Jenolan Mountain Lodge

Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve

Affected by closures, check current alerts 

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Overview

Base yourself at Jenolan Mountain Lodge, offering comfortable motel-style accommodation, when you explore the natural wonders of Jenolan Caves, near Oberon.

Accommodation Details
Accommodation type Lodge
Bedrooms 30
Maximum guests 70
Facilities Carpark, drinking water, showers, toilets, wireless internet, electric power
Price  
Bookings Bookings are required. Book online or call Jenolan Caves Trust.
Please note
  • Check in 2pm, check out 10am
  • The nearest fuel and shops for supplies are in Mount Victoria or Oberon.
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Jenolan Mountain Lodge offers comfortable accommodation set in the awe-inspiring natural beauty of Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve.

Conveniently located just behind Jenolan Caves House the lodge has spacious rooms sleeping 2 to 4 guests, with ensuite bathrooms and modern comforts like TV and WiFi. Perfect for couples, the lodge also suits families, who can book adjoining rooms.

Self-reliant guests can book a family room with a kitchenette. If you'd prefer a break from cooking, the delightful Caves Cafe and award-winning Chisholm's Restaurant are a short stroll away in Jenolan Caves House.

Jenolan Mountain Lodge is a great base for explore the dramatic landscapes above and below ground. If you're feeling fit, try Carlotta Arch walking track to discover natural arches and beautiful Blue Lake, with its resident platypus. Easier Jenolan River walking track offers views of the river, lake and waterfalls.

Visit Jenolan Caves’ magical underworld on a guided or self-guided tour. For a special challenge, don a helmet and headlamp to try guided adventure caving.

When it's time to go, head out on the Greater Blue Mountains drive to see more of this remarkable World Heritage Area.

For directions, safety and practical information, see visitor info

Also see

  • Exterior shot of Jenolan Caves House lit up at night, Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve. Photo: Jenolan Caves © DPE

    Jenolan Caves House

    Enjoy old world charm at iconic Jenolan Caves House, in the heart of Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve. Stay at this historic grand hotel as you explore the spectacular caves and walks, near Oberon.

  • A group of visitors admire a pool of water in a limestone cave at Jenolan Caves. Photo: Jenolan Caves © DPE

    Jenolan Caves guided tours

    Book in for a tour of Jenolan Caves, in the Oberon area. Whether you're staying at the caves or visiting from the Blue Mountains or Sydney, it's worth the trip to see the world's oldest cave system.

Map


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Current alerts in this area

There are no current alerts in this area.

Local alerts

For the latest updates on fires, closures and other alerts in this area, see https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/camping-and-accommodation/accommodation/jenolan-mountain-lodge/local-alerts

General enquiries

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Park info

See more visitor info

Visitor info

All the practical information you need to know about Jenolan Mountain Lodge.

Getting there and parking

Jenolan Mountain Lodge is in Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve. Access to Jenolan on Jenolan Caves Road (5-Mile Road) is closed indefinitely. The only access is via Edith Road (2-Mile Road). This road is suitable for standard vehicles only. There is no access to Jenolan for caravans, trailers or any vehicle longer than a 12-seat minibus.

From Sydney:

  • Travel west on the M4, which becomes the Great Western Highway at the foot of the mountains.
  • Pass through Katoomba and Blackheath and turn left onto Jenolan Caves Road at Hartley.
  • Drive through Hampton and turn right onto Duckmaloi Road. Do not continue along Jenolan Caves Road, access is closed.
  • Continue along Duckmaoi Road for 20km, then turn left onto Titania Road.
  • At the end of Titania Road, turn left onto Edith Road and continue until you reach Jenolan.
  • The lodge is located behind Jenolan Caves House.

From Goulburn:

  • Take Taralga Road out of Goulburn and travel north towards Taralga.
  • Pass through Taralga and continue north on Taralga Road towards Oberon. Taralga Road turns into Abercrombie Road at the Abercrombie River.
  • At Black Springs, turn right and continue on Abercrombie Road.
  • At Oberon, turn right onto O’Connell Road and then left onto Carrington Avenue.
  • Turn right onto Ross Street, then turn left onto Edith Road and continue until you reach Jenolan.
  • The lodge is located behind Jenolan Caves House.

Please note:

  • The last 5km of Edith Road is steep, narrow and winding, with several hairpin bends. Drive carefully and allow yourself plenty of time.
  • Edith Road is not suitable for caravans, trailers or any vehicle longer than a 12-seat minibus.
  • Traffic in and out of Jenolan is regulated for safety. Please check Live Traffic NSW before you set out.
  • The nearest fuel is located in Mount Victoria or Oberon.

Road quality

  • Sealed roads

Vehicle access

  • 2WD vehicles

Weather restrictions

  • All weather

Parking

Jenolan Mountain Lodge has plenty of free car parking, including designated coach parking, and 3 designated disabled carpark spaces.

Facilities

  • Mountain Lodge King rooms include king bed with ensuite bathroom with shower, TV, tea/coffee, bar fridge, small kitchenette with microwave and toaster, clock radio.
  • Mountain Lodge Family rooms include king/twin bed with ensuite bathroom with shower and bath, TV, tea/coffee, bar fridge, small kitchenette with microwave and toaster, clock radio.
  • Cots are available for family rooms.
  • Linen and towels are provided. 
  • Telstra mobile reception may be available in this area.
  • Picnic tables and free gas barbecue facilities are located at the picnic areas near the Cambridge and the Carlotta carparks

Toilets

  • Flush toilets

Carpark

Drinking water

Showers

  • Hot showers

Wireless internet

  • Wireless internet (free)

Electric power

Maps and downloads

Safety messages

Mobile safety

Dial Triple Zero (000) in an emergency. Download the Emergency Plus app before you visit, it helps emergency services locate you using your smartphone's GPS. Please note there is limited mobile phone reception in this park and you’ll need mobile reception to call Triple Zero (000).

Accessibility

Disability access level - easy

  • Jenolan Mountain Lodge has 1 wheelchair accessible guestroom located on the ground floor.
  • This 3-storey building has no lift. We recommend guests with limited mobility request a room on the ground floor.
  • There's 1 designated disabled carpark space behind Jenolan Caves House, and 2 spaces next to the guides' office. Please display your disabled driver notice on your windscreen.

Easy access is free of obstacles such as steps, rough terrain or significant slopes, and may have ramps or boardwalks.

Prohibited

Swimming is prohibited in Blue Lake, a platypus habitat.

Pets

Pets and domestic animals (other than certified assistance animals) are not permitted. Find out which regional parks allow dog walking and see the pets in parks policy for more information.

Smoking

NSW national parks are no smoking areas.

Jenolan Mountain Lodge rooms are no smoking.

Learn more

Jenolan Mountain Lodge is in Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve. Here are just some of the reasons why this park is special:

Binomil

Stalagmites in Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve. Photo: Jenolan Caves Trust

The beautiful and mysterious Jenolan Caves holds special significance to the Gundungurra people who knew it as 'Binoomea' meaning 'dark places'. According to Gundungurra Elder, Old Jimmy Lynch, Aboriginal people knew the caves, carrying sick people as far as the subterranean water which they believed to have great curative powers. The Dreamtime myth of Gurrangatch relates to the forming of Wombeyan and Jenolan Caves. The caves are said to have been formed during a contest between Gurrangatch, a mythical being that was part fish and part reptile, and Mirragan, a legendary tiger cat.

Greater Blue Mountains Area World Heritage Property

Blue Lake track, Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve. Photo: Jenolan Caves Trust

It is truly amazing to think that a city the size of Sydney has a large World Heritage Area on its doorstep. The World Heritage listing recognises the geographic, botanic and cultural values of the area. The forests of the Greater Blue Mountains Area World Heritage Property have been described as a natural laboratory for the evolution of eucalypts; and more than 90 different eucalypt species occur here, some 13 per cent of all eucalypt species in the world. They grow in a great variety of communities, from tall closed forests, through open forests and woodlands, to the stunted mallee shrublands on the plateaus.

Historic tourism

Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve. Photo: David Hill

Jenolan Caves is one of Australia's first tourist attractions; with land having first been set aside for public recreation and enjoyment in 1866. In the years following this, a number of buildings were constructed, the most notable being Caves House; an excellent example of early Victorian architecture and comfortable heritage accommodation. Innovations in engineering and cave lighting are evident - particularly in Chifley Cave. There are more than 300 caves within the Reserve, all containing a range of geological features and formations, like stalactites and stalagmites, plus rarer helictites and stromatolites The best way to find out about the caves is on a guided or self-guided tour. There are eleven caves to choose from.

  • Jenolan River walking track Jenolan River walking track and Blue Lake are closed after being damaged by fire and floods between 2020 and 2022. The track will re-open after infrastructure upgrades allow for a safe walking experience.
  • McKeown's Valley walking track McKeown's Valley walking track, also known as Healing Waters walk, is a short and easy return walk at Jenolan Caves offering fantastic karst landscapes and wildlife spotting in the Blue Mountains.

Plants and animals protected in this park

Animals

  • Eastern bentwing bat. Photo: Ken Stepnell

    Eastern bentwing-bat (Miniopterus schreibersii oceanensis)

    Eastern bentwing-bats congregate in caves across the east and north-west coasts of Australia, in colonies of up to 150,000. These small Australian animals weigh around 13-17g and can reach speeds of up to 50km per hour. Eastern bentwing-bats use both sight and echolocation to catch small insects mid-air.

  • A juvenile platypus saved by National Parks and Wildlife staff. Photo: M Bannerman/OEH

    Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus)

    One of the most fascinating and unusual Australian animals, the duck-billed platypus, along with the echidna, are the only known monotremes, or egg-laying mammals, in existence. The platypus is generally found in permanent river systems and lakes in southern and eastern NSW and east and west of the Great Dividing Range.

  • Brush tail possum. Photo: Ken Stepnell

    Common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula)

    One of the most widespread of Australian tree-dwelling marsupials, the common brushtail possum is found across most of NSW in woodlands, rainforests and urban areas. With strong claws, a prehensile tail and opposable digits, these native Australian animals are well-adapted for life amongst the trees.

  • Bare-nosed wombat. Photo: Keith Gillett

    Bare-nosed wombat (Vombatus ursinus)

    A large, squat marsupial, the Australian bare-nosed wombat is a burrowing mammal found in coastal forests and mountain ranges across NSW and Victoria. The only other remaining species of wombat in NSW, the endangered southern hairy-nosed wombat, was considered extinct until relatively recently.

  • Echidna. Photo: Ken Stepnell

    Short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus)

    One of only 2 egg-laying mammals in the world, the short-beaked echidna is one of the most widespread of Australian native animals. Covered in spines, or quills, they’re equipped with a keen sense of smell and a tube-like snout which they use to break apart termite mounds in search of ants.

  • A spotted-tailed quoll walks across a moss-covered forest floor at night. Photo: Lachlan Hall © Lachlan Hall

    Spotted-tailed quoll (Dasyurus maculatus)

    The spotted-tailed quoll is the largest remaining carnivorous marsupial on the Australian mainland. It’s protected as a vulnerable species in NSW.

Environments in this park

Education resources (1)