65 km inland from Sydney the Blue Mountains rise to 1,100 m. Forming part of the Great Dividing Range, they initially were an impenetrable barrier to white expansion from the coast, and it took early explorers 25 years to find a way across. Pictured above, the 'Three Sisters' preside over magnificent eucalypt forests where the mountains drop away into precipitous gorges. Narrow paths cut into the cliff faces and lead bushwalkers through lush rainforests and on to dramatic waterfalls.