Blogs from Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia, Oceania - page 13

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 ... read more

Kyl mää olen nii kauhiast yrittäny olla turisti Hohho! Oon ottanu arviolta 1500 kuvaa vajaassa neljässä kuukaudessa, ja arvaan että niiden setvimiseen menee aikanaan päivä tai pari. Osan olen saanut järjestettyä nätisti muistitikulle, mutta monta sataa on vielä säätämättä. Ja tietysti koko ajan tulee napsittua lisää. Mutta tuskin voi valittaa, kun jatkuvasti osuu mielenkiintoisiin, kauniisiin ja kuvaamisen arvoisiin paikkoihin. Kannan aina kameraa mukanani, koska usein tulee vahingossa törmänneeksi juttuihin jotka haluaa saada tallennettua. Sitten on tietysti erikseen sellaiset päivät, jolloin ehdoin tahdoin ostaa piletin seuramatkabussiin ja antaa ajeluttaa itseään ympäri turistikohteita. Jenolan Caves oli tällainen kohde ja kokemuksena melkoisen hieno. Luolat sijaitsee ihan tässä Sydneyn nurkilla Blue Mountainsilla ja Lonely Planetin mukaan ne muodostaa yhden maailman la... read more

The Blue Mountains and Featherdale Sunday was overcast at 7:30 a.m., when I set out for the Blue Mountains, but the sky gradually cleared until it was bright blue with brilliant sunshine, a perfect day for the tour. Lucked out and was seated next to John the driver, with a great view and the opportunity to chat and ask questions. First stop was the Olympic complex from the 2000 games. Not much to see here but had a much needed cup of coffee, then on to the Featherdale Wildlife Park. Our drive took us on the motorways and through suburban villages. Featherdale is a small preserve, started by a farmer and recently taken over by a corporation. My first impression was not good. That zoo smell we all remember from days past was there, but as ... read more

Collected Claire and JP from the airport and after getting quite lost in the cities suburbs we eventually found the road to take us to Katoomba and the Blue Mountains. As we ended up on some Toll roads (we think) I had to ring up and get us an e-pass but at least that means that if we go through another toll on our way back into the city its not a problem. The Blue Mountain area gets its name from the blue mist that rises from the thousands of eucalyptus trees on the valley floor and hangs in the air creating quite a mystical atmosphere. In 2000 it became a UNESCO world heritage site. It is stunning and we enjoyed a number of walks in the Blue Mountain national park (including Katoomba falls and Wentworth ... read more

So yesterday ended up very successful! My hair dryer worked wonderfully, I found an alarm clock, and I met a new friend. When I went back to my room in the evening one of my roommates was there. She was a blonde haired, blue eyed girl from Sweden, 20 years old and had just graduated from their high school equivalent. She’s been backpacking Australia for the past 3 months and is leaving for Thailand next week. Anyway, we hit it off and went to dinner last night. It was funny because she was commenting on how I was only the 2nd American she’d met on her trip, and when I started thinking about it I realized that I haven’t met a single one, although there are tons of Europeans. My other 2 roommates were from the ... read more