Editing Katoomba (section)

== Tourism ==
[[File:KATOOMBA FALLS.jpg|thumb|upright|left|[[Katoomba Falls]] on the [[Kedumba River]]]]
Katoomba's main industry is [[tourism]] based on its mountain scenery.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.visitnsw.com/destinations/blue-mountains/katoomba-area/katoomba|title=Katoomba|publisher=Visit NSW|access-date=11 May 2013|archive-date=13 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130513203840/http://www.visitnsw.com/destinations/blue-mountains/katoomba-area/katoomba|url-status=live}}</ref> The rock formation known as the [[Three Sisters (Australia)|Three Sisters]], viewable from [[Echo Point (lookout)|Echo Point]] about {{convert|2|km}} south of the main town, attracts thousands of visitors each year.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-01-14 |title=Katoomba, Australia |url=https://www.worldatlas.com/cities/katoomba-australia.html |access-date=2023-11-07 |website=WorldAtlas |language=en-US}}</ref> Other features of the Jamison Valley visible from Echo Point include Mount Solitary and the rock formation known as the Ruined Castle. A short walk from Echo Point leads to the Giant Stairway which provides access to a number of nature walks through the Valley. Several of the Jamison Valley tracks, including the Stairway itself, were closed in recent years due to maintenance, but most have since been re-opened.<ref>Sydney and Blue Mountains Bushwalks, Neil Paton (Kangaroo Press) 2004, pp.215-228</ref> The local geography includes extensive areas of dense warm temperate [[rainforest]], hanging swamps and a series of waterfalls.

Other attractions include Scenic World, a tourist complex in the southwest of the town. This site is home to the steepest [[funicular]] railway in the world, the [[Katoomba Scenic Railway]], which was originally built to facilitate [[coal]] and [[oil shale]] mining in the Jamison Valley.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.infobluemountains.net.au/rail/ksr/Default.htm|title=Katoomba Scenic Railway|publisher=InfoBlueMountains.net|access-date=11 May 2013|archive-date=20 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130520215038/http://infobluemountains.net.au/rail/ksr/Default.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Scenic World also offers the Scenic Skyway cable car, which travels over an arm of the Jamison Valley and offers views of Katoomba Falls and Orphan Rock. In 2004 the original Skyway car was replaced by a new car with a [[liquid crystal]] panel floor, which becomes transparent while the car travels. In 1983 construction began at the site on a roller coaster called the Orphan Rocker; the track was completed, but this attraction has never been opened to the public.{{citation needed|date=February 2017}}

Katoomba is served by hotels and guest-houses, the oldest of which is the [[The Carrington Hotel, Katoomba|Carrington Hotel]], established in 1882 and occupying the highest point in town. The town centre, centred on Katoomba Street, features dozens of cafes and restaurants, including the Paragon which dates to the early 20th century, as well as a number of second-hand book and antique stores.