Australia 2013 - Melbourne to Sydney road trip Day 8 & 9 - Sydney to Blue Mountains (Katoomba) to Melbourne

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From smoke to fog, atmospheric aerosols impact greatly on our travel to and from Melbourne. We allow two days to get from Sydney to Melbourne, with the Blue Mountains our main priority; should be an easy journey. However by lunchtime in Wentworth Falls a dense fog begins to descend. We enjoy a delicious lunch at the Blue Mist Cafe, and waiting for the fog to lift we browse the bookshelves upstairs. Down the road there is another beautifully kept used bookstore. We visit the falls and despite the fog we can still enjoy the valley view - perhaps the fog gives everything a more ethereal atmosphere. By the time we arrive in Katoomba, the location of the reknown Three Sisters formation, the fog is too thick to drive in and we stay put and hope for better viewing conditions the next day.

Worse things could happen to us. We find a comfortable couch to park on and read our newly acquired books. An observer apparently finds us suitable fodder for a story. Across the road is the historic hotel the Carrington, and we wander through its stained glass endowed halls with old weighty armchairs with glee.

Next morning the fog still weighs heavily, and the hotel proprietress is pessimistic of our chances. Regardless we go through the motions. At the Three Sisters lookout there is a blanket of white and one other visitor. Even so, the fog swirls and moves quickly. As an encouragement suddenly there is a gap in the fog and we can see a nearby cliff edge. Snap snap snap, it's our only chance! Heartened, we approach the lookout for the Three Sisters. Not five minutes later the three of us are rewarded with a clear view! "Patience has it's benefits" quipped the other visitor as we happily snap photos in our fortuitous window of opportunity. We have similar luck at Govetts Leap lookout. With patience, the fog lifted for minutes at a time.

Full on our success, we speed on towards Melbourne, with a stop for cooling ices.

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Photos

The Carrington dining room
Katoomba

The Three Sisters
Blue Mountains