Scenic World at Blue Mountains (15375055517)

Scenic World is a private, family-owned tourist attraction located in Katoomba in the Blue Mountains,

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, about 100 kilometres west of

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

. Scenic World is home to four attractions, the Scenic Railway, the Scenic Skyway, the Scenic Cableway and Scenic Walkway a 2.4 km elevated boardwalk through ancient rainforest.

Overview

Railway

The Scenic Railway is an

incline railway Incline, inclined, inclining, or inclination may refer to: *Grade (slope), the tilt, steepness, or angle from horizontal of a topographic feature (hillside, meadow, etc.) or constructed element (road, railway, field, etc.) *Slope, the tilt, steepn ...

now used for tourism. The steepest section of track is on an incline of 52 degrees (128% gradient) contained within a total distance of . It was originally constructed for a coal and

oil shale Oil shale is an organic-rich fine-grained sedimentary rock containing kerogen (a solid mixture of organic chemical compounds) from which liquid hydrocarbons can be produced. In addition to kerogen, general composition of oil shales constitute ...

mining operation in the

Jamison Valley The Jamison Valley forms part of the Coxs River canyon system in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia. It is situated approximately 100 kilometres west of Sydney, capital of New South Wales, and a few kilometres south of Katoomb ...

in the 1880s, in order to haul the coal and shale from the valley floor up to the escarpment above. From 1928 to 1945, it carried coal during the week and passengers at weekends. The coal mine was closed in 1945 after which it remained as a tourist attraction. The Scenic Railway was temporarily closed on 13 January 2013 (although the Skyway, Cableway, and Walkway remained open) as construction to upgrade both tracks and carriages began. The work was completed and the railway reopened in April 2013. The Scenic Railway makes many claims to be the steepest passenger railway, the steepest funicular, and the steepest incline in the world. However the railway uses a winch system and no counterbalancing carriage, therefore it is an inclined lift rather than a

funicular A funicular (, , ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to opposite en ...

. the steepest true funicular is the

Stoosbahn The Stoosbahn, also known as the Schwyz–Stoos funicular or ''Standseilbahn Schwyz–Stoos'', is a funicular railway in the Swiss canton of Schwyz. It connects the Hintere Schlattli in the municipalities of Muotatal, Morschach, and Schwyz with th ...

in Switzerland.

Skyway

Built in 1958, the Scenic Skyway is another cable-driven conveyance at Scenic World. It travels across the gorge above the

Katoomba Falls The Katoomba Falls is a segmented waterfall that is located close to Echo Point near on the Kedumba River descending into the Jamison Valley located within the Blue Mountains National Park in the Blue Mountains region of New South Wales ...

, above the valley floor. The original Scenic Skyway was withdrawn on 4 April 2004 after 587,401 crossings and now sits in the picnic area at Scenic World. It was replaced by a new cabin in December of the same year. The new Skyway was built by Doppelmayr and CWA Constructions, and features a 72-person cabin with sections of

liquid crystal Liquid crystal (LC) is a state of matter whose properties are between those of conventional liquids and those of solid crystals. For example, a liquid crystal may flow like a liquid, but its molecules may be oriented in a crystal-like way. T ...

glass that turns a raised section of the floor transparent as the ride progresses. In November 2005, a second station on the opposite cliff-face opened, allowing Skyway passengers to disembark and follow

bush walking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

trails to the nearby

Echo Point ''Echo Point'' is an Australian television soap opera produced by Endemol Australia, Southern Star Group for Network Ten on 1 June 1995 until 1 December 1995. The series was devised as an attempt by the Ten Network to rival the opposition soap ...

. In November 2017, the latest Scenic Skyway cabin was launched. This Skyway cabin is 30% bigger than its predecessor, offering visitors a more spacious ride with easier boarding, as well as free Wi-Fi.

Cableway

In 2000, Scenic World installed the Sceniscender, now called Scenic Cableway, 84-passenger cable car from Doppelmayr that passes over a tower on the edge of the cliff, and then to the Botton Station in the Jamison Valley below. Like the redevelopment of the Railway and Skyway, the Cableway had a replacement of its cabin in 2018.

Dining

Scenic World operates two food and beverage outlets, namely EATS270 and the Terrace Café. The former Scenic Revolving Restaurant was renovated and reopened in late 2012 as an eatery. During this time, a decision was made to cease operation of the revolving floor. The floor can still, however, be turned on by request for private functions. Both EATS270 and the Terrace Café feature balcony areas with extensive outdoor seating overlooking the Three Sisters and Jamison Valley. Scenic World food and beverage outlets are not open in the evenings for general dining, but can be booked for private functions and corporate events.

Orphan Rocker

In 1984, Scenic World began building a roller coaster known as the Orphan Rocker, named after the nearby Orphan Rock. This is the first roller coaster to be completely designed and manufactured in Australia. The highlight of this ride is meant to be a swooping banked turn that takes riders within metres of the edge of a cliff. It has in the past been referred to as a "sitdown suspended" coaster, because although it is a conventional sitdown coaster, the trains can tilt from side to side, like a suspended coaster, giving it its name. It was originally planned as a scenic monorail ride, but it soon evolved into a roller-coaster ride. The roller coaster has never publicly opened due to demands for redevelopment elsewhere onsite. Visitation to Scenic World in the 1980s was increasing rapidly, mostly due to increased numbers of Japanese visitors, necessitating additional access into the valley and the idea for Scenic World's third ride, The Cableway (originally Scenicscender), was born. Portions of the coaster's track have been removed as of 2017.

References

External links

including aerial footage over scenic world
Scenic World website
{{Blue Mountains topics Entertainment venues in New South Wales Transport buildings and structures in New South Wales Buildings and structures with revolving restaurants Funicular railways in Australia Tourist attractions in the Blue Mountains (New South Wales) Katoomba, New South Wales