Latest news with #Katoomba
The Guardian
21-06-2025
- The Guardian
Wildflowers, saunas and antiques: a local's guide to the Blue Mountains
My partner and I are both creatives. Six years ago we were living in a tiny apartment in Sydney's inner west, and I was paying extra for a studio. It wasn't sustainable so we decided to move to Katoomba, on the traditional lands of the Dharug and Gundungurra people. I read an article recently saying something like 'skip it, it's not at its best' but Katoomba has a beautiful authenticity, even if it's not quite polished. Our closest upper mountain towns are Leura and Blackheath. Katoomba is all old-world treasures and beautiful building facades. Blackheath has the incredible Victory Theatre Antique Centre, Gleebooks, Hat Hill Records & Audio and great rock climbing and hikes. Leura has an upscale main drag full of lifestyle and fashion stores, but it gets busy on weekends. I recommend walking the backstreets to see the cute cottages and gardens. Our favourite place to eat is the award-winning Ates in Blackheath. It serves delicious Mediterranean-style share plates and always feels like a special night out. Much of its food is cooked in its 150-year-old wood-fired oven and there's a greenery-filled courtyard. On weekends, Tempus Katoomba has a fine-dining menu with an incredible all-Australian drinks list. It's in the old bank and lots of historical parts remain but the interiors are fun and fresh. On weekday mornings it switches to the Tempest Up Early cafe, serving Little Marionette coffee. We're so lucky to have Black Cockatoo bakery here. It's run by a French expat, Alexandre Rivière, and uses organic Australian flour and Pepe Saya cultured butter. Savoury or sweet, it's all delicious. It's a cool space, too, with custom ply joinery and lots of plants. We just discovered The Laughing Elephant in Wentworth Falls. It's an Asian grocer but they make amazing banh mi and laksa at lunchtimes. Fidelity is a new cafe run by two super-warm and welcoming guys with a deep passion for coffee. The seating spills outside with lots of dogs and friendly vibes. I drink decaf and often feel self-conscious but the baristas at Fidelity are like, 'You've got to try this decaf!' The house-made chai is great too. Cassiopeia has great coffee and baked goods too; it roasts its beans in Leura. Lyrebird Dell walking track in Leura is magical. It's shaded and cool with waterfalls and tree ferns so it's a great in summer. You can detour down to the Pool of Siloam waterhole for a swim. It has a sandy beach and doesn't get too crowded. Lockley Pylon is a three-hour walk (7.2km return) mostly along a ridge in north Leura. It's known for stunning wildflowers in spring, like boronia and waratah. It's very exposed, so walking on windy or super-hot days is not advised. At the end there's an incredible view over the Grose Valley. Wentworth Falls Lake Park has a new walkway and a viewing platform along the eastern edge that's pram- and wheelchair-friendly. The area still feels wild in places but there's also a big playground, a cute jetty and ducks. People kayak and canoe here; we like to swim on the north side in the shade of the gumtrees. It's busy on weekends with people barbecuing and picnicking. Minnehaha Falls in North Katoomba is 2.7km return with some stairs, but the waterhole at the end is a sublime swimming spot. The track follows Yosemite Creek which has loads of scribbly gums and banksia. I love native plants but I'm also a sucker for the lilacs, tulips and maples at Everglades House and Gardens. The art deco house is a wonderful glimpse into the past and you can do Devonshire tea in the tearoom. The 12-acre garden is manicured in some parts and bushy in others and you can picnic on the lawn. Down in the Lawson industrial area (15 minutes' drive east of Katoomba) is a quarterly experimental arts event run by SIRC_UIT. It's always a unique experience, with performance and installation, and there's a pop-up bar and food. Zoe's Blackheath has live music, Italian-influenced pub-style food and a great bar for a casual drink. Mountain Culture Brewpub in Katoomba is in a rambling 1900s building. The co-owner is originally from North Carolina; it has won many awards for its beers. There's great views and yummy burgers and fried pickles. Aqua Ignis is a new sauna and bathhouse in Blackheath that's open until 9pm. It has magnesium baths and a herbal steam room; it's such a restorative evening. Blue Mountains Sauna in Leura has been around longer; it's a more traditional Nordic-style space with regular 'clothing optional' sessions. Blue Mountains Cultural Centre in Katoomba is a crucial stop for art lovers. It features touring shows, such as the Archibald prize and the Wynne prize, as well as exhibitions from renowned local artists such as Claire Healy, Sean Cordeiro and Nick Stathopoulos. There's also an immersive permanent video installation filmed in the national park. I'm a mural artist, and the encouragement of street art here is so nice. Me and four other female mural artists painted the Froma Lane walkway that connects Katoomba Street to the centre. Beverley Place was really dilapidated 10 years ago before it was transformed into the Katoomba Street Art Walk. When a wall mural fades a new artist is invited to paint it. It's a really cool space to walk through. The cultural centre runs short street art tours or you can use a self-guided map. Landslide Gallery in Wentworth Falls was once an old flour mill. It runs an Australia-wide and international artist-in-residency program and its exhibitions showcase the incredibly diverse mediums of Blue Mountains artists, from ceramics to sculpture, paintings and textile art. Day Gallery is a commercial gallery in Blackheath; the couple behind it, Helen and Vincent Day, are legends. Their roster of artists is truly inspiring. During Covid lockdowns, renowned local painter and musician Claire Nakazawa (from the band Haiku Hands) created a mural on the external wall as her response to the landscapes after the black summer fires. The area around the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre in Katoomba is getting so vibrant. Katoomba Civic Centre's gardens are re-landscaped with tree ferns and banksias, and it's a lovely stroll through the Carrington hotel's garden down to Katoomba Street. The Blue Mountains Co-op is near there and has a kiosk with the most amazing soups. The co-op market garden is next to the cultural centre and the Carrington hotel. It's run by Farm it Forward, which makes unused pieces of land productive. This patch was long abandoned and now it has a head farmer and the co-op sells its seasonal organic produce. I painted a produce-inspired mural on an adjoining heritage-listed wall to bring some joy and to revive the space. The Carrington (from $230 a night) is an old-world beauty and I love looking at the historical photographs of how Katoomba began, with just the Carrington at the top of the hill and this rickety train line. The Kyah (from $190 per night) is a very cool renovated motel in Blackheath. It has a great restaurant called Blaq, gardens, a tennis court and a hot tub. Chalets at Blackheath (from $1,300 a night; sleeps two) are very high end and dreamy. There are four freestanding chalets with bushland views. They have fireplaces, bathtubs and a sundeck; you're really immersed in the environment and birdsong. Cloud Parade (from $1,095 a night; sleeps 10) is an Airbnb in Leura with lovely interiors and stunning valley views. It's only a 15-minute walk to the town centre, which is impressive, because often places with views this good are a fair hike from the shops. Nastia Gladushchenko is a Ukrainian Australian artist and interior designer
Daily Mail
07-05-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE I visited an Aussie cafe and couldn't believe how cheap everything was... and then I was told something that unsettled me
A British man has shared his shock after learning the truth behind his visit to a cheap cafe in the Blue Mountains, just outside of Sydney. Tom Hammond, 28, enjoyed breakfast at The Yellow Deli Cafe in Katoomba on Friday before finding out a controversial religious cult runs the popular spot. Mr Hammond, who lives in Sydney, told Daily Mail Australia he wanted to help warn others who may innocently come across the cafe. The self-employed landscaper came across The Yellow Deli Cafe after looking for recommendations on Blue Mountains' breakfast spots on TikTok. 'The venue itself is really pretty, it reminded me of the Cotswolds in England,' he said. Mr Hammond said he 'grabbed a chair by the fireplace' but instantly felt 'something wasn't right' as the waiter was far less welcoming than the friendly service he's become used to in Australia. He said the waiter explained a group of volunteers ran the cafe which is why the prices were low. Mr Hammond didn't think to question this. 'I've been backpacking, I know there are places that you work a shift or two and in exchange you get a room,' he said. The Brit ordered waffles and eggs, adding: 'The venue is really good, the food is really nice, it's cheap - it's a great spot.' However, he claimed the waiter had no interest in making conversation with him and was a lot friendlier with other customers. The landscaper was oblivious to the controversial history of the cafe until a local couple told him it was run by religious cult Twelve Tribes. 'It wasn't until later on in the evening after a hike, I was at another restaurant and there was some bingo going on. One of the locals asked 'Why would you go there?' And they told me who it was run by,' he said. The Twelve Tribes, founded in Tennessee in 1975, came to Australia in the 1990s. Those working in the cafe live in nearby Balmoral House while the rest are at a farm near Picton, about 90 minutes south-west of Sydney. The cult has been accused of child abuse and child labour as well as forcing its members to live by authoritarian rules. It is not suggested there is any truth to the accusations. In 2019, Andrew McLeod, who managed the cafe and is an original member of the Australian branch of the group, said allegations of child abuse and child labour were untrue. 'We want our children to have a well-balanced life and what we do and our beliefs have somehow been taken out of context to portray us as a fundamentalist cult that bashes our children, which is just not true,' he said. 'It's sad that so many people are gullible enough to believe what they believe without looking into it themselves.' Mr Hammond shared a video on TikTok about the encounter, admitting he 'felt guilty' for 'accidentally supporting a cult'. 'Went into the Yellow Deli in Katoomba thinking, 'Wow, what a wholesome little café — handmade furniture, herbal tea, peaceful vibes…,' he captioned the clip. 'Turns out it's run by The Twelve Tribes, which is less 'hippie commune' and more 'actual cult with some seriously wild beliefs.' 'I was just out here vibing with my sandwich, meanwhile unknowingly funding the end times. Honestly though… great eggs 9/10. Would escape again.' The viral clip was flooded with comments from locals and visitors who had also innocently come across the establishment. On reflection, Mr Hammond suggested his visible tattoo collection may have been the reason for the less friendly reception he received after hearing about similar experiences of others who have visited the cafe. The expat said that although he 'can't complain about the food' he wouldn't return to the cafe as 'it's not something I would support'. The cafe declined to comment when contacted by Daily Mail Australia. What is the Twelves Tribes? The cult began in 1975 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, when former carnival showman Gene Spriggs broke away from the First Presbyterian Church after finding services were cancelled for the Super Bowl. He and his wife Marsha earlier opened the first Yellow Deli a few years earlier and were living communally with a small group from 1972. Twelve Tribes practices a hybrid of pre-Catholic Christianity and Judaism mixed with teachings by Spriggs. The group's stated aim is to bring about the return of Jesus - whom they refer to by the Hebrew name Yahshua - by reestablishing the 12 tribes of Israel. All members are forced to sell their possessions and give to proceeds to the cult and are assigned a Hebrew name discard their old ones. Spriggs himself is known as Yoneq. These tribes would include 144,000 'perfect male children', which accounts for the group's obsessive and controversial child-rearing practices. The Sabbath is observed in line with Jewish tradition, along with conservative dietary rules and abstinence from alcohol, tobacco, and drugs. Birth control of any kind is banned, as is much modern medicine - they instead rely largely on homeopathy and 'natural' remedies. Marriage outside the cult is forbidden and couples must go through a series of supervised talks to get to know each other. Only after marriage can they even kiss or hold hands. Children aren't allowed to play with toys, engage in make-believe, or any of the normal childhood activities, and must be supervised at all times. They must be strictly obedient and are beaten with a 50cm rod for every infraction by any adult watching them, not just their parents. All children are homeschooled and do not attend university as it is considered a waste of time and not a good environment. Instead, children work in the community from a young age, sparking accusations of child labour. Estée Lauder and other businesses cut ties with the organisation after finding children were involved in making their products. Members don't vote and are not allowed to watch TV or any other media as 'the crazy box robs your time and pollutes your soul'. Twelve Tribes has 3,000 members and operates in the U.S., Canada, France, Spain, Argentina, Brazil, Germany and England, arriving in Australia in the early 1990s. Members live in Balmoral House in Katoomba, Peppercorn Creek Farm near Picton, and a small number in Coledale, north of Wollongong. Numerous businesses include a network of cafes in every country, all called the Yellow Deli or Common Ground, and bakeries, farms, and furniture, construction, and demolition businesses. These are believed to be very profitable because none of the workers need to be paid.
