Feeling non-Blue in The Blue Mounatins

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The time was right to get out of rural North QLD for another planned weekend, this time to coincide with my birthday a few days earlier, and just because. I have heard so many things about this region, and it lived up to be expectations, in fact a slice of NZ climate and in some ways scenically (the flora especially, ponga ferns, tussock grasses and climatically cool clear mornings). The Friday night in the ‘Ville was great, and having a swim in the Rockpool the next day before going up Castle hill with newly met friends good way to expend some energy before refuelling at a café on the Strand.

All going well the weekend could also have shaped up to be a wee reunion with a friend living in ACT but that did not eventuate and I happily occupied myself with things. The travel down was extremely taxing, due to a 2.5 hour delay travelling on Qantas, and so I ended up getting to Katoomba on one of the hourly trains at about 10pm. A helpful local redirected me after wandering down the main street (to the advice of some teenagers on the train - Note to self, travel on Saturday nights is educational, random screams, graffiti, it had all the elements of a colourful train journey!). Finally taking a short ride with this gent whom appeared very trustworthy (and was - up from Sydney to stay on his land with caravan on it, modest weekend getaway) I was dropped off in a dark part of town by the hostel, called Flying Fox. Quite damp and no security, I also itched all night and had a very random introduction, then several random interruptions to the 10 bed dorm with midnight arrivals and morning prayer sessions at 4am (not being racist, but where is justice in unsettling everyone else’s sleep at this time?).

Combined I decided to uproot and go somewhere nicer the following day, settling at Cecil House, in a lovely sunny twin room with external bathing/ toilets, rambling terrace, large kitchen and very friendly staff whom had relocated from Brisbane. It may have cost an extra $35 but was worth it. That day I got to all the majors, jogged to The 3 sisters at Echo Point 2km from town, Leura Cascades (muddy trails, as had had a bit of rain overnight), and later after a most moving ANZAC parade (it was the 25th!!), I did the big 3 from the Scenic SkyWay station (steepest railway carriage in world down to bottom of valley, 500m drop or so), a 45 minute boardwalk through native bush of turpentine, eucalyptus trees and ponga-like ferns, and the return trip up cable car and then across valley which hung over Katoomba falls and a green green valley 500m or so below. AWESOME and worth the $28 fee.

I then partook in some retail therapy for a patient, to honour their request for a ‘Mountain Devil’, special emblem of the area, made from special part of a tree, but I got the large fluffy version as it was all they had to commemorate this. But I may have faux pas’d for $5, in which case my Japanese penpal’s kids will have the honour of receiving Monty the Devil from Katoomba!! After a quick spell in Coles for a late lunch, I took the bus to Blackheath which was another ‘must see’ spot from may patient informant, to access Govetts Leap and the amazing sunset I arrived just in time for. Alas my intention to Skype Mum and Dad from here at 5pm failed due to issues with the newly acquired notebook’s battery failing quicker than it should, damn technology, but we got a few words of “hey how are you, this is an amazing sunset…” and seeing me with pink Woolie hat amused them considerably seeing as they thought Kiwi-land was cooler right now!!! It is 1000m above sea level after all, and no huffing and puffing from me, a good indicator of fitness which I must develop for Maccu Piccu (altitude 3000-4300m!) early next year. Ayr is flat as a pancake, the most hilly it gets is over speed bumps or ascending the 0.1% gradient to the hospital. And so I shall have to ‘hill train’ up the 20 steps to my wee home there, hhhmmmmm)

Return trip? Well, after a signature event at The Carrington Hotel the night before (drink of lemon squash, as the Victorians of 1800s once did!!), heart food and an early night, Monday dawned gorgeous and crisp. I got up by 7am for a jaunt around the western side of town, circling the Cliff road, Narrowneck road and several lookouts over the Blue Mountains in between. Must have amounted to 9 km or so, and back to guesthouse in time for checking out, breakfast and the 8.25am train to Central Station in Sydney. Oh the city life, again! I had just a fraction of time to stock up on sushi nori, then out to domestic terminal to connect to Brisbane, for my 5 hour planned layover.

Well, that was a day out in itself, and I had an amazing time hanging with a nurse friend, drinking in a café, wandering the riverfront and taking ‘contemplative’ photos near the Chinese lanterns, shopping for serious mountain gloves needed for Patagonia and Antarctica at Christmas/ New Year (cheaper than NZ outlets when on sale!!). Plus met 2 amazing people whom preiously work for Q Health but now worked for Herbalife on the plane, and had a fairly deep discussion deficient vitamins and bone health in aging women, oh I could go on for hours about how exercise and vitamins influences bone density, but we all need passion in life right, mine just happens right now to be on boner, ooops, bone health. Late finish and arrival into Ayr, thanks heaps to a workmate whom took me back to this small town at 10pm, and back into the groove of earning and working for the next adventure, Undara Lava Tubes at Queens birthday weekend!

Until then…

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Photos

Giants stairway
Now work those quads, work those quads...gradient ~90%

Ready for a boozy night at the Carrington
..not on lemon squash mind you?