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Day 91 Blue Mountains
An early start so we could make the most of the day ahead as we were off inland to the much loved Blue Mountains. We travelled the scenic route via several national parks which reminded us of New Zealand and the scenery was fantastic. At Wisemans Ferry we took the cable ferry across the river which is similar to the Mallard on Windermere.
After a few hours we arrived at Windsor and then Richmond where we picked up maps and information for the next few days. We then travelled up a mountain road through many villages with obvious weekend retreats for Sydney workers as it is only 60kms away.
As we arrived we noticed a massive drop in temperature as this is over 1000 metres above sea level. With today's temperature of about 15 degrees centigrade and a cool wind we put on our trousers and fleece tops for the first time in over a month.
The slate coloured haze that gives the Blue Mountains their name is due to the fine mist of the oil excreted by eucalyptus trees. The area provides many different types of scenery including rainforests, waterfalls and sand
stone valleys. There are many bush walk trails that can be enjoyed due to the cool climate.
For lunch we stop at the Royal Mount Tomah Botanic Gardens and enjoy a bbq in the glorious surroundings. We spend an hour or so wandering the gardens and the rainforest walk enjoying the autumn colours of the plants and trees. Blackheath (a lot of the towns round here are named after areas of London!) is where we stopped for the night ready to explore more of the area tomorrow.
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Day 92 Blackheath
After a freezing cold night (well it was about 9 degrees centigrade which is very cold for us these days!) we set off to Govetts Leap a nearby lookout. When we arrived it was cloudy and not much of a view but as we were deciding what to do next the cloud lifted to reveal an amazing sight. The sun shone on the steep mountain faces before us and the thousands of gum trees in the valley. We didn't expect the Blue Mountains to look so spectacular as we have never seen pictures of them before, but we were as impressed as we where when
we saw the Grand Canyon in America.
A small trail took us up along the cliffs to a waterfall and more amazing views of the Grose Valley. We then drove to Evans Lookout where we went on another cliff trail towards bridal veil falls. Along the way we saw a snake right in our path. It was only a baby snake but it was still scary when you nearly tread on it as you think it is a twig, until you realise it is moving. The walks were great as the sun was shining and we were sheltered from the cool wind.
We then headed for the tourist town of Katoomba 12km away, found a camp site and had lunch. Near the camp site was anther lookout to a different valley with a great view of the famous rock formation of the three sisters. It was late afternoon and the best time to come as the sun provided fantastic shadows on the rocks and waterfalls. We also visited the lookout after dark as it was supposed to be floodlit. Well there were a few lights on the paths but you still needed your own torch, and we seemed
to be the only people around and it was only 7pm. Floodlights did shine on Katoomba falls and the rock formations and was worth a swift visit.
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Day 93 Katoomba
This morning we went on the Katoomba falls trail which was a 5km track down the wall of the canyon. The walk lead us to the bottom of the canyon for a good view of the falls and a disused coal mine. The walk down was impressive as the stairs down the side of the canyon were carved out of the sandstone cliff side. The board walk in the valley circled round the disused mine. The mine was closed in 1945 and the area is now fully overgrown with trees. The walk was informative as it had signs describing the different sorts of trees, vines, animals, plants and the old mine workings.
On completing the board walk we had a choice between a cable car back to the top or you could ride the old railway that used to haul coal to the top of the canyon. We chose the latter as it is the steepest railway in the world and looked good fun.
The railway went up a 60 degree incline through the face of the canyon and only took about 2 minutes.
The town of Katoomba is a strange old place and looked a bit left behind the more modern town of Leura nearby. We had a wander down the main street which had many old buildings full of antique and second hand shops.
We found a cakes and pies shop that looked inviting so we bought lunch. We have found it amusing that every town we have travelled through from Cairns to Sydney and in Perth they advertise hot pies! We couldn't work this out as it is such a hot place yet they like to eat warm pies? Anyway today we really enjoyed a steak pie each as it was cold here.
Before leaving the Blue Mountains we stopped at Wentworth Falls and enjoyed our last view of the valley. We drove east along the Great Western Highway to Penrith a town about 40km from Sydney.
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