Road Trip Sydney Part 2: Blue Mountains Driving Experience

Using Katoomba as a reference point, it takes slightly less than two hours to reach the Kingsford Smith Airport, which is about 115km away. Take the Great Western Highway, then the Western Motorway (M4). Take the Cemetery Drive exit and proceed along Cemetery Drive until you reach Roberts Road. Keep going down Roberts Road to Wiley Avenue, then King Georges Road. Take the left entrance to the East Freeway (M5), then take the Marsh Street exit. Go down Marsh Street, then follow the signs to the International Terminal and the Rental Car Drop-Off area. Look out for the logo of your rental company, displayed prominently on signs as well as painted on the road.

For Hertz customers, there will be a Hertz representative to receive your vehicle. Simply find the Hertz area, park your car, hand over the keys and wait for the representative to generate a receipt for you. It’s that simple! Remember to fill up with a full tank of petrol before returning the car.

The entire Blue Mountains driving experience will take about 600km worth of petrol, which is equivalent to 1 full tank on the Ford Falcon G6E (about 10km/litre for normal driving, with occasional bouts of ‘spirited driving’). For other cars, their consumption will vary so remember to check what the consumption figures are with the customer service representative when collecting your car. The price of petrol in Australia is very similar to Singapore’s price, so a full tank of 60litres for the G6E will cost about AUD82, or roughly SGD110. Most rental cars run on E10 ULP, which is normal unleaded petrol (RON 92) with 10% of Ethanol added.

So there you have it, a guide to Sydney Central as well as a driving experience up to the Blue Mountains. For the keen driver, there is nothing greater than the feeling of driving a powerful car up along winding mountain roads, flanked by amazing scenery on either side and sharing the moment with your loved ones. Add in a great dose of nature, mixed with the exploring of numerous suburbs and villages, and you have yourself an unforgettable holiday.

Many Singaporeans have been to Australia, especially Sydney, and have fallen in love with the country. Will you be one of them? There is only one way to find out!

Happy holidays and have a great drive!

Credits: Story and photography by Nigel Ngern. Edited by Bjorn Wong.