow every winter but Denvers climate is mild. The city sees approximately 300 days of annual sunshine and when winter storms do occur, the snow melts fairly quickly. Summers are warm and comfortable while winters see a lot of snowfall and can get quite cold. Summer temperatures are highest in June July and touch 80. An average of 15 inches of rain annually. The ski season is from Nov to March. January is the coldest month with temperatures dropping to 30.

The people of Denver are friendly and their attitude and dress are usually casual.

The area offers plenty of outdoor recreation, including 200 parks in the city and 20,000 acres of parklands in the local mountains, making it the largest park system in the USA. It has a thriving arts and cultural scene. It is passionate about sports and is a popular destination for visitors.

There are many excellent museums and art galleries providing interesting information on the history of Denver and a range of other exhibitions. Some of the major museums and art galleries include the Childrens Museum packed with hands on exhibits designed especially for young, the Colorado History Museum a comprehensive museum documenting Colorados varied history, the Denver Fire fighters Museum home to historic fire fighting equipment; the Denver Art Museum containing many galleries showcasing a wide range of artwork from around the world.

The Denver Zoo is an 80acre facility located in City Park. Founded in 1896, it is owned by the City and funded in part by the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District. The zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. It was the most popular paid attraction in the Denver metropolitan area in 2005.

The United Kingdom and Colorado have a longstanding relationship that predates Colorados statehood in 1876. Today the UK is one of Colorados most important international partners. It is one of the largest investors and foreign providers of jobs, in Colorado. The UK is also a major market for goods and services produced by local companies.