The Blue Mountains
(Yeah, it's been a while since the last trip post and yeah, the trip is already over, but I'll still share our experience in Sydney and the surrounding area over the last 5 days of our trip.)
On Thursday we flew into Sydney, rented the car, and were on our way. Our first stop was Bondi Beach, a western suburb, but more importantly, where the Jewish community lives. We basically ran out of our cheese, salami, and bread up North, so we needed some substanance to last the next few days. But of course we got a little lost, paid a toll we didn't have to pay, then found our way using the local streets. By the time we finished with lunch (meat pies at Katzy's!) and some light grocery shopping, we were really on our way, but it was just in time for rush hour traffic. Where were we heading? Why, the Blue Mountains! Home of the famous Three Sisters and one of the most beautiful and preserved rainforest landscapes.
The drive out west wasn't too bad; from the city to Katoomba, our final destination and the
largest town in the Blue Mountain region, is about 100 km, easily doable in an hour or so. From reading about it while preparing for our visit, I somewhat envisioned a Skyline Drive type ride-- one lane each direction, with windy roads and beautiful, majestic views. Well, this drive had 1 of the three characteristics: beautiful, majestic views. Surprisingly and interestingly enough, the road up to Katoomba was two lanes in each direction, perfectly paved, not that windy, and had trian tracks in the middle of the road to boot. We were somewhat shocked at the relative ease in getting there.
The weather was a bit crummy and heavy rains were forecast for the evening, so we figured we would get to the BnB we booked and turn in early. We got to Echo Point right around dusk, said hello to the Three Sisters and ate cold pizza. The lookout was beautiful: you could see the storm clouds rolling in from the mountains right across the valley we were overlooking but the sun was setting in the west at the same time. The wind kicked up and we made it to the BnB right before it started to hail.
We started early the next morning and headed to Scenic World, home of the Scenic Railway, Scenic Cableway, and the new Scenic Skyway; three terrific ways to take in the beautiful scenery. We
did the Skyway first, where the floor becomes see-thru and it feels like you are walking on air. The skyway takes you across and back over the Jamison valley. Next, was the Scenic Railway, the steepest incline railway ever. The drop is unbelievable and impossible to explain; it's just simply amazing that no one falls out of the carriage! At the bottom, we took a walking tour of the rainforest and learned about the different species of trees and plants and about the old coal mine that used to exist down there. To get back up the mountain, we took the Scenic Cableway, apparently the steepest aerial cable car in the Southern hemisphere.
On Thursday we flew into Sydney, rented the car, and were on our way. Our first stop was Bondi Beach, a western suburb, but more importantly, where the Jewish community lives. We basically ran out of our cheese, salami, and bread up North, so we needed some substanance to last the next few days. But of course we got a little lost, paid a toll we didn't have to pay, then found our way using the local streets. By the time we finished with lunch (meat pies at Katzy's!) and some light grocery shopping, we were really on our way, but it was just in time for rush hour traffic. Where were we heading? Why, the Blue Mountains! Home of the famous Three Sisters and one of the most beautiful and preserved rainforest landscapes.
The drive out west wasn't too bad; from the city to Katoomba, our final destination and the
largest town in the Blue Mountain region, is about 100 km, easily doable in an hour or so. From reading about it while preparing for our visit, I somewhat envisioned a Skyline Drive type ride-- one lane each direction, with windy roads and beautiful, majestic views. Well, this drive had 1 of the three characteristics: beautiful, majestic views. Surprisingly and interestingly enough, the road up to Katoomba was two lanes in each direction, perfectly paved, not that windy, and had trian tracks in the middle of the road to boot. We were somewhat shocked at the relative ease in getting there.
The weather was a bit crummy and heavy rains were forecast for the evening, so we figured we would get to the BnB we booked and turn in early. We got to Echo Point right around dusk, said hello to the Three Sisters and ate cold pizza. The lookout was beautiful: you could see the storm clouds rolling in from the mountains right across the valley we were overlooking but the sun was setting in the west at the same time. The wind kicked up and we made it to the BnB right before it started to hail.
We started early the next morning and headed to Scenic World, home of the Scenic Railway, Scenic Cableway, and the new Scenic Skyway; three terrific ways to take in the beautiful scenery. We
did the Skyway first, where the floor becomes see-thru and it feels like you are walking on air. The skyway takes you across and back over the Jamison valley. Next, was the Scenic Railway, the steepest incline railway ever. The drop is unbelievable and impossible to explain; it's just simply amazing that no one falls out of the carriage! At the bottom, we took a walking tour of the rainforest and learned about the different species of trees and plants and about the old coal mine that used to exist down there. To get back up the mountain, we took the Scenic Cableway, apparently the steepest aerial cable car in the Southern hemisphere.
posted by elanit | 1:43 AM
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