Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
SUNDAY 21ST DECEMBER
At an unbelievably early hour and barely 2 hours sleep, I caught the shuttle from my hotel to the airport. Mummy and Emily's flight was landing at 6.30am and I was very excited to see them after 3 months away. This was the beginning of 2 weeks of luxury and so began suitably when we were greeted, much to our surprise, by a stretch limo. Not a bad way to make the journey to the Blue Mountains. These mountains begin about 65km inland from Sydney and the landscape is filled with dazzling rock formations, valleys and rainforest. The first Europeans to cross this area were Gregory Blaxland, William Lawson and William Charles Wentworth in 1813, and since then it has been a popular destination for Australians and tourists alike. We were staying at Lilifanels in Katoomba, the central destination of the mountain range. Having checked into our hotel, we enjoyed a late brunch, before I headed into town, shortly followed by Mummy and Emily. After a quick drink in the sun, we ventured, via a short train ride, to Leura, a picturesque town just a few minutes away. There was, however, little to do here so we shortly headed back to our hotel to chill out before dinnrt. We ate that evening in the hotel restaurant and it was the best food I had eaten in a very long time. Tired, and with Emily and Mummy being slightly jet-lagged, we headed off for an early night to try and recover.
MONDAY 22ND DECEMBER
This morning we enjoyed a late breakfast before spending the rest of the morning relaxing beside the pool. As Emily and Mummy had already visited them, I ventured out a short way from out hotel to a spot called Echo Point. From this lookout you could see the Three Sisters, an impressive rock formation. These 3 rocks gained their name from an aboriginal tale about a wizard turning his 3 daughters to stone in order to protect them from unwanted suitors. However, a little unfortunately, he died before he could return them to their true form. On the way home I passed by a memorial to the Road Builders. These were the convicts who were made to build the Great Western Highway for over 30 years despite the bitter weather conditions. Having been joined by Mummy and Emily, we all embarked on a walk towards the Katoomba Falls. This presented views over the Jamison Valley, the base of which was filled with a dense rainforest. In their setting, against the backdrop of the sky, you could begin to understand how this mountain range gained its name. Especially when the disappears, they definitely gain a vaguely bluish tint. We crossed over the top of the valley in the Scenic Skyway Cable Car which contained a glass-bottomed floor. Through this, you could look down onto the Katoomba Falls, quite spectacular sight. On the opposite rim of the valley, despite it being the last ride of the day, we caught another cable car down to the valley floor to gain a view of the rainforest. Unfortunately we only had 10 minutes to reach the railway, otherwise it would have been a challenging hike back up to the top, so we rushed along the footpath. However, we did come across a small coal mine that used to be in action in 1872 down here. We reached the railway just in time for the last train of the day. This was an exciting way back up the mountain as it is the steepest railway in Australia, descending almost vertically down the 52 degree incline to the forest floor, and was used to transport the miners down to work in the 1880s. Having been more or less shoved out of the closing shop, we began on the return walk, this time via the Katoomba Falls themselves, where we posed for some posters. In the evening we went for a delicious but very substantial meal at a cosy French restaurant called The Rooster before heading off to bed.
- comments