Day 5

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Yesterday beaches, today mountains.

It took awhile to get to the Blue Mountains--morning traffic in Sydney and road work in the mountains--but we were on a hop-on-hop-off bus before noon. The weather was threatening to rain again so we opted to head straight for Scenic World to take the incline train down the canyon. This thing drops toward the canyon floor at a 52 degree angle!! At the end of the railroad ride we walked through the educational pathways telling about the mining that used to occur there as well as describing the flora and fauna. We were under the canopy of the tall trees and it was like a rain forest. Very pretty. Took the viewing cable car back to the top and got a great look at the canyon walls before it started raining. Got back on the bus and wondered what to do considering the thunder and lightning. But it didn't rain too long so we got off at Leura Cascades to catch some photos. The walkways were flooded only a short distance from the start so we didn't get very far. Took in a few more stops along the canyon then headed back to town for some tea. The drive back to Sydney was great until about 8 miles out when the traffic snarled.

Just had dinner at the apartment so we could use up some of our supplies and get some laundry done before we pack up and leave for Canberra tomorrow. We did have Orange Poppyseed cake for Maureen's birthday, though! She enjoyed getting the emailed and facebook birthday messages.

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Photos

view from top of Scenic World
The train takes you down a very steep grade toward the canyon floor.

in the canyon under the trees
A boardwalk takes you through a canopy of trees and describes the ecosystem and the coal mining activities that used to be in this mountain.

Leura Cascades Trailhead
A bit of rain and thunder didn't stop us, but the flooded pathways did.

Costco is Coming to Oz!
Look out, Australia--a new money drain is headed your way,