The Big Yellow Van

Blue Mountains location guides that provide accommodation, transport and meals for rock climbers, canyoners, slack liners and hikers.

So you’re planning a trip to the beautiful Blue Mountains. You imagine that you will step off the platform at Katoomba station; walk down to your cosy, cheap hostel; dump your bags and stroll out to the crag for a quick afternoon climb. All this before meeting up with some locals for a great night out; with beautiful, inexpensive meals; relaxed, reasonably priced beers and the feeling that you really got a sense of the ‘true’ Blueys. Then, with no guidebook, no directions and no transport you will manage to stumble upon the perfect crag, canyon or hike in a remote wilderness all to yourself!

Good Luck! !

Who are we? A friendly, adventurous couple with more than 10 years climbing experience, who have spent the last year travelling Australia and South-East Asia, having now settled in beautiful Blackheath, Blue Mountains. We know how hard it is to create an exciting, memorable and problem free journey in a new place when you only have a limited time and little knowledge of the area. Luckily, we have extensive knowledge of the crags, canyons, highlines and hikes around the Blue Mountains having been regular visitors for nearly a decade, so you have no need to stress! This service is for pairs, couples or trios.

Whats included (further detail below):
Transport
Location guide
Overnight accommodation
Home cooked meals
High level banter

What is NOT included:
Technical skills Instruction
Transport from Sydney
Gear hire or Loan
Touristy crap.

Transport: On arrival, the hosts will pick you up from the Blackheath train station and take you back to the house, where you can get comfortable. On activity days; we will transport you to the destination (crag /canyon /hike /highline) and back to the house at the end of the day. This means no messing about wasting time on trains and walking ages from the station to the crag. No trains also means you have potential access to all the crags in the mountains! Trust us, there is no such thing as a short walk up here.

Location Guide: The hosts are more than happy to accompany you to the crags and make it easy for you by locating the different routes. The hosts know the way to crags with more difficult access which means you can experience a wide range of climbing rather than the general easy access crags that everybody can get to! (Though we are more than happy to show you around these too! ). We can show you where to start the canyon, and can pick you up from the closest place to the end as possible. We can accompany you through the canyon if you wish, but you will be doing all the rope-work for yourselves - including the carrying ;). We can show you where to rig a highline, where the back-ups are and offer emotional support as you push for the send. If you want to do a hike, we can tag along and offer a guiding hand if you like, or otherwise we can follow you around as you get more and more lost! Otherwise, we will see you at the end.

Overnight Accommodation: A private room with double bed (bed linen, towels provided), drawers for storing your personal items. No more sleepless nights in a snoring dormitory! In addition you have access to the kitchen, bathroom and lounge-room with wood fire, musical instruments, great books including several different climbing and travel guides from all over the world to plan your next adventure. Plus there is a shed with table tennis (ping pong) and a slackline in the backyard. The bus is 2 minutes down the road for independent travel if you desire. What more could you want?!

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner provided if you desire. Delicious vegetarian meals cooked by experienced vegetarian. Please advise if you have any other dietary requirements. We can also suggest great spots to dine out or grab a beer in the evenings.

NOTE: LOCATION GUIDES ONLY. NO TECHNICAL INSTRUCTION IS GIVEN. You will need to bring all your own gear. We do not teach you how to climb, belay or abseil. We will not belay you or allow you to belay us, thus you will require a second person to do so. This is for EXPERIENCED persons who want to maximise their time in the Blue Mountains. If you like us, we are more than happy to climb alongside you or run through the canyon in front or behind you. If at any stage we see signs that you are putting yourself or others in danger we will immediately request that you cease the activity entirely. If you refuse, it is your own responsibility and you continue at your own risk. Due to safety reasons we are unable to lend any gear but can drop you at the best gear shops if you forget something vital.

We can even direct you to the best op-shops, book stores, art galleries and the best coffee in town so you can soak up the real Mountains Vibes.

Directions from Sydney Airport: From the International Airport go to the Airport Station at Platform 1 take the train to Sydney Central (4 stops away) then take the train from Central Station (platform 6) to Blackheath station via the Blue Mountains Line (express train available).

Please phone us if you have any enquiries or wish to make a booking. We do require a week’s notice so that we can tailor an itinerary to your specifications. Once you make a booking we will email you a short questionnaire to ascertain your prior experience, grade level, prefered terrain and other activities you are interested in so we are able to create your perfect program!

Maximum 3 persons. Maximum 3 night stay.

Contact Details:
Email: thebigyellowvan@aol.com

We are already pumped for your adventure!