Landscape with forest and mountains at sunset, Katoomba, Australia

©chaiwat leelakajonkij/500px

Three Sisters

Top choice


The Blue Mountains' essential sight is a rocky trio called the Three Sisters. Just an hour outside of Sydney, they stand at over 2953ft (900m) and a 1640ft (500m) trail from the main Echo Point lookout platform leads to more lookouts and a bridge across to the first Sister. They were formed over 200 million years ago when volcanic lava pushed through sedimentary rock and transformed it into stone towers. However, the local legend of their formation is much more intriguing. 

Legend of the Three Sisters

According to Aboriginal legend the sisters, Meehni, Wimlah and Gunnedoo, were members of the Katoomba tribe and lived in the Jamison Valley. All three sisters fell in love with three brothers from a neighboring tribe and wanted to marry them...something that was strictly forbidden by tribal law. The brothers were so determined to wed their beloveds that they started a war with the other tribe to overturn the ban on intermarriage. Fighting became so intense that a witch doctor in the sisters' tribe turned them to stone in order to protect them from the violence. His plan to turn them back into women when it was safe was thwarted when he himself was killed in battle. The sisters stayed immortalized in stone forever, never to be reunited with their lost loves.

 

 

 


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Echo Point

0.26 MILES

Echo Point's clifftop viewing platform offers a magical prospect of the area's most essential sight, a rocky trio called the Three Sisters, sacred to the…

2. Waradah Australian Centre

0.35 MILES

Formerly providing a light introduction to Aboriginal culture, this popular attraction near Echo Point has disappointingly now focused its regular 30…

3. Scenic World

0.92 MILES

This long-time favourite, the Blue Mountains' most touristy attraction, offers spectacular views. Ride the glass-floored Skyway gondola across the gorge…

4. Leuralla NSW Toy & Railway Museum

1.15 MILES

The striking art deco mansion is the home of the Evatt family, the most famous member of which was HV ‘Doc’ Evatt, the third president of the UN General…

5. Sublime Point

1.39 MILES

Southeast of Leura, this sharp, triangular outcrop narrows to a dramatic lookout with sheer cliffs on each side. It's much, much quieter than Katoomba's…

6. Katoomba

1.48 MILES

From Leura, it’s only 2km to Katoomba, the region’s main town, whose often misty steep streets are lined with art-deco buildings. The population here is…

7. Blue Mountains Cultural Centre

1.53 MILES

It's a captivating experience to walk through the main display here, with a satellite image of the Blue Mountains beneath your feet, mountain scenery…

8. Everglades Historic House & Gardens

1.66 MILES

National Trust-owned Everglades was built in the 1930s. While the house is moderately interesting, the magnificent 5 hectares of garden created by Danish…