Sydney Tourists: Here's What You Need to See ...

In addition to seeing the popular hotspots in the city – Sydney's Opera House at Bennelong Point, the Royal Botanic Gardens, the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, and the Sculpture by the Sea at Bondi Beach – it's important to experience the beauty and history that surrounds the city.

Sydney day tours give you the opportunity to see the beauty within plus the beauty that surrounds.  You'll get to explore the Blue Mountains, ride the steepest railway in the world, see the Three Sisters mountain peaks, the Waradah Aboriginal Center and the Sydney Olympic Park.

The Blue Mountains

Many people who visit Sydney get too caught up in the city life and forget to explore the nature that surrounds the city.  Sydney day tours offer a perfect mix of nature and manmade attractions. 

In the Blue Mountains, you'll explore historic cities located in the valleys of the mountains and experience the wondrous wildlife and landscapes that make them.  You'll stand on mountaintops, see shifting, verdant landscapes as far as the eye can see, and ride amazing manmade systems like the Scenic Railway that takes you on a wild ride through nature.

The Waradah Aboriginal Center

Located in the historic city of Katoomba within the Blue Mountains, the Warradah Aboriginal Center offers people on day tours in Sydney a glimpse of what existed before modern society.  You'll have the opportunity to see enlightening historical displays, didgeridoo performances and authentic artwork. 

Sydney's Olympic Park

The Sydney Olympic Park that hosted the 2000 Summer Olympics is now a vibrant community of sports, education, music and social activity.  Located just outside the city, you can see the fields and arenas where the 2000 Summer Olympics took place, as well as participate in events going on that day.  It's an entire community complete with restaurants, bars, sports, concerts and other live entertainment.  If you're looking for a daylong adventure, this is the place to go.  Or you can get a taste for it on one of the Sydney day tours.

World's Steepest Railway Gets $30 Million Facelift

Two friends are standing on top of the Blue Mountains.  After signing up for a Sydney day tour, visiting the wildlife park at Featherdale and navigating the mountain terrain beneath the wondrous Three Sisters, their journey has brought them here … to the Scenic railway – the steepest railway in the world.

"I don't know about this," one friend says, watching people in the carriage before them plummet into the dense forest below.

"What are you afraid of?" his friend asks.

"The angle, the tracks, the carriage, the chance that maybe …"

"Don't worry," his friend says.  "They just sank $30 million into this.  They renovated the tracks, carriages, control system, winch, even the platform we're standing on!"

The nervous friend is relieved.  He's comforted by the fact that Scenic World – the designer of the railway – is committed to pairing excitement with safety.  The renovation gives him the confidence he needs to experience the ride of a lifetime.

Safety Reinforced, Experience Intensified

When Autumn 2013 rolls around, the renovation of Scenic World's railway will be completed.  Although the renovation wasn't initiated for safety reasons, cautious tourists and seasoned explorers alike will flock to the new railway upon completion to experience a new thrill.

According to Scenic World, "after making over 400,000 journeys, the carriages are due for an upgrade & we’ve made some design improvements that will make the experience even better!"  Scenic World also recognizes the fact that machine life is finite and it's better to repair something when it's working than wait for it to malfunction. 

In addition to replacing and refurbishing vital components of the railway, Scenic World is also using funds to pay homage to the Mountain Devils.  They say people will just have to wait to see what this entails, but assure the history behind the train and its surrounding environment will be more vivid than ever before.

If you're visiting Australia or a native who has yet to explore the Blue Mountains, various Sydney day tours offer a unique opportunity to do experience the Blue Mountains in all their glory.  Also, if you sign up for a Sydney day tour with Anderson's Tours, you'll have the opportunity to ride the new railway starting Autumn 2013. 

For 17 years, Andersons has included the railway in every one of its adventures.

Australian History Still Central To Blue Mountain Tourism

From Crocodile Dundee to Steve Irwin, popular culture around the world has given people a certain view of Australia. From kangaroos to boomerangs, these stereotypes of Australians as outdoorsy types akin with nature are not without some truth. What many people don't know before they visit Australia's outback or take a Blue Mountains tour is that all the traditional tourist stops in the land down under are rooted in Australia's rich historical and cultural heritage.

The Boomerang: No Australian symbol is more prevalent in Australian tourism than the boomerang. But boomerangs are not just fun toys to throw around like a Frisbee. Boomerangs started out as hunting sticks that Australian Aborigines tuned to make them throw straighter. Since the Aborigines are believed to have never invented a bow and arrow, boomerangs were the weapons of choice for hunters as long as 10,000 years ago. Today's boomerangs are generally returning boomerangs used for sport. Many Australian tour guides leading Blue Mountains tours and
Sydney day tours are trained in the art of the Boomerang and some even offer demonstrations.

Kangaroos: While Australia is full of animal life unseen anywhere else in the world, perhaps none is more recognized as the kangaroo. The first paintings of this wallaby appeared on Australian cave walls more than 10,000 years ago. Historians believe that the killing of a kangaroo by aboriginal hunters brought status and that the animals were taken more as trophies than for food. Hunters often captured and ate smaller wallabies they were able to snare in traps or hunt down with boomerangs. They would use every part of these smaller animals and pilfering local populations of these creatures. But historians and aboriginal storytellers believe the aborigines held a certain respect for the kangaroo, as both a friend in the wild and a revered animal spirit. Today, most Blue Mountain trips include excursions to animal reserves to visit kangaroos, koala bears and other famous Australian animals.

Koalas: Koalas are believed to predate aborigines as koala-like remains have been found dating more than 25 million years ago. Historians believe that koalas were originally living on the landmass now known as Antarctica before the tectonic plates shifted to form today's modern landmasses. Koalas are believed to have emigrated to Australia around the time its climate shifted to give rise to a strong eucalyptus population. Koalas were able to survive off this plant and still do so today. While koalas were hunted for food, historians believe they were revered in a similar way to kangaroos, as a special animal. Today, most Australian tours insist on seeing koalas.