With the massive uptick in Instagram usage, the need for new Instagram spots is unrelenting. Luckily, I’ve already visited a bunch of sunsets spots in the Blue Mountains which are perfect for your Instagram feed. These are my favourite sunset locations in the Blue Mountains.
Cahill’s Lookout
Not long ago Cahill’s Lookout used to be just a dirt track on the side of a suburban road with very few visitors. But it was improved a couple of years back to include a reasonable car park and a nice concrete path. And now it’s often packed with sunset hunters including the odd small tour bus. But it’s worth it.
With sunsets like this, how can you not be tempted?!
And besides, it’s really close to Katoomba.
Lincoln Rock (AKA Flat Rock)
Lincoln Rock is a booming place mainly because it looks a bit like Wedding Cake Rock in the royal national park. Well, sort of. It’s flat… and you can get photos at it. And lots of people go there. So yeah, you can too.
At sunset, it’s really cool with the sun setting in the background. Be sure to check out the nearby cave where you can get a classic Instagram shot of the sun setting through the opening of the cave.
It’s in the Wentworth Falls area and you’ll need a car to get out there. Definitely worth a look, but not my favourite spot despite it being a hit with Instagrammers.
Blackheath Lookout
If you’re further up the mountains than Katoomba, there are a couple of good spots in Blackheath for sunset. The first one is Blackheath Lookout.
This is the spot that hang gliders take off from and it has a great view over the Megalong Valley. The sunset from here is bang on. Also a good spot to capture the milky way.
Just head over the railway tracks from Blackheath and follow the signs. If not, this map will help.
Hargraves Lookout
Hargraves is one of my favourite spots for sunset in the Blue Mountains primarily because it has such a massive area where you can set up your rig, take in the peace and quiet and basically avoid other humans.
The best spots are right down the end of the ridge amongst the trees. It’s also possible to get the Milky Way from here, but it can be crazy cold in winter. Think of 0ºC with 50km/h winds. Nasty.
It’s also an easy place to get to with a car, but forget about it if you’re on foot.
Sunset Rock
Sunset Rock is famous for sunsets, funnily enough. And it’s very unpopular. That is, I’ve never seen another person there. Maybe that’s because it’s high up in the Blue Mountains at Mt Victoria, away from public transport. Also, I’ve only ever been there in winter.
The good thing about this view point is that there are plenty of great foreground objects and well as some interesting undulating landscapes.
This is another favourite of mine because of the lack of other humans.
Hassan’s Walls
Hassan’s Walls is not a tourist destination. But plenty of locals like to come up here for sunset. They’re smart. Because Hassan’s Walls is my favourite spot for sunset in the whole of the Blue Mountains (even though it’s just outside of the Blue Mountains in Lithgow – I can still do that, right?).
Hassan’s Walls has been up(down)graded over the years to include a massive metal boardwalk with fencing. So you’re going to need to jump that to get any good photos, just like any instagrammer worth his or her salt is prone to do.
My favourite spot at Hassan’s Walls is to the right near the cave. Jump the fence before entering the cave and there are lots of great sunset spots. Just don’t fall off the edge or death is a near certainty.
These are my favourite sunset spots in the Blue Mountains! Share your favourite spots in the comments and I’ll try and get out there and update this post.
If you’ve flown on a 787 in economy before, you know what the deal is. Narrow seats, large overhead storage bins, nifty tinted windows.
I find sleeping on a 787 really difficult. It’s all the more difficult when there is a metal entertainment unit under the seat in front like there was for me. If you have big feet and long legs, you can’t fully stretch out both legs under the seat in front of you and it greatly disturbs your sleep. How on earth I can buy an iPad with 256gb of memory that’s as 1cm thick and yet we still have entertainment units the size of a 1990s PC is beyond me. It needs to be fixed.
After many hours of trying to get comfortable, I was finally able to sleep. I think I got close to 6 hours of on and off sleep which is the minimum I was aiming for on this 12.5 hour flight.
The staff. I haven’t flown on Western airlines much over the past decade so I’ve gotten used to Asian and Middle Eastern service. And I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by how friendly the BA crew. Not that over the top sickly sweet thing you can sometimes get, but a genuine pleasantness that is sometimes missing from the Asian airlines. And they felt much more professional than some of the Asian airlines as well. If there was an emergency, you felt that they had things under control.
We ordered the Biang Biang Inspired Noodles, Duck Confit Rice Bowl and a couple of drinks. We loved it all.
The Biang Biang Noodles were thick & wide sheets of pasta topped with crushed peanuts and chilli oil. For me, the noodles were slightly too thick and wide, but you do sort of need something big for all the saucy goodness to rest on.
The drinks were a fermented ginger drink and a sour plum thing. Both were delightful and something quite different from typical cafe drinks.
One thing to note is that coffee is not available here. And usually for me that’s a cardinal sin. But I agree with the owners that coffee just doesn’t fit in this cafe. And that’s kind of refreshing.
Internet here is very fast at 30mbps down and 20mbps up and there is plenty of space for opening a laptop if you need to get a few bits and pieces done.
If you’ve got no cash, don’t come here.
When I received the socks from Darn Tough, I was surprised at how thick they were. They were a lot thicker than socks I had previously worn on the Camino and this worried me. Would they make my blisters worse because of more sweat? Would they dry in time at the end of the day? Would they cramp my feet in my shoes?
The first afternoon of washing the socks was also a test of how quickly they would dry. And to my surprise, they dried quicker than my underwear. This was a story that repeated itself even as temperatures started to fall as we crossed the mountains. They’re a mix of merino wool & nylon and that’s probably the secret — great wicking and quite quick drying. The socks always managed to dry before being needed the next day!
After 500miles (790km), I arrived in the ancient city of Santiago and the socks were still like brand new and my feet didn’t even have the first sign of a blister. Success!
These socks are expensive. I used the ATC Micro Crew which cost $21 (
Firstly, the food tasted quite good. The nasi goreng was wrapped in an omelette as you might get in Thailand and was quite decent. But it’s not as good as the Nasi Goreng Cikur you can get next door at Roempi. The Creamy Chicken was also not bad and something that most people would be happy with.
But the coffee wasn’t good. My cappuccino had good temperature, but the milk was frothed in a very old school style and the overall flavour wasn’t nice. I wouldn’t order this coffee again. The Taro Shake was quite good and we were happy with that.
The fitout here is spacious and quite comfortable, but I was a bit confused about the big lounge chairs. They didn’t seem to match.
I tested the internet at 16mbps down and 4mbps up which is fast enough for most things that people want to do. It’s actually a pretty relaxed place to open a laptop and get things done!
So all in all, Lazy Lolla is a pretty good place, but the standard in Bandung is so high right now that they need to be better.
Your other options are going to be spread throughout the country and there doesn’t appear to be any one large concentration of hotels. During my research Hotel Restaurant Kulm looked like a good option especially because it has fantastic views and only cost $110 per night (
The mountain road is worth going up whether you’re catching the bus or driving your own car because the views are phenomenal especially as you go up through the residential area of Triesenberg. You can even stop here and grab a bite to eat at one of the local restaurants, but be warned that they can be very expensive (think US$50 per person or more).
But if you’re on a budget, there are plenty of cheap options. Liechtenstein like any other country has fast food options such as McDonalds as well as supermarkets where you can buy pre-made sandwiches. It just depends on your travel style.
We ordered the Mushroom Sliders, Big Breakfast, Magic and fresh juice.
The Big Brekkie was halal meaning beef bacon. I guess you have to compromise when the majority of your customers don’t eat pork. The poached egg was cooked to perfection, mushrooms tasty, bread delightful and the tomato packed with sambal. Delish.
The fitout is completely different to almost anything else in Bandung. A large garden courtyard surround by 4 seating areas.
If you need to get work done, the wifi is fast enough at 12mbps down and 4mbps up. There are also plenty of power points if need them as well.
One last thing. I’d like to give a big shout out to the 4 guys I spoke to in the upstairs area.
I ordered a latte and it was excellent. Served in a custom porcelain cup from Japan, I loved that they were happy to experiment with a different cup. I love it.
Susan’s Sakura Lemonade was too sweet for my liking because she mixed all the sugar syrup in. But the flavour itself was fantastic and a little bit different to most drinks you find in Bandung.
Prices here a very good for the qualily. Rp25.000 for that cafe latte was brilliant.
They also do a range of food, but we haven’t tried that yet.
The coffee here is good too. They do a bunch of manual brew stuff, but there also have an espresso machine if you’re into cappuccinos and the like.
Aside from drinks, they also have a menu of light bites and some rice based dishes. It’s all very reasonably priced and far below what you expect to pay at Bandung’s top cafes these days.
There are plenty of tables for working on and the internet here is fast. I tested it 11mbps down and 29mbps up. I get the impression that it goes faster than that as well if you’re here when it’s not so busy.
One last point. The outdoor are is lovely and a perfect spot for those who love to smoke and drink coffee.
The drinks we had were good, but quite a distance from the best in Bandung. That said, they were better than we had in our recent 2 week trip through Europe which generally has bad coffee.
My cappuccino was made manually without an espresso machine. The coffee was good, but I’m afraid it was too cold. Only lukewarm. Still, worth every cent I paid given it’s so cheap.
At Rp16.000, it’s one of the cheapest milk based coffees in Bandung and certainly the best at this price point. Perhaps why the cafe seems to be so popular.
Wifi barely worked when I visited.