Bushwalking the Blue Mountains

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This is the Australia I came to see! I got an early start on my first day in the Blue Mountains since I was eager to do some hiking, plus I wanted to enjoy some of the relatively cool morning. Unfortunately I missed the warm glow of the morning sun. The sun was already beating down by 9:30. On a side note the sun here seems brighter than any sun I’ve seen. When the camera was on automatic settings almost every picture I took came out over exposed.

So I started at Echo Point where you get a nice view of the Jamison Valley and the Three Sisters. From there I took the Giant Stairway down to the valley floor. Now, they were not kidding about it being a giant stairway. I’m not sure how many stairs there are but there is a ton! I was worried the trail would be crowded because Echo Point was relatively crowded, and even the stairs, despite there being a ton and it being really steep. But it’s like most parks where the places near the road, or in this case also the bus stop, are the most crowded. I walked along the cliff down on the valley floor through the Leura Forest. It was AWESOME! There were so many ferns (which I love) and all sorts of different trees, none of which I know the name of. Except for the eucalyptus, but that almost doesn’t count since there are 500 types in Australia! I think my favorite plant I saw was the fern tree. It’s like a tree with fern leaves at the top. Now I want one in my yard. Also in the beginning of the walk, and probably because it was still morning-ish, the forest was filled with so many non-stop beautiful bird noises. It sounded like a nature CD, not even kidding.

At the end of the trail on the valley floor there is this beautiful waterfall, the name of which might be Bridal Veil Falls since there are 2 separate lookouts called Bridal Veil that overlook it. The trail signs and maps were really confusing and I didn’t have a good one. Anyway, it was a beautiful thin spray of water falling over layers of sandstone. Some of the water turned into a fine mist, which reflected the water beautifully. Unfortunately the falls marked the end of the valley floor which meant that I had to climb out of the valley on about an equal number of stairs in the Giant Stairway. By the afternoon the bird noises had subsided for the most part but was replaced with the sound of flowing, rushing, falling, water.

Back up at the top of the cliff overlooking the valley there were multiple viewpoints to the valley and facing cliffs. I saw numerous skins running around the trail and near the water. I was sitting down eating lunch and one was nearby so I thought I’d take a picture of it. Then a larger one, better for photographing, appeared so I set my sandwich down to change lenses and take a picture of it. Before I know it the little one snuck off and was trying to get my sandwich! They are not too afraid of people and act a lot like chipmunks, especially ones that are used to getting human food. Too bad.

I did a little more hiking around the top of the cliff but I was getting really tired and still had to get back to the hostel. On my way back I was stopped dead in my tracks by a beautiful parrot. I managed to change to my telephoto lens and got one decent picture. But as I was setting up my tripod to try to get an even better picture the thing flew off higher into the trees and was too obscured by leaves. Oh well, it was a good thing to see near the end of a long, tiring hike.

Day Two:

I started my day with a slight feeling of still being overwhelmed by the amount of information to sift through to figure out what the right or best thing to do is. I was also really tired and my calves were very tight from climbing stairs all day so I spent the morning figuring out a game plan. I’m not sure if it’s the best one and everyone has their own ideas, and often wrong information, so it’s hard to know what to do. But anyway I decided it made good sense to fly to Cairns and then work my way down to Melbourne, hopefully to Tasmania and then get back to Sydney to leave. So on Friday I am flying to Cairns. My time in the Blue Mountains is up tomorrow early morning. Unfortunately there is not a train that leaves early enough from here to get my in Sydney in time for my flight. That is too bad because I like it here and I’m not really looking forward to going back to Sydney. Oh well, there’s not much that can be done.

I was also waiting around this morning because I was hoping to do a late hike and catch a sunset. However, it was mostly cloudy and the forecast was for late thunderstorms. So I decided to pack a late lunch and head out knowing that I probably wouldn’t get to see a sunset. I was still feeling kind of tired and unsure of my plan, but feeling better just because I finally had one whether it was the absolute best or not. Of course I had to start my bushwalk by going down more stairs. And the thing about that is you know you have to go back up them at some point, but due to the shape my legs were in going up was easier than going down. Actually there is a SkyRail thing that you can take up from the bottom for ten bucks. Seems like not a lot but it is on a tight budget. So hiking back up it was for me.

The trail today had more interpretive signs so that was good for a nerd like me because I got to learn about some of the plants, animals, and geology of the area. It was another beautiful hike through lush rainforests. The neat thing about descending into the valley is that you get to see the ecosystems change with the different conditions. The soil on the valley floor is much more fertile than the cliff tops so there is more vegetation and different types on the valley floor. Also there is a band of claystone sandwiched between two broad layers of sandstone. In the claystone there is a band of vegetation in the middle of the cliff face; this is because there are more nutrients and erosion has created cliffs on which plants can grow.

On the descent there are many lookouts to see Katoomba Falls, among other waterfalls. I stopped to take the usual picture at these waterfalls, and even though there wasn’t a lot of water the falls are still pretty. There is another steep set of stairs leading down to the valley floor at the bottom of which is a wooden boardwalk around the valley rainforest. This is the drop off/pick up point for the SkyRail so of course it was crowded with tourists. Many of which were wearing high heeled shoes and carrying nothing but a point and shoot camera. Very different from the way I like to do things. I can’t help but laugh a bit at those people. At the bottom there were a few groups of Lyrebirds. They are about as big as a small chicken and have a really long tail, but otherwise sort of drab. They were neat to see rooting around for food and whatnot on the valley floor.

As I started making my way back up to the main trail (or walk as it’s called in Australia) the weather started turning bad. The sky got grey and there was faint rumbling in the background. It was still too far for me to make it back before the rain started and I figured I’d probably get rained on so it wasn’t that big of a deal and I just had to deal with it. Plus I passed several overhangs in which one could find shelter so I figured if it got bad enough I’d just wait it out for a bit. And that’s exactly what I did. My thought was that I could either just head back in the rain and then sit at the hostel or I could sit out of the rain and wait for it to hopefully let up before hiking in the rain back to the hostel.

So as it began to rain I found shelter in a really long, relatively wide overhang with a hand little “bench” carved out for me to rest on. Plus the outside edge of the overhang was bordered by trees so it stayed completely dry in my little shelter. The only downside was that I couldn’t really see what was going on up above. I had been waiting about half an hour and I thought it was starting to let up so I began heading up again. Well I was wrong; it was still raining quite a bit but thankfully not too far up was another, far less awesome overhang in which a group had found shelter. However, from their cover they were able to see what the weather was doing and they even had a little view of Katoomba Falls to keep them entertained. From here you could really see how the rain can change a waterfall. What started out as a little trickle turned in to a beautiful flowing waterfall.

In a few minutes the raining pretty much stopped so I continued on my way up. After only a few steps there was an awesome view of the gushing Katoomba Falls. It literally took my breath away and gave me goose bumps. Let me try to explain to you my setting. To my right, looking out in to the valley there was a wall of white clouds behind which there was a dark bluish grey thundercloud. In front of me was the contrast of the white cloud with the green of the trees. The white bark of the trees stood out more than usual in the unusual light. A little more to my right was the red sandstone cliff. To my left was the magnificent Katoomba Falls. It’s hard to explain my feeling but it was one of wonder and awe at the transformation of the forest and the waterfall. What was just a trickle before was now a full-fledged waterfall. And I got to see it at its most beautiful before it turned brown with runoff and sediment. I’m glad I stopped to photograph it before the bright white clouds enveloped the entire valley. I was sad that there wasn’t a view of the waterfall or the valley anymore but the clouds gave the forest a unique glow and feeling. Plus I knew that I was one of only a few people who witnessed the transformation of Katoomba Falls today.

I continued walking up the trail full of new energy and a feeling of peace and contentment. I know this sounds hokey but to anyone who’s had such an experience will know what I’m talking about. This afternoon was probably one of the best experiences of my life. It will always be memorable to me that’s for sure. It kept raining off and on during my hike out of the valley and I was hoping that it would clear so that I could get a decent view of the sunset. I decided to go back to a short side trail that I had gone on earlier since it would be exciting and different. Earlier in the day I hardly noticed a slight trickle passing under a wooden bridge. However, it had turned in to a brown, angry, rushing torrent of water! At the end of this little trail was the Falls. Before it was somewhat unremarkable but now it was alive with water and had a feeling of rejuvenation. It was too wet for me to feel comfortable getting my camera out so I tried as hard as I could to dedicate the scene to memory. The water was pouring over the top of the ferns and plants that had found a little place to grow among the openings in the rock. Below the ferns there was an area that flattened out a bit so the water that was rushing down the falls sort of glided over the smooth sandstone before falling below.

Farther up I crossed Witches Leap (leap is a Scottish word for waterfall) for the second time today. And what a transformation it underwent. It too was alive with flowing water. I felt more comfortable getting my camera out so fortunately I got a few pictures of it. I also felt an amazing sense of peace in front of this gushing waterfall. It was also windy there since the waterfall is sort of tucked back in to a corner. The wind wasn’t violent but it was definitely noticeable and was stirring all of the plants around the falls.

Once I finally made it back to the top of the cliff it was raining a bit more constantly and it had cooled off a bit. Also the falls had turned muddy looking. I couldn’t help but think about the watershed and how much of it was natural and how much was urban and wondering whether it was natural for it to turn brown. The answer is probably that it contained runoff from the urban area and runoff from natural soil erosion.

I tried to wait out the rain again and was still hoping to see my sunset. I debated for a while and started heading back to the hostel but then turned around and was going to stay. Just then Bob, a friendly Australian who spent the last three days in the bush, stopped to ask where I was going. Anyway we ended up walking back to town together and chatting for a while. I’m glad I came back since it has been cloudy and rainy ever since.

People at hostels are very interesting. Sometimes I wonder how such young people have the money to travel all around. And the answer is that they probably have parents who are helping them. Maybe that’s a huge judgment and I really have no idea. I like to watch the people here and see what they eat. Breakfast is pretty standard: cereal or some type of toast with jam and a piece of fruit. I don’t really see lunch but dinner is something interesting. One guy tonight prepared spaghetti with canned peas and canned tuna all mixed together. A couple had what looked like spaghettis sauce, or maybe it was salsa, with canned corn and rice; I later saw a huge pile of it in the trash. There is a family who looks like they are eating Greek food, tabouleh or couscous, some other really fancy looking food, and dessert! Pasta is by far the most popular probably since it’s cheap and easy. Monday when I got to town I bought vegetables and Thai noodles. Perfect since I only had to cook once but ate for three nights!

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Photos

Blue Mountains
Blue Mountains and the Jamison Valley from Echo Point lookout.

Skink
This is the larger skink that was running around me while I was eating lunch near a stream.

Eucalyptus
This is one of over 500 types of Ecualyptus that grows in Australia.

Fern Frond
Ferns grow prolifically in the valley of the rain forests.

Blue Mountains
Another view of the Blue Mountains and the Jamison Valley.

Fleeting Parrot
This is the parrot that fled before I could get the tripod out and take a proper picture. I did get a close look with the binoculars though.

Tree Fern
I love these things! They are true relics of the past; they came from ancient Gondwanaland (before the continents separated). They grow everywhere in the forest and give it a primitive feel.

Blue Mountains Closeup
Closeup of the sandstone that makes up the Blue Mountains and a majority of Australia.

Rainforest Vegetation
A majority of the cliff faces in the forest look like this one. These plants are adapted to moist conditions so they thrive near waterfalls and on or under cliffs where they receive runoff.

Katoombe Falls Pre-Rain
This is the trickling Katoomba Falls before the afternoon thunderstorm.

Katoomba Falls Transformed
Katoomba Falls after the rain. It was unbelievable to be able to witness the transformation.

Raging Muddy Torrent
This really illustrates the power of the rain; it gave the forest an angry feel. When I passed this the first time it didn't even register that I was walking on a foot bridge that had water running under it.

Katoomba Falls and The Three Sisters
This shot gets two of the major attractions in the Blue Mountains Area.

A Gimmer of Hope
These clouds engulfed the entire valley and then proceeded to fade in and out. For a brief second I was hopeful that there would be blue sky and a decent sunset.

Comments

[paula rae]

Wow...
Breathtaking photos Eva - truely. I can't begin to imagine what it must feel like to be 'one' with the majesty that surrounds you.

[Paula Rae]

And then?.....
Anxiously anticipating your next installment! ... (while knowing these things can't be rushed! :)