Day 41: Blue Mountains, Australia

After a good night's sleep in a fancy hotel we set out for some breakfast at a local cafe to fuel up for a healthy 3 hour hike. Cafes to me are usually just a quick place to stuff my face but I have to pause here to admit that it was a very interestingly designed place to eat. Each booth or table was nestled into a space so that while seated you felt that you had your own private room (a very small room but your private space nonetheless). One of the employees told me it took them quite a while to design and build it and they are very proud of the results.




After breakfast, a hunt for an internet cafe (hotel internet is crazy expensive), and a dry cleaners we finally set out on our trek. Staying in the Blue Mountains in a town called Katoomba there is a popular rock formation (The Three Sisters) and great views all along the hike (called bushwalks here).

We walked along the ridge close to the top of the mountain line as the fog and mist cleared from the morning. Some of our views were blocked until the heat of the day arrived. Instead of walking down the mountainside to walk back along the valley floor we took Peter's advice and rode the Scenic Railway, which boasts to be the steepest passenger rail line in the world. I would argue that it is more of an amusement ride than a passenger rail line but I'll leave that to the experts to argue. There are also sky rides that can take passengers down or across to certain mountain tops.

(look for the cable car coming through the clouds on the right)

Walking back along the valley floor we were able to see the bottoms of waterfalls and took some decent photos.

The big climb back up was the tough but rewarding part. Named the Giant Stairway which has nearly 1,000 steps winding steeply up the side of the mountain.

(The Three Sisters)

The legend of the Three Sisters has something to do with a father turning his three daughters to stone to protect them from some evil dude living in the valley that they disturbed when they accidentally knocked a rock off the mountain top. The father lost his magic stick when the evil dude chased him and The Three Sisters have been standing motionless ever since. I think there might be variations of the story but all roughly similar.

After lunch we were planning to make another stop to view more beautiful cliffs, mountains, and valleys but rainy weather decided to roll in. Disappointed we made our way back to the hotel to have a nice swim, spend some time in the jacuzzi, and a few moments in the sauna. Life is tough.

Anyone coming to visit Australia who likes a good hike, I would highly recommend taking some time to make it to the Blue Mountains. Less than 2 hours from Sydney you can get some great views and trails in. Waterfalls, cliffs, etc, all national park here and the trails are decently maintained for safety.

FJ

BTW, it is fall here.