The Blue Mountains
by: Brendon
After Sydney we really had no idea where we were going next. I knew I wanted to go to the Blue Mountains (about an hour or two west of Sydney) but the weather looked like it was going to be cloudy and a possibility of rain (or so the weatherman told us). We decided to take our chances anyway and are glad we did. On the way there we took the longer scenic route and caught a bit of a sunset on the drive in. We arrived in Katoomba (the main town in/near to the National Park) after dark and got settled into our hostel room. The hostel in Katoomba was great! The kitchen was large and the dining area was huge and had a great gas fireplace in the middle. We were also there with many families who must of come for the long weekend (the Queen's Birthday holiday) so it was busy for the first night there. After dinner we watched some footy on the big screen tv they had...so great!
On our first full day (we ended up staying 3 nights so had 2 full days to do what we wanted) we woke up early and went on a great hike. The blue mountains are absolutely beautiful although very busy with tourists. The hike took us down a steep gully into the valley below one of the cliff bands in the park. It then followed the cliff band for a while before ending at a place called Scenic World. Scenic World is just outside the park and is where the old mine used to be. It is now a huge tourist destination and there are a few things to do here. We decided to take the old rail car up the hill instead of hiking the 900+ stairs. It was a quick ride but pretty cool.
That night we also went to the edge cinema (an Imax theatre in town) to watch a movie all about the Blue Mountains. It was very interesting even though I had seen it before and Kristin enjoyed it as well.
On our second day we did another hike in a different area of the park. We took the cliff top walk to Wentworth Falls and then walked down the cliff on really steep stairs cut into the rock to a ridge cut (naturally) halfway on the cliff face. It was a great hike and we were very lucky to have two full days of blue skies and great temperatures.
After our hike we drove to the a place in town called Echo Point where the Three Sisters are. The Three Sisters are a rock formation that you can view from a great lookout point at the visitors centre and are kind of the icons for the Blue Mountains. All the post cards and souvenirs have the three sisters printed on them.
After Sydney we really had no idea where we were going next. I knew I wanted to go to the Blue Mountains (about an hour or two west of Sydney) but the weather looked like it was going to be cloudy and a possibility of rain (or so the weatherman told us). We decided to take our chances anyway and are glad we did. On the way there we took the longer scenic route and caught a bit of a sunset on the drive in. We arrived in Katoomba (the main town in/near to the National Park) after dark and got settled into our hostel room. The hostel in Katoomba was great! The kitchen was large and the dining area was huge and had a great gas fireplace in the middle. We were also there with many families who must of come for the long weekend (the Queen's Birthday holiday) so it was busy for the first night there. After dinner we watched some footy on the big screen tv they had...so great!
On our first full day (we ended up staying 3 nights so had 2 full days to do what we wanted) we woke up early and went on a great hike. The blue mountains are absolutely beautiful although very busy with tourists. The hike took us down a steep gully into the valley below one of the cliff bands in the park. It then followed the cliff band for a while before ending at a place called Scenic World. Scenic World is just outside the park and is where the old mine used to be. It is now a huge tourist destination and there are a few things to do here. We decided to take the old rail car up the hill instead of hiking the 900+ stairs. It was a quick ride but pretty cool.
That night we also went to the edge cinema (an Imax theatre in town) to watch a movie all about the Blue Mountains. It was very interesting even though I had seen it before and Kristin enjoyed it as well.
On our second day we did another hike in a different area of the park. We took the cliff top walk to Wentworth Falls and then walked down the cliff on really steep stairs cut into the rock to a ridge cut (naturally) halfway on the cliff face. It was a great hike and we were very lucky to have two full days of blue skies and great temperatures.
After our hike we drove to the a place in town called Echo Point where the Three Sisters are. The Three Sisters are a rock formation that you can view from a great lookout point at the visitors centre and are kind of the icons for the Blue Mountains. All the post cards and souvenirs have the three sisters printed on them.
The view from the start of our hike the first day
(from here we descended into the valley).
Sign for the Scenic World Rail Car.
Waiting for the Rail Car.
View from near the start of the hike on the second day.
On the way down to Wentworth Falls.
Wentworth Falls.
Just a great view from the Ridge!
A great waterfall in the "Valley of The Waters".
(I liked these better than Wentworth Falls)
The Three Sisters from Echo Point.
posted by Kristin and Brendon at 3:44 PM
1 Comments:
Wow!
Such beautiful scenery> Are you two getting fit from all the hiking?
Love,
MOM and DAD
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