the blue mountains

one of the 3 sisters

after a rough night of sleep (who knew that the camp we'd set up was right beside a very active train line!), we drove into the blue mountains. it's a bit of a deceptive name really, they should maybe be called "blue canyon" because that's what they look like. suppose because they are part of the great dividing range, they were once large mountains. they get their name because of the blue haze that appears over the trees. the blue mountains sit approx 1 hour west of sydney and are, as such, a rather popular holiday destination for sydneysiders. i completely understand why. they are spectacular!

3 sisters

we drove into glenbrook and got some info at the tourist bureau. we managed to sneak a short hike in that afternoon at wentworth falls. the sheer rockface provided an excellent backdrop to the towering falls. not very big, but beautiful indeed. we followed the "undercliff" track, which is exactly what it sounds like- a track that takes you under one of the shelves of the cliff. it was all a bit muddy and slippery but worth it for the views.

we then stopped in katoomba, the main tourist centre in the blue mountains. we went to the 3 sisters lookout, an oft photographed sight in the mountains. and then we trekked our way down the "giant stairs". we didn't go the whole way down though, because we knew we'd be doing a rather long hike the next morning and thought we should save our legs. a good choice in hindsight.

blue mountains

katoomba was unimpressive. it felt like it had been a hoping place sometime in the 70's or 80's, and then had been neglected. there were some run down areas, which isn't what you expect in such a highly touristy place. so we drove on and found a campsite about 15 minutes outside of blackheath, a much smaller community just west of katoomba.

the following morning, we ventured off on an 8 hour hike down the canyon. it's not often that you do a hike where the descent comes first. we decided to time the walk down and double it for the expected time up. the first hour or so was straight down. literally. my quads were burning a bit at the bottom, which didn't bode well for the return trip. again, the trail was a bit muddy and slippery at points, but the views made it worth the effort. there weren't many handrails or anything guarding you from the cliff edge only a few centimeters from your feet, so you had to walk with care.

falls at govetts leap- long hike

the hike was listed as "experienced", which i would say was a fair call actually. we got about 2/3 of the way to the turn around point when we decided to turn back. the trail had become overgrown and traipsing through the thick bush (thick, scratchy bush at that) wasn't all that fun. so we turned and stopped at junction rock for a quick swim and some lunch before starting the walk back up to the top. we shared our lunch with a small, ballsy lizard who kept getting closer and closer to john. we eventually gave him the seed of a nectarine and he left us alone!

the return trip was much quieter because well, it was one of those hikes where you can't really talk because (gasp) you're (pant) just (wheeze) trying (gasp) to breathe. we didn't have to stop too many times, but afforded ourselves a few breaks to catch our breath (both from the walk and from the view!) turns out that we made a good decision to cut the walk short, because about 200m from the top, it started drizzling. and only just after we arrived back to meet betty in the parking lot, it started to rain. quite a bit. it would have sucked to be stuck on the trail in the rain- it was difficult enough as it was. the climb up the rockface would have been a bit more treacherous, what with the no guardrails, slippery rock and sheer drops.

we spent the rest of the afternoon (what was left of it) at a wonderful cafe in blackheath. not much else to do in blackheath i'm affraid. it's similar to katoomba (only much smaller) in that it seems a bit derelict. like it was a great little village back in the day but everyone's forgotten about it now.

we certainly won't forget the blue mountains. they are simply amazing.
xo