Blue Mountains, Australia

My next stop was the Blue Mountains and the city of Katoomba.  Everyone kept telling me I had to see the Blue Mountains and they were right, it was stunning!  A bit like the Smokies, including the ever-present haze.  In this case, it had a blueish tint, said to be from droplets of Eucalypt oil.    There is a Hop On Hop Off Bus to takes you to all the sights and if you stay in Katoomba you can ride the bus the entire time of your stay. 

I started out by going to Scenic World, a place where you can take a sky tram, cable car, or very steep rail car for spectacular panoramic views of the mountains.  It looked like it was an easy walk from my hotel and it would have been, except I took a short cut…

 

 

There are hiking trails all over Katoomba and the neighboring village of Leura.  I passed a trail head for Scenic World, Furber Steps, and a few more walks.  I decided it’s much nicer to walk through the woods and there was mention of waterfalls; I’m always up for seeing waterfalls.  Long story short, I should have stayed on the Scenic World trail.  Instead I wandered around, so impressed with the forest and the views, till I found myself on the Furber Steps.  This trail is about a 2-3 hour hike to the bottom of Jamison valley and consists of about 600 steps and assorted steep and rocky trails.  As is so often the case, the further down I went, the more the little voice in my head kept whispering “turn around”, but I ignored it.  I have some major objection to ever turning around; I would much rather go forward, I just have to see what’s around the next bend in the trail.  As my regular readers know, my knees always give me problems, but especially going down hill or down steps.  The further down I went, the more I knew I would regret it in the morning.  Eventually I did make it to the bottom and the trip did have some amazing views.  Once on the valley floor, I linked up with the Scenic World walkway.  A very pretty boardwalk through an ancient rainforest and past an old coal mine.  It really was beautiful down there, and the best part; the train and cable car were just waiting to take me back up. 

 

The train was originally used for bringing coal up from the valley floor.  At a 128% incline, or 52°, it’s the steepest passenger railway in the world.  The ride lasts less than 10 minutes and is so much faster than the walk down.  Back on the cliff top, I decided on the scenic skyway ride next.  It’s a short cable car ride that goes from one cliff to the other, going out over the valley with a glass bottom so you can look down at the rainforest and ravines, or look out over the entire valley and see waterfalls and the famous Three Sisters rock formation.  The last attraction was the scenic cable way, basically a different cable car that takes you back to the valley floor like the train, but with a different view.   

 

In between all the hiking and riding around, I stopped for lunch in the Scenic World café, with amazing views out over the valley.  It was pretty crowded so I ended up sitting with an older couple from Wales.  We chatted a bit and came to the inevitable question of what kind of work do/did you do.  I said I was retired military and they asked if I had been in Iraq.  I said yes.  Next question, asked as frivolously as ‘do you like ice cream’, “Did you kill anyone”?  Honestly, I have been asked this question more times than I can count and I just don’t get it.  What are people looking for?  If I say yes, are you going to lean in and gleefully ask for every detail as if I’m describing what just happened on the latest episode of your favorite TV show?  As I usually do, I told them that was a very inappropriate question and something they should never ask!  People, it is NEVER Ok to ask a stupid and insensitive question like that of anyone in law enforcement or the military!

After a long day I caught the bus back to my hotel and of course, once I stopped moving I stiffed up and my knees started screaming “What were you thinking!!”  OK, I expected as much; I figured after a good night’s rest I would be able to do more hiking the next day. Not so fast, my left knee was REALLY mad this time.  So much so that I could barely walk.  OK this isn’t normal, something’s wrong.  It felt more like a knot than an injury, I thought I might be able to walk it out.  Nope, I spent the whole day hobbling around.  OK now what.  I remembered seeing a massage/physiotherapy clinic so I managed to get an appointment the next day.  OMG this woman truly had magic fingers!  She literally massaged, kneaded, and poked my thigh, knee, and calf for an hour.   I could actually feel her breaking up a knot in the back of my knee, it was so obvious we both burst out laughing.  Ahhh relief! 

For my next adventure I decided on a short and easy walk from Everglades House, a small garden with 13 acres of landscaped English Gardens.    Not much to see, but there was a very cool man-made mountain pool in the lush forest.  It looked like some hidden and romantic pool you would find on a tropical island, complete with a waterfall.  Very hard to believe it was 100% man-made.  After a quick tour of the garden, I headed to the trail for an easy 50 min walk.  About 20 min in I met a woman coming from the opposite direction.  I asked her about the trail and she said it was very steep and not at all the easy hike described in the guide book.  This trail had 3 optional destinations, all were supposed to be easy.  She couldn’t be sure exactly which path she had been on, they really aren’t well identified, but she did see the landmarks I was looking for; the Pool of Siloam and Lyrebird Dell.  I decided not to risk it, so we headed back together.  OK a short day I guess.  I stopped and got Chinese take out on the way home; it was the worst Chinese food I’ve ever eaten!  Even the fried rice was nasty, I couldn’t eat any of it.  Peanut butter and jelly sandwich it is, a great and always reliable backup meal!

My last day I picked a long, but easy hike, and confirmed it was mostly level with a few people I met along the way.  Echo point is by far the most popular site in the area, it has a look out for the Three Sisters rock formation and an incredible view of the Blue Mountains.  From this point you can join the Prince Harry Cliff Walk trail, which goes from Katoomba to Leura.  Its 7km one way and has so many spectacular views including lookouts, waterfalls, and hanging swamps (basically lush vegetation growing on the side of a damp rock face) .  It was the kind of day I live for; great trail conditions, breathtaking views, plenty of birds, waterfalls and more.  When I got to the end of the trail, I so wanted to turn around and do it again, but I didn’t have time.  I can’t recommend this trail enough, I just loved it!  It was a great way to end my stay in the Blue Mountains, which were every bit as magical as almost every traveler who’s been to Australia will tell you. 

Link to  Katoomba photos - https://photos.app.goo.gl/JW2mFt8XK8tyXBPo8

Link to my photography website - https://throughlisaslens.zenfolio.com/