Katoomba is the largest and most visited town, located about 1,017 m above sea level, in the Blue Mountains region in the east-central part of the Australian State of New South Wales. Katoomba is the principal town of the City of Blue Mountains and serves as the city's regional business center and administrative headquarters. As per the 2016 census, about 7,964 people live in the town of Katoomba.
Geography Of Katoomba
The town of Katoomba is located on the Great Western Highway, about 102km west of the capital city of Sydney and about 39km south-east of the town of Lithgow. Some of the localities situated around the town of Katoomba include Blue Mountains National Park, Jamison Valley, Leura, Medlow Bath, Megalong Valley, and Narrow Neck Plateau. Tourists take pictures at the Blue Mountain National Park, Three Sisters Lookout viewpoint in Katoomba, Australia. Editorial credit: Nokuro / Shutterstock.com The beautiful mountain scenery of the town of Katoomba attracts a lot of tourists to the area, and the town serves as the base for bush and nature walks in the surrounding Blue Mountains region. An unusual rock formation in the Blue Mountains known as the “Three Sisters” can be viewed from the Echo Point lookout, located about 2km south of the main town of Katoomba, and attracts thousands of tourists every year. Also located close to the Echo Point lookout is the Katoomba Falls on the Kedumba River. Some more natural features of the Jamison Valley can also be seen from the Echo Point Lookout. These include Mount Solitary and the Ruined Castle rock formation. A short walk from the lookout leads to the Giant Stairway that provides access to many nature walks through the Jamison Valley.
Scenic Skyway cable car glides between cliff tops at Katoomba, Blue Mountains, Australia. Editorial credit: Daria Nipot / Shutterstock.com The Scenic World tourist complex is located in the southwestern part of the town. This site is also home to the Scenic Skyway cable car and the Katoomba Scenic Railway, which is the world’s steepest funicular railway. The town of Katoomba is served by several hotels and guest houses, including the heritage-listed Carrington Hotel. Located on Katoomba Street, the center of the town features many restaurants, cafes, antique stores, and second-hand book stores. There are many heritage-listed sites in the town of Katoomba. These include: the Blue Mountains walking tracks of the Blue Mountains National Park, the Katoomba Post Office, the Katoomba Railway Station, Lilianfels luxury hotel, Katoomba Court House, Uniting Church, etc. The town of Katoomba also hosts many festivals, including the Winter Solstice Festival, the Winter Magic Festival, Vertical Film Festival, etc.
Climate

Population Of Katoomba
As of the 2016 Australian Census, about 7,964 people reside in the town of Katoomba. Of these, about 3,787 people were males, and 4,180 people were females. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up about 3.6% of the town’s population. The most common ancestries in Katoomba were English at 28.9%, Australian at 22.6%, Irish at 11.8%, Scottish at 8.6%, and German at 4.2%. About 73.0% of the town’s population were born in Australia. The most common birthplace of the foreign-born residents of Katoomba was England at 5.5%, New Zealand at 2.0%, Germany at 0.9%, the United States at 0.7%, and China at 0.6%. The census also revealed that the median household weekly income was $976, while the median weekly personal income for people aged 15 years and above was $555.
Brief History Of Katoomba
