Blue Mountains

Katoomba, Blue Mountains

Bondi Beach to Katoomba, Blue Mountains - Thursday March 10th

After my morning beach walk, since it was a rather cloudy morning I stopped and became one of the onlookers of the morning surf school. That’s right I took it all in, not necessarily laughing at the surf learners but realizing I really was not that bad the day before! After some much needed phone call catch ups back home, I got bus 333 to Bondi Junction where I switched to the train (picture subway) through stations of Edgecliff, Kings Cross, Martin Place, Town Hall, and on to Central. I then switched trains (to more like GO trains) and rode on out to Katoomba, out in the Blue Mountains. This leg of the journey took about 2 hours and had 24 stops along the way. Once we got to Lapstone station we climbed up into the mountains where all you could see for miles and miles where huge trees and rock cliffs. I took a rather low key evening with laundry and groceries and will head down to Echo Point for the views and walks tomorrow. Oh and I have possibly the biggest blisters on my feet so a little down time off of them is probably a good thing!

Katoomba – Blue Mountains National Park Friday, March 11th

After a nice lazy morning I was geared up with plenty of food & water, rainjacket, sunscreen, maps, sunglasses, hikers and good socks and oh did I mention water! From a lazy stroll down Katoomba Street I made my way to Echo Point, the best viewing spot for the rock formations known as the Three Sisters and the starting point for several of the day walks. Well when I got there it was so misty and fogged in that well you could barely see the viewing point, let alone any rocks in the distance. But not too worry and I didn’t care I was up for the walk regardless. As I made my way to the ‘Giant Stairway’ (yep, that’s what it is actually called and for good reason) I took in the nature with huge sassafrass and coachwood trees that in autumn (which is starting now) they shed their bark in thin strips, not their leaves. It makes for a spectacular view and rather eery in the mist. As I walked down the 1000 stairs of the giant stairway this is not a place for anyone who does not like heights! No worries for me as I took it all in and reach the landing and walkway out to the first sister and only then did the mist start to lift slightly. I carried on down passed struggling height frantickers and out of shape types (made me wonder how they planned to get back up?.....) down the Dardanelles pass walking track through the Leura Forest. Picture towering trees with layer upon layer of ferns and undergrowth and the smell is just so amazingly fresh. Working my way back up by Marguerite, Linda, & Lila Falls through the Fern Bower and up to the awe struck panoramic from Jamisons Lookout along the Prince Henry Cliff walk. The mist had lifted and I could see the tree valley floor below where I had been walking and out to rock outcroppings in the distance and beyond. The rocks themselves have this spectrum of light browns to oranges and coppers but the mountains do indeed have this blue hue to them, especially the ones in the far distance. They truly are the Blue Mountains  I walked on and down to the Leura Cascades, Bridal Veil Falls & Gordon Falls. I made sure to stop at every possible lookout: Bridal Veil, Copelands, Majestic, Fossil Rock, Burrabarroo, Honeymoon, Millamurra, Tallawalla, & Lady Carrington. I was also able to hear many different types of birds, spotting kookaburra, pheasant and even some slithering skinks! In looping back to Echo Point I was also lucky enough to have the sun come out and shine for my triumphant return to the three sisters. Excellent pictures on a fantastic walk on what turned out to be a sunny day!!

Only thing I realized about ¾ of the way down the Giant staircase was I had committed a cardinal bushwalking sin. I had neglected to tell anyone where I was going. As a single person and walking alone, there really should be a line of information left with someone to know my timing and itinerary in case I don’t show back up at the Katoomba Mountain Lodge. It might also be slightly more on my mind having watched 127 hours not that long ago. I kept thinking I don’t have that much gear in my backpack to help me out of that situation and definitely don’t have tools with me to help cut my arm off! None the less I am fine and settled back in the lodge to enjoy one of the longest, most spectacular thunderstorms. Oh how I love my storms! ………………….. and tomorrow is my 30th birthday 

Katoomba – Blue Mountains – Saturday, March 12th

What a lazy morning, puttering the mountain village of Katoomba. Picking up the usual postcard or 2 I enjoyed a very special phone call from my 3 year old niece, Kate, singing Happy Birthday with her mum (my sister, Sarah) at the top of her lungs and then inviting me to her party for me, of course. Hilarious! Sarah informed me that she had gotten quite excited at the idea of a birthday and actually pretended it was hers at supper (complete with fake carrot ‘candle’). It is all about the party and if she is invited….. and she said Ruby, her baby sister, could come to. Haha After that fantastic bit of cheer I found the IMAX cinema and took in the presentation called ‘The Edge’. It was really cool and felt like I was right there jumping off cliffs and cascading down waterfalls amongst the Blue Mountains. The cinematography was so cool and had up close, personal shots of climbers, abseilers, & canyoners. It also showcased the koala, wombat & kangaroo + many other birds and a whole section on the endangered Wollemi Pine. I took my lazy time in the afternoon getting a haircut (only trim don’t worry we are trying to grow up this mess!) but only after taking in another panoramic view of a booming thunderstorm. It amazes me how the clouds soar in and then just seem to linger and get stuck in the valleys of the Blue Mountains and rumble on for so long. Incredible and spellbounding to just watch the sky and feel the earth shake (was glad I didn’t get stuck in that on a walk haha). To top off the day, I made my way back down to the Blue Mountain cliffs and decided to run the Prince Henry Cliff walk at sunset. Gorgeous! It was hard to keep up a pace from all the mud, puddles and water runoff plus the magnificent views with the sun casting its final beams on the cliffs and eucalyptus trees made me want to stop at each lookout to take it all in. It is just a spot that is so immense and makes me want to explore and climb it all. A great 30th birthday and thank you to all for the great birthday wishes  Love and miss you all!

Katoomba to Sydney – Sunday March 13th

With a sunny morning start I was wishing I could stay longer in the great Blue Mountains. But every adventure must continue and this one took me back to the train station where I caught the train in for my 2 hour journey back to Central Station. Due to rail work, us riders were forced to switch to ‘express’ bus at Blacktown station in order to get to our final destination. That probably would have worked out perfectly if there had been at least one person from the train company there to tell people where to go to catch the buses. I would have rather not walked about and then down 3 flights of stairs with my massive backpack, & front back with food but really mine was a piece of cake compared to the elderly blind woman that thought she had a nice easy on and off train to meet her friends downtown Sydney. No worries, all sorted….. until the driver yelled ‘oh, shit!!’ and started sighing deeply. Always a good sign. A couple of us upfront noticed that he was rather frantically looking around to see if there was somewhere he could turn the bus around or detour back. Not too worry he got us back on track and over the wonderful, gigantic Harbour Bridge (nicknamed the ‘coathanger’ by locals since they think it is that gorgeous) with views down to the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour full of sails and ferries. Once settled in at the YHA Railway (yep, I am sleeping in a rather spacious old railcar) which is cooler looking than it sounds right by the central station (we will see how early the trains start in the morning on how awesome it truly is!!) I set off for the Australian Museum. I had scoped it out in my early days in Sydney and knew the Wildlife Photography exhibition ended today. I was so happy I had made it and thoroughly checked out the most amazing wildlife photos from around the world, which made me want to take better photos and perhaps, somewhere far down the road, get a better camera and take some course. In touring the rest of the museum I took in sections on the ‘Indigenous Australia’, ‘Skeletons’, ‘Minerals’ from Australia and around the world (way cooler than it sounds), ‘Birds and Butterflies of Australia’ (ridiculous the number, variety and diversity of both!) and on to ‘Surviving Australia’. I thought this last section was all about the current wildlife that still remains in Australia, how unique it is and perhaps some of the wildlife that are now extinct. Oh yes, it included all of this and a whole section on how as a human to survive things like spider, snake, crocodile & shark bites plus what to do with stingray and jellyfish encounters. GREAT!! Glad I know what to do but am aiming to avoid this happening all together 

Rest of the day spent organizing some more and downgrading the backpack, getting/carrying too much equals unneeded back pain and with a flight to Melbourne on Tuesday want to be sure to make the weight restriction!!