The Blue Mountains are named for a haze. On a warm day, fine droplets of oil released by the eucalyptus forest scatter the blue end of the light and the whole plateau seems to float in a pale mist. The Greater Blue Mountains Area covers about a million hectares of sandstone plateau, deep gorges and sheer cliffs, split into eight protected areas, and UNESCO lists it for the astonishing variety of eucalypts, more than a hundred species, which have adapted to every kind of soil and slope.
The land here is higher, colder and quieter, at over a thousand metres. Frost is common, snow occasionally falls, and pine plantations stand beside native forest. Kanangra Walls, a wall of pale cliffs at the end of a long road, drops into a gorge so deep and broad that the view looks painted. The nearby Jenolan Caves, a spectacular system of limestone chambers, is among the oldest known cave systems in the world and a good wet-weather excuse.
The roads are the attraction for riders. The Jenolan Caves Road descends in a long series of hairpins into the valley, narrow and steep, with tight corners that demand attention. Other roads in the district are quiet, flowing and shaded by tall trees, and the surface ranges from smooth to rough. Kanangra Walls Road is partly unsealed, so check conditions after rain. Fog can fill the valleys at dawn and the temperature drops fast after sunset. Wombats, wallabies and kangaroos graze on the verge at dusk, and a collision with one is a real risk, so make a habit of early starts and early finishes.
Oberon, about thirteen kilometres away, has around three thousand people, with fuel, a bakery and a few places for lunch, and Lithgow, with more than five thousand people, is the larger fallback. Autumn is beautiful, with cool bright days and gold on the introduced trees, while winter can bring ice on shaded bends. Summer can be hot and carries bushfire risk, with closures of roads and parks that can happen quickly.