Blogs from Katoomba, New South Wales, Australia, Oceania - page 8

OZ Day 3-4 Left Sydney. Not a moment too soon for us. Too many people, too much traffic, to many narrow roads. Had a nice drive to Katoomba. Found a pretty good campground right next door to Scenic World. Scenic World is home to Katoomba falls, a ‘railway’, a tramway and a Skyway. We ventured onto the railway to go down into the valley and the tramway to get back up again. The railway is ‘interesting’ as it has a 52 degree grade. Great adrenalin rush. Lots of walking in the valley and a lot of history. Very, very enjoyable. Something visitors should take in. Apparently there was and still is some coal mining in the area. Also here are the Three Sisters. Rock formations that the story goes that the chief turned his 3 daughters ... read more

Our first weekend in Sydney, a group of us took the train out to Katoomba to visit the 'Grand Canyon' of Australia, the Blue Mountains. I wasn't sure what to expect, but when we got out to the first lookout on our hike, I could not believe how gorgeous my surroundings were. The hike was long, but well worth the surprises of an incredible waterfall and breathtaking valleys. There were some touristy things we heard about and stumbled upon them during our hike. We went on the Scenic Railway which is the steepest incline railway in the world which was built as an amusement ride in the late 19th century. We thought it was quite funny, but it turned out to be a little scary with how dark and rickety it was in the rainforest. We ... read more

We finally took our first trip outside of Sydney -- it was only a day trip, but it was a great change of scenery. Matt had just landed a job as a freshwater ecological consultant with a company called The Ecology Lab and we fit this in just before the reality of a 9-5 work week was going to set in. Just about 2 hours West of Sydney (by train) are the Blue Mountains. Apparently they look "blue" as a result of a fine mist of volatile oil given off by the eucalyptus trees...But don't worry, it’s not volatile enough to be noticeable! Anyway, we hopped on the train in Sydney in the morning and hopped off in the town of Katoomba. From the map it looks like the most popular (and largest) town in the ... read more

Pakkasin aamulla matkatavaraa seuraavaksi aamuksi ja lahdin junalla Katoombaan. Rinkka sai olla onneksi Sydneyn hostellissa. Olin perilla klo 13. Taalla vuorilla on selvasti viileampaa kuin rannikkokaupungissa. Vein tavaroita hostelliin, poikkesin kahvilla ja lahdin metsakierrokselle klo 14. Kavelin yhteensa valmista maastoon tehtya polkua pitkin nelja tuntia. Vasemmalla oli pudotus kanjoniin, oikealla valilla kohoava jyrkanne. Jonkin verran riitti myos portaita ja oli lukuisia nakoalapaikkoja. Kavin paatteeksi syomassa kiinalaisessa. Kuvia tuli rapsittya. Ihan hyvin olisin ehtinyt palata yoksi Sydneyhin, koska viimeinen juna lahtee klo 23, mutta tuli kuitenkin varattua hostelli taalta. Yolla muistinkin hyvin etta takalainen lammitys ja lammoneritys eivat ole ihan suomalaista tasoa. Illalla huoneen lampo oli 17 astetta (hyva etta kannykassa on mittari!). Huoneessa oli sahkolammit... read more

Here we are in Katoomba. ... read more