Blackheath, NSW 2785

There are not enough trees, clifftops and views in the world to make up for this crushingly depressive place.
Plus, I've never seen so many old farts who think they can act and write and yet can do neither. It's the last refuge of the has-been or never was.

Such a lovely little village in the mountains with a quaint private school. So exciting that Blackheath is considered part of westie Sydney after getting substantial monies for WestInvest. Blackheath is going places and just love the chef Mousey Moo near the public toilets in Blackheath, as he does the meanest bacon and egg burger. He’s taken over the vigilante group in Leura after the Randall’s left the neighbourhood. The Mixed Martial Arts MM is my hero. Shanks for keeping the disabled people in the upper mountains so safe! XOXO

No town is perfect. Every place has its drawbacks. Still, Blackheath is a beautiful village. So many good people here. Close enough to Sydney when you need it, with city rail trains too. Gorgeous walks, beautiful waterfalls - and so many good hearted souls. I've just come back from lunch with a mate. Best hot chips in town, ever.

Never have I lived in a place with so many failed and mediocre writers, artists and 'actors'. And on top of that the climate is crushingly depressing. The shops are rip-off. The locals are self-consciously try-hard Bohemians. You need to take Prozac to survive this place.

I’ve read all the reviews and can’t believe the negativity. We have lived here 18 months now. We do love cold weather and hate the heat. So if you like warm summers and mild winters this is not the place for you. The village shops have everything you need in a pinch. Not gonna lie, the shops are expensive. They are for the tourists mainly. To grocery shop you head to Katoomba ( 10 mins away). But the little shops shops are fun to poke around in especially Victoria Theatre Antiques. I’ve never met an unfriendly person here. Our neighbours are lovely. I’ve had both of them in for afternoon tea and they have wonderful stories of Blackheath since they have both lived here over 45 years. One of them even came in and gave us a hand to chop up some firewood. We live walking distance to Govetts Leap Lookout and the walks from there are amazing. Dining is fantastic too. There is Cinnibar and Ates for fine dining and plenty of options for a quick bite to eat. The pool is the best country pool I’ve visited, although it could do with more shade. I can’t speak for young families as my daughter attends a private school at Wentworth Falls and I’m not sure about kid friendly activities as we move here in her late teens. We are in our early fifties and plan to live out our retirement here.

Blackheath is the best kept secret of the Blue mountains just an hour and a half to two hours from Sydney , great cafe and antique shop, restaurants and pubs. You can find anything you need at the supermarket and vegetables shop. There are chemist, doctor, hairdresser, post office and art galleries. The walks in the Blue Mountains from Govett Leap look out are fantastic and cater for all, even there is one walk accessible for the push chair and wheel chair therefore you can enjoy with family and friends of all ages. I am the owner of an holiday house for the past 20 years. My partner and I have enjoyed the weekend and holiday break with my young children and so much so that now my son with his girl friend are always looking for their break there as we still do too. And I know my guests enjoy Blackheath too. Some of them are coming back every year. Blackheath as been and still is a safe heaven, free of pollution and noise. You feel rejuvenated after only one day sleeping at Blackheath. Great parks, especially the rhododendrons parks is amazing in November when all the flowers are in bloomed, unbelievable sight. The open air swimming pool situated in one of the park, is wonderful. You feel so refresh when you are getting out of it. Blackheath has a great community spirit and the neighbors are always there to help and always greet you. The parks and garden can be enjoyed equally, showing a different background of colour with the season changing. It simply wonderful. am actually astonished of the negative comments, if you want to enjoy calm and great quality of life come and live in Blackheath, great place to be.

Blackheath is the saddest place I have ever lived. The people are as cold as the climate. It’s home to has-beens and never-have-beens. If you are a complete failure in life, move to Blackheath.

I can’t believe there are such negative reviews of beautiful Blackheath on this site! I grew up in Sydney and moved to the mountains in my twenties. After twenty five years I still find it the most wonderful place to live. I had always wanted to try being a ‘Blackheathan’ as, until I saw these reviews, I’ve honestly never met someone who isn’t happy with living here. And that’s after seven years to date of being a Blackheathan myself now. My family loves being a part of this warm, creative, friendly, basically happy community. It’s small enough that people smile and say hello but big enough not to feel insular or claustrophobic. Don’t know where these unfunny snobbish people hang out (see earlier review) - I’ve never come across them. My son attends the excellent Mountains Christian College (3 minutes drive away) which as a small, flexible,independent school is able to offer him the extra support he needs and we have the option of high schooling there also. (And no, you don’t have to be Christian to attend; the school welcomes all families, including atheist ones! Kids at his school climb trees and build stick forts in the bush at lunchtime, with a backdrop of spectacular escarpment views). I love the cooler weather, clear spring days, stunning autumn colours, and the chance of snowfall in winter. My main gripe about the weather is that climate change is making Blackheath significantly hotter now in summer than when we first arrived. We have recently moved house but decided to remain in Blackheath. (Also in reference to another review, all the houses I have owned in the mountains have offered very generous capital gains returns! Our money was very well invested in Katoomba, Leura and now Blackheath real estate).

Lived in Blackheath and Mt Victoria for 10 years. It is cold; one of the coldest places in the state. Expect some Summer nights to have single figure temperatures and daytime maximums in Winter to be single figures. It is not cozy, or fun. In Winter all outdoor pursuits are unpleasant. However some summer afternoons are glorious. Rainfall is higher than Sydney and expect fog. Once had snow showers in November!!! Great for bike riding as this area is on a plateau so few hills except for Mt Piddington. The air is so clean you can taste it. Expect endless roadworks on the mountains or the M4. If you are over 60, DO NOT move here. Health services at Katoomba hospital or Lithgow are limited and Nepean isn't much chop either. Some mountain drivers, tradesmen and business owners can be aggressive. Houses are cheap for a reason...it is miles from anywhere and prices do not appreciate much so don't expect a great deal when you sell. If you sell up in Sydney, you may NEVER get back. If you have the trifecta...ie, family, a good job and friends ALL on the mountains with little need to travel east of Penrith it may work out. Would only recommend it for young families but once your children are teenagers they will be bored stiff so expect to be driving them long distances unless you want them on trains at night. If you want a holiday house terrific...you can have a cold getaway in Winter but a few weeks in Summer is even better!

Once we had our children, we decided to move up to Blackheath since we thought it would be a safer environment for them. How wrong were we. There is very little choice in High Schools and even if they need to travel to schools, the trains are dangerous.....even during daylight hours. Gangs from the Mt Druitt area ride the trains and all my children have been frightened on numerous occasions. Aside from that, there is nothing for teenagers here apart from a skate park on the highway. There were some bicycle dirt jumps but the council demolished them for a new housing estate. If you don't keep an eye on your kids, it's very easy up here for them to get in with a bad crowd.
Over the past 20 years we have watched the population change from decent country people to failures from the city who think they are now all big fish in a small pond. And once they get here they then start agitating for changes to the town.
Once our children have all finished school we are selling up and getting out.

I have lived all over the world. I found Blackheath to have beautiful parks but thats about it. The people were snobby and boring to be honest. I would rather live somewhere with a better sense of humour.

We have lived here for ten years and have two small children. It is a stunningly beautiful place to live with four distinct seasons. Autumn is just gorgeous with crisp clear night and warm days. Summer doesn't get anything like the humidity that Sydney does and there are really only a handful of hot days in which most of the town heads for the local pool or any of the hidden waterholes around the area.
Winter is long. The cold is what a lot of people come to the Mountains for and Blackheath is certainly chilly from about April til November. For those of you who are gardeners the local rule is don't plant summer seedlings until after Melbourne Cup day because there are still frosts that will wipe everything out. Most houses are set up well for the cold with heating and people learn to dress for it. The problem with Blackheath is that it gets very misty and foggy, hence it is known as "Bleakheath" and this can get a bit depressing after a while.
It is very much a village and whilst this is wonderful in many ways it can get feel very small after a while. You see the same people everyday and everyone knows what is going on with everyone else. If you want privacy you go to a doctor in Katoomba and the chemist in Katoomba too. On the plus side people look out for other people and are willing to help in a crisis. If a dog is wandering down the street, someone will recognise it and take it to the owner. Teenagers can't get away with much without everyone knowing about it!
The local primary school is small and has a lovely community feel and there are teachers there who have taught three generations of the same family. Most people in Blackheath send their kids to Blackheath Public, the doctors, the mechanics, the physios, the hairdressers.. High School is where it gets tricky. Not many people consider Katoomba High School an option so the choice of High School is either expensive(Blue Mountains Grammar) or far away in Lithgow or Winmalee.
Blackheath has been the slow cousin of Mountains villages for a while with Leura the place to be but it is coming into its own with new cafes and shops that offer things just a little bit different. Weekdays can be slow but the weekends are always busy with tourists and travellers and weekend rock climbers and bushwalkers.
There are great farmer's markets once a month and a community market at the school once a month too.
The work situation is fairly dire. Unless you are in health, community services or small business there is not a lot of opportunities for work in Blackheath. Many, many people commute. Some people go as far as Parramatta and Penrith.
It is a quiet life but if you are after beautiful landscape, a varied climate, small town living and a friendly place for small children then it is great.

Blackheath is the little secret of the Blue mountains just an hour and a half to two hours from sydney ,great cafes, we have beautiful communtiy living with our fantastic growers market, sensational national parks, amazing views, snow in winter, Blackheath is a little secret that is developing into a really smart little town that you can be totally self sufficient in. 2 great bakeries two pubs, 2 little super,markets , hatted resuarants ,cafes and a groovy little wine bar called anoymous that we wait in anticipation to open , a butcher and fishmonger and the vegie patch. Great parks and our own swimming pool that is an icon that the locals have fought for. Blackheath is a town of passion, with great community spirit. We still crown our Rhodendron queen, and have a country parade that is part of our history, Blackheath is a beautiful place to raise your children, your dogs or just retire to. We welcome your with open arms, you can join many clubs, playgroups, or churches, adventure sports, yoga, you would be amazed what this little town has to offer. So rug up, and come and have a look. Book some accomodation, buy a house or invest, or come for a day trip. We are sure you will enjoy it.

A beautiful and inspiring protected National Park on your door step, quaint and cute cottages at affordable prices and all the fresh air and shopping you could want!

Now I am not over 40 and still love the convenience of the city CBD only 1.5 hours away! I absolutely love living here, the community is friendly and passionate about their "Blackheath", parks and schools are all top rate and the local cafes, pubs and shopping is above what you would expect. There are regular trains and buses and roads are looked after.

If you ever pass through the Blue Mountains, you would certainly agree that Blackheath is the best kept secret in Sydney! Stop off and experience the true mountains village, "Blackheath".

Blackheath is a small community wih a big heart.
The schools are great and the general feeling in the community is fantastic.
Their is something for everyone , all budgets and styles are catered for. The cafes are a bonus and the weekends sees them busy and friendly still.
if you are into the wilds then its heer, for all levels from gentle walks to full on bush experiences.
I liked it so much I bought there!

Blackheath lies about 15 minutes down the road from Katoomba and is a small little country town. It is the main town to drive through if you are heading for a look at Govett’s Leap and also heading towards Jenolan Caves.

Blackheath is a nice place to stop and have a look at the bookstore and cafes with a few hatted restaurants to ensure the upper income crowd are catered for. Vulcans restaurant is quite nice and receives plenty of good reviews; expect to pay about $50 per head for a good meal with excellent deserts. Blackheath also is the home of the Hydro Majestic Hotel. The hotel itself has an excellent colonial feel so a stay here and a visit to Govett’s Leap and dinner at Vulcans is an excellent combination.

The baby boomers of Sydney can usually not wait to flee the busy-ness of the city. Some opt for a sea-change, to the beach areas of the north and south coasts, others for a tee-change to be near their beloved golf courses. But more and more a looking for a tree-change, surrounding themselves with national parks and bushy areas. Such is the case with Blackheath, where many old homes are being removed and replaced with those with modcons. It has a great community feel, and the village shops, and nearby pub, are always busy.