Hands down, my favourite place in NSW to buy snacks. Even with the distance from Sydney and…read moreconstant season-independent fog and rain factored in, there's nothing like being able to buy as much or as little as you want of delicious food unsullied by corporate greed and glaring fluorescents. The Blue Mountains Food Co-op is the largest and most well stocked Food Co-op I've come across. I could lose hours examining all the different varieties of flour, exotic spices and dried fruit in their clean perspex tubs and jars. They have a great range of oils and condiments like mirin, tahini and Pukara Estate vinegars, plenty of locally grown, seasonal organic produce, a few hard-to-find bush foods and even fresh yeast in their fridge. Coming back to the snacks, I never visit Katoomba without buying some of their delicious dried fruit. It's none of that sugary, sulfur-y junk you get in weirdly greasy plastic bags in supermarkets. Nope, just beautiful fruit, dehydrated to lock all their glorious summer flavours and colours in. The dried apple slices and dried mango are my favourites, but I got my friend hooked onto their dried pineapple rings. The tamari almonds are super addictive too, and who can pass up freshly ground, natural peanut or almond butter - getting to operate the machines yourself is half the fun! And don't forget to bring your own clean jars and tupperware! Saves yourself a pretty 5c per paper bag and all that plastic waste.

'10 to 15 minute queue potential' said the handwritten sign. Electrical problems and cash only for…read morethe day. You've got to appreciate the care taken to warn us of the wait. Not that anyone who shops here'd mind. You spend longer waiting in a generic supermarket to buy over-processed, allegedly food-approximating substances anyway. I wish I lived closer to Katoomba and could do all my shopping here. Dragging your own containers up and down Katoomba street and then on the train make it a bit beyond even my patience. Yet I pop in when I go past for the odd fresh-as-anything locally grown vege, or the odd unusual ingredient hard to find elsewhere. The place is always buzzing with warmly clad, healthily fed people. The staff are lovely, and it's worth becoming a member if you shop here often, you get 10% off. Prices are fantastic to begin with, and the quality top notch organic-y, fair trade-y goodness. Sigh, I live too far away. Ha'Penny Lane is tucked behind the Post Office, and between Fresh and the Korean place if you're coming from Katoomba Street. Come armed with your own storage/packaging and be prepared to struggle out under a load of foodstuffs that'd make a doomsday prepper proud.

This is a great little cafe in Yass. The food is great. Came here for breakfast and loved the…read moreexperience. But the best thing is the staff. Really friendly and welling to help. The coffee is good, not the best cup I've had, but still relatively good. I can here own a road trip, and really glad that I stopped here at this cafe.

A slice of Melbourne off the Hume Highway, Trader & Co. is the perfect spot in the…read morealready-delightful town of Yass. I was lucky enough to be directed there by the local tourism office, after my friend mentioned she's vegetarian. Everything is great: the atmosphere. The banter between the coffee/chai station and the food station (run by separate people under the same roof). The food itself was fresh and plated up beautifully. It's also a co-working space AND has an adorable selection of locally-made gifts in the front. I suspect this is going to be THE go-to spot for the cool folks of Yass. I hope it is for anyone driving between Melbourne and Sydney, too.

Lovely service. Beautifully laid out shop with lots of gorgeous fabrics to choose from. I come here…read moreevery time I come to the Blue Mountains from Qld.

While visitng Leura last January, my friend and I stumbled across this treasure of a store. The…read moreproprietor was joyful and helpful and we only wish we had more time to visit with her. The fabrics were gorgeous and our only regret was that some of our favorites were not in stock and though they could be special ordered, we were too close to the end of our visit. Next time we go down under, this will be one of our first stops.