For some a ride across a steep and scenic valley on a cable car is thrill enough, but for those who want to be James Bond in the famous scene from The Spy Who Loved Me, there’s a new opportunity.
At Scenic World at Katoomba in Australia’s Blue Mountains you can now cross the valley on top of the car, 270 metres above the valley floor, leaning out over nothing if you wish, and with an unrestricted view in every direction. Including down, if you can take that. And if you care to pay $349 per person.
When the cableway installed a new Swiss-built cabin in 2018, they included in the specifications that the roof should be able to support six people—two guests and two crew—who reach the roof through a hatch from inside the car. All riders on the roof are equipped with harnesses and cables just to be sure. There’s also a picnic rug and wooden seating.
And just in case your plan is to use the rooftop ride as a romantic place to pop the question, there’s also a security system for keeping engagement rings from landing in the valley: “We have a little secret method to secure rings when going up onto the top so that we can make sure they stay very safe and that whoever is doing the proposing can get the ring on the finger.”
