Blue Mountains!

The Blue Mountains

Hi guys! Two weekends ago, some of my friends and I took a trip out of Sydney to the Blue Mountains, one of the most beautiful spots for hiking in the area. We woke up at the butt-crack of dawn to pouring rain, and almost called the trip off. Since we had had to cancel the weekend before because of weather, and because the weather forecast said it was supposed to be dry in Katoombah, where we were going, we decided to carry on.

We took a bus to Central Station and then got on a train headed for Katoombah. The train ride was about 2-2 ½ hours, and we had a great time just talking, relaxing, reading, etc. When we got to Katoombah, it was COLD! Not too cold, but definitely chilly. Perfect weather for hiking. We grabbed a quick breakfast, some subs for lunch, and opted to walk to the Blue Mountains rather than take a bus. Thirty minutes later or so, we were there!

We were convinced that Katoombah was haunted. Case in point.

The Three Sisters!

The Three Sisters are probably one of the most well known scenic points at the Blue Mountains. They actually hold lots of spiritual significance for the Aboriginal people who lived on this land/still consider it to be their nation. We took lots of pictures from this spot, then headed to the information center to try and figure out which trail to do. We decided on one that took us down a steep staircase carved into the rock, all the way down into the jungle. Along the way, we were able to stop at one of the Three Sisters!

Nicole, Zack and Becky near one of the Sisters

The side of the Sister, looking out into the valley

Once we made it down into the jungle/valley, we had an awesome hike from the base of the Three Sisters all the over past Katoombah Falls. I’m not sure how far it was, but it was probably about a 1 ½ - 2 hour hike. It was beautiful, relaxing, and fun. We ate lunch at a picnic table right by Katoombah Falls, which were beautiful.

The trail

Katoombah Falls

When you get to the end of the trail, you have to decide how to go back up. You can take stairs, or you can take a railway or a godola-style ride. Some of us opted to walk, but Spencer, Nicole, Cory, Becky and I all chose to go up on the railway. Billed as the world’s steepest railway, it looked like too much fun to pass up! When we got in it, we all felt like we were on a ride in Disney World. They played the theme song from Indiana Jones, and it was a total blast. The ride only lasted for about a minute, but still, I have to say it was worth the $11 it cost.

Outside the gift shop we somehow wound up in at the top of the mountain, we saw this really cool sculpture of the Three Sisters and a Witch Doctor. I'm not sure of the story, but I think it has somerhing to do with how these three sisters were turned into the mountains in order to protect against enemies who were approaching. After taking pictures of that, we set off for Katoombah. The walk back seemed to take a bit longer than the walk to the Blue Mountains. Anyhow, we made it, and with time to spare. We spent some more time looking around the town. We found a great bakery with awesome rolls and cinnamon buns for super cheap, and a book store where I bought a collection of Australian short stories. On the bus ride back, we were all wiped, and a bunch of us slept. Also, Kirsten found a little surprise on her foot…a leech!!! It seemed to have crawled through the hole for her shoelace. By the time she and Zack got it off, it had been attached for a while. Apparently there’s a lot of them on the trial…our friends went last weekend, and said they saw a ton. It was pretty gross. Overall though, we all had a blast! We’re definitely planning on going back again before we leave, possibly to go and see some caves.

Hope you enjoyed the update!

-Ryan