Katoomba, NSW 2780

I am a real estate agent and have been focusing my work in Katoomba for the past 8yrs. When I moved to the mountains 13 years ago I felt that I had come home. Living in the mountains feels like I am enveloped in a big hug of nature and community every day. There's a real sense that there is room for everyone to belong. I love its diversity and its country town casualness. There's also nothing like driving down Parke Street in the morning and catching that escarpment view. Just breathtaking!

Moved to Katoomba about 5 years ago and have never regretted it. Great community and very neighbourly. If I'm feeling down I just walk to the Three Sisters and look at the beautiful view and forget my troubles. Good shopping centre but can become crowded at times. Nice restaurants & cafes with a good variety of cuisines. Love it and will never return to Sydney.

After living in Sydney (North Shore then Inner West) for 40 years, I had had enough of the traffic, the crowds, the real estate prices and the general stressed-out nature of the place and many of the people (me included!). We moved to Katoomba, bought a beautiful 4 BR weatherboard home for less than the price of a small Sydney apartment and have loved it for the last 10 years.

Katoomba is an amazing place to live. Our neighbourhood is quiet, filled with character homes and friendly neighbours, and has amazing bushwalks and sights just minutes away. The community itself is close, creative, friendly and welcoming - smiles in the street, familiar faces and lots of community events happening year round.

The cold was the only thing we were worried about, but after our first winter we had acclimatised, and we now love it. You dress for the weather, and look forward to starting up the log fire (but central heating is awesome too!). The occasional dump of snow is a bonus!

If you have kids, they will love it here. We have a massive backyard, there are bush and nature adventures everywhere and the schools are great with fantastic teachers. Getting to know other families has been lovely and everyone lives less than 5 minutes away. Our kids can walk to school and to many of their friends houses.

In short, it's the best move we ever made. We don't miss the city - but it's just 90 mins away if there's an event we want to catch or friends to meet up with. Make the move - you'll love it!

If you want to find out more about living in the Blue Mountains, I run a tour to help couples or families get to know the villages and towns of the Upper Blue Mountains - find out more at https://highergroundtours.com.au/living-in-the-blue-mountains/

I have lived in Katoomba my whole life and I absolutely love it! It’s provided a beautiful childhood with festivals, bushwalks and stunning wildlife. It is filled with lovely people and friendly faces there is absolutely no judgement for example you could walk down the street in a carrot suit or dressed up as something crazy and you would get compliments weather as I find other towns in the blue mountain such as Springwood you get judged for just about everything which just sets an unpleasant mood. I find just walking down the street you see many friendly faces and you always run into friends and people you know! It’s a lovey town and I couldn’t be happier with it!

Relaxed small town wonder with breath taking scenery. Lovely variety of little cafes and restaurants, and easy grocery shopping. It's also a Hiker's heaven.
Love lighting up the fireplace in winter and opening a bottle of something nice. This town is for those who want a lifestyle. (NB- The upper mountains is the real mountains. Lower and mid just don't compare.)
The hipsters are here all opening up little cafes in the historic buildings, semi-gentrifying the place. Locals are friendly and chatty. With so many activities to do, I really feel for those stuck in Sydney.

I wouldn't live past Katoomba. Mt Victoria and Blackheath are freezing with limited amenities, and just that bit further in the train. Weather is perfect in Summer. So pretty! ..And Autumn is gorgeous.

I must mention that I am baffled by the last reviewer's comment...haven't seen any of that.

I have lived on and off in Katoomba for many years and i can tell you the place is changing a lot and not for the better. A lot of the homeless, mentally ill, and drug addicted are being shipped to the mountains as Sydney is swamped with them. If you like somewhere where you can't even walk down your own street for the mentally ill hearling insults and abuse at you then you will love Katoomba. Any problems in Sydney just seem to be sent up to Katoomba. Stay clear of Lurline Street at the top end near the station as its all housing commission with drug addicted and domestic violence daily. For kids especially its frightening. Further, there are no decent schools in the area. I think if you stayed around Springwood you would be fine but dont head up to Katoomba unless the drug addicted are your scene.

Katoomba is an amazing and wonderful place.

My favourite - the heart and soul of the Blue Mountains. The South-side doesn't even have traffic lights. Quiet and secluded during weekdays and lively and bustling on weekends. Tourists come from far and wide. Katoomba has the best walks in the Blue Mountains and they are easily accessible. Why anyone would live in Sydney suburbia down the hill with gridlock traffic and pollution is beyond me.

So pretty in Spring and Autumn. And so European wintry in the colder seasons! Everyone is really friendly (and relaxed!).

We moved from a small unit in a beachside suburb of Sydney to Katoomba about a year ago. I spent so long researching areas to relocate our family to...including this website...and found the whole experience totally overwhelming. I just wanted to let anyone in our position know that we haven't regretted our decision for a minute. It's such a beautiful, friendly area and the local school is fantastic. Overall we'd totally recommend it.

Katoomba is a unique and interesting place to live - I love it!! Art Deco buildings, frosty winters, delightful green and mild summers, great cafes, convenient shopping, and diverse but often artistic/Bohemian population. I live in a leafy street in one of Katoomba's stunning old homes, and cafes and a day out are 15 minute walk away. I've been here for a number of years, and I love the fact that you can do and be anything you want, and that the population leave you alone or befriend you, depending on what you want.

Just bought a house in Katomba, good mix of people, fresh air, no traffic, not hot and humid.

We moved to Katoomba three years ago moving up the mountains from Hazelbrook and Wentworth Falls. Katoomba is definitely the best place to live in the Blue Mountains. Not only does it have the best views and walks but the best facilities and services. There is a great hospital, leisure centre, library, excellent mobile phone reception and internet access and just the right number of shops. We have a Coles, Franklins and a new Aldi - what more do you want?! We are very happy here and plan to stay.

I moved to the Blue Mountains from the Sutherland Shire 10 years ago, to get away from the crowds and to be able to send my daughter to a smaller, more caring school.

I have lived in Blackheath & Leura, and now in Katoomba, and all are fantastic, friendly places with lots to do, wonderful unique shops and great places to eat.

To be able to walk to the local fruit shop (Toderello's - is there anything they don’t have? Awesome!) And to have a local butcher (Leura Butcher, best meat ever!) or walk down the hill to a place that tourist travel from all over the world to look at (that would be the Three Sisters) is the ultimate lifestyle.

There is something on every weekend at places like The Carrington Hotel or Everglades Gardens, and yearly events like Winter Magic, as well as bush walks and canyoning for the adventurous.

I think the whole upper Mountains is a wonderful place to live and I would recommend it to just about anyone, as everyone is accepted and will find friends & things to do to suit them.

Katoomba is just over 100 kms west of Sydney, situated in the Blue Mountains. Here the air is lean and fresh and the scenery is spectacular. A must see is “The Three Sisters” at Echo Point and read about the Aboriginal Legend of their being. Another must is a ride on the Scenic Railway with its steepest railway incline in the world, the Scenic Skyway which is a cable car which travels across the Jamison valley at suspended at 200m for the valley floor. There are many walks and trails with amazing sights and natural flora and fauna as well as historical buildings to see. Great accommodation with many B&B’s, and luxury Hotels. Restaurants, cafe etc to suit all tastes.

All visitors who intend to visit the Blue Mountains will have to either make a pit stop at Katoomba or travel through this suburb. This place is the heart of the Blue Mountains with shops, cafes, restaurants and accommodation of all types. It is a well-maintained tourist town and people here are very friendly. Many artists live around this area to draw inspiration for their works. The streets are all lined with trees and the houses are well kept too.

My favourites places in Katoomba will be the RSL club and the Blue Mountains Chocolate Company on Lurline Road. The former is a favourite of mine because you can get fed a nice hearty meal without having to pay tourist prices. It is good local food and beer. The Chocolate Company is a good place to sip a cup of hot chocolate while you rest your legs after the long walks.

Katoomba is the accommodation and retail heart of the Blue Mountains area west of Sydney. It has hotels, motels, trendy restaurants and cafes in converted old buildings. An icon worth a visit is the Paragon Cafe. Katoomba has a train station which is used by both tourists and residents who commute to work closer to the city. Homes in Katoomba vary in all styles from workmans cottages to mansions. Many have commanding views of the mountains and valleys.