Just Got Back From The Blue Mountains

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Hey everyone! I just got back from my Blue Mountains trip... I have to say that the mountains were not that blue, but that's because it wasn't humid... the Eucalyptus trees are what casts the blue haze in the air, I guess the oil in them? We stopped at Featherdale Animal Zoo (I forget the exact name, it's in the pictures!) and I bring pictures of Kangaroos and Koalas! I know everyone's been looking for them... ha ha.

Once we were done at the zoo, we stopped in a little town for lunch and then headed to the outlook where we saw the Three Sisters (part of the Blue Mountains) as well as the rest of the mountains. We then went to various platforms around the area and took tons of pictures, of course! My picture count is now 622... I fully expect to have over 1,000 pictures by the end of this trip. That is my goal!

We then hiked DOWN (THANK GOODNESS!) 1000+ steps... there were some crazy people hiking up, but we took the easy way up. We took the Scenic Mountain Railway STRAIGHT UP the hill... I'm not sure if it was a fun ride or completely scary, but I'm still alive. We went up backwards (we could see the view of the Blue Mountain range in front of us) and I'm glad we did because a 52% grade up through a tunnel is nerve wracking, not to mention going DOWN... it'd be like riding the drop of a roller coaster for 3-5 minutes instead of the 10-15 seconds it usually is.

Then, we browsed around the gift shop and came back here... to Sydney. It was a long day but it was well worth the money that I spent for this trip... =)

Also, for those who are interested... I actually swam 1000 meters (40 laps of a 25 meter pool) in half an hour... I think that I am set for this swim portion. Now for the running and the biking!

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Photos

Koala
One of the Koala's who was awake at the place that we went...

Koala Madeline
Madeline -- I saw this and thought of you almost right away... although they couldn't tell me which one was Koala Madeline, apparently they all look alike?!?!

Me With Koala
Maybe this is Koala Madeline?!?! Wouldn't that be sweet!

Koala
Koala's are cute animals... very soft and fluffy.

Kangaroo
Petting a kangaroo... that one wanted so bad to get into that fence... poor thing was hopping around from one side of the fence to the other... trying to figure out the best way to get into that picnic area.

Momma and Baby Kangaroo
The little baby kangaroo was just born within the past couple of months... something I learned today... mother kangaroos can hold off their pregnancy for up to two years. Interesting, huh? Also, "Kangaroo" means "I don't understand you..." ... that came about when a group of people asked the aboriginals of the area what those things hopping around were and they said, "kangaroo" (meaning "I don't understand you")... it kind of stuck.

Petting Another Kangaroo
Petting another kangaroo... this was a feeding area for them.

Action Shot!
What a shot... huh?!?! Ha ha... I got him/her in mid-yawn! I felt the same way, it was earlyyy in the morning!

Penguins
They are called "Little Penguins" ... to be exact!

Albino Kangaroos
Some albino kangaroos... not sure if they're a different species because they were separated from the others, but... they're pretty looking.

Dingo Puppy
I tried to find a way to bring it home... I was plotting a way!

Not Really Sure
Don't really know... it was in a gift shop at the Blue Mountains area that we stopped at... so I got my picture taken with!

The Three Sisters
Those are the three sisters...

On Top of The World
This is where someone might feel on top of the world... it's worth the hiking back up the steps to get back onto the street.

Waterfall
Pretty waterfall amongst our walk down those 1000+ steps!

Scenic Railway
The facts about the railway car...

Three Sisters Again
... I'm just uploading the best pictures, I took 80+ pictures today but if I were to upload them all, I would be broke!

Mining
They used the scenic railway for mining... this is one of the places that they mined.

The Scenic Railway
... that's it on the right, obviously. It doesn't appear to be that safe, but there were a ton of people who got off of it, so that made me feel a bit better ... the one today is definitely safer than the one that they used way back when!

Through The Tunnel
Through the tunnel (nature-made) in the Scenic Mountain Railway Car... I have to say that I was holding on for dear life... as to not fall out of the seat. It was STEEP!

Comments

[Rick Peret]

Thanks
Libby, Thanks for the pictures. I have been checking with each group you send and really am enjoying the trip. What an experience for you. Keep up the swimming it is good for the knee. Rick

[Mom]

You like those animals...
These are great. You sure do like the creatures. No, please do not bring a dingo home, we have enough dingoes in the house. OBX has been great. Wish you were here, but glad you could be there. Love, All of us.

[Lisa]

Finally!
I've been looking for pictures of those kangaroos! They look sooo sweet! I agree with the previous entry-Rick; what an experience. I think it would beat OBX anyday!