Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia

Blue Mountains

Three Sisters at Echo Point, Blue Mountains National Park

Our second day in Australia, we took a two-hour train from Sydney west into the Blue Mountains National Park which separates the heavily populated eastern coast with the dry and desolate Outback.

Blue Mountains National Park

Our train stopped at Katoomba, an interesting counter-culture community.  Katoomba’s main street was lined with cafe’s, coffee shops, antique shops, arts and crafts stores, organic food markets with flavors of  alternative life styles.  It reminded us of Eureka in Humboldt County, CA where everything looks out of the ’60’s.  But with gelaterias and bakeries.

We passed on the expensive bus tour around the Blue Mountains and walked a mile down a hill through residential neighborhoods to Echo Point, a lookout over the canyons with mountain ridges in the distance in a hazy blue shroud.

Three Sisters

Three Sisters rock formation at Echo Point is the Blue Mountains most prominent geological feature.  The three towering rock formations are the subject of aboriginal legends, one about three maidens captured by a rival tribe who were transformed into rock formations when their tribe was defeated.

View from Echo Point

After viewing the canyons and Three Sisters, we took a three-hour hike along the canyon’s steep  rocky walls.  The vegetation was semi tropical with gum and eucalyptus trees, vines and ferns, and streams trickling down the hills into the canyons.  Colorful small parrots and white cockatoos flew across the canyon, squawking like noisy children.

Marilyn on the trail

Semi tropical foliage on the trail

We stopped at several viewpoints to look across the canyon and the thick canopy of trees below.  One misstep . . . you’d plunge a couple hundred feet into the trees.

Sheer canyon walls along trail

Canyon walls plunge below viewing point

We met  few hikers along the dirt trail, enjoying the quiet, interrupted by squawking of cockatoos and parrots and the rustle of leaves in gentle breezes.  The mountain air was refreshing, with a hint of minty resin from the gum and eucalyptus trees.

View across canyon on trail to Leura

Canopy of gum and eucalyptus below viewing point

Our destination was Leura about five kilometers from Katoomba. Leura is a more upscale community with modern homes, landscaped gardens, shaded walks, and two blocks of retails stores and arts and crafts shops.  But only two cafes, both French, with eye-popping prices; $18 for soup and $95 for Chateaubriand.

We ended up at a British style hotel pub looking over Leura and had excellent dinners of veal schnitzel burger and prawns in marinara sauce for about $50.  Just what two tired and hungry hikers need before getting on the train back to Sydney.

Next:  Sydney Opera House

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