Blue Mountains, Australia
It was autumn so we expected a bit of rain; just not too much. We wanted to see the views. Driving up from Sydney following the SatNav to the Three Sisters, it was wet and heavy.
Back in the UK, we had planned a route between Sydney and Melbourne driving the coastal road then realised that it would be a missed opportunity if we didn’t venture into the Blue Mountains for a quick ‘peak’.
The Three Sisters was billed as a ‘must see moment’ – a rock formation located at Echo Point, Katacomba. The Aboriginal legend is that three sisters fell in love with three brothers from a rival tribe. To protect them from the resulting tribal war, the sisters were turned to stone by a witchdoctor who, unfortunately, died leaving the sisters permanently lumps of rock.
Iconic Three Sisters in the Blue Mountains
There is a viewing platform nearby at Echo Point. We arrive and wander up and . . . the clouds cleared. Perfect timing . . . sometimes it happens. (According to the New South Wales National Parks website, its warns ‘be prepared for colder temperatures as conditions can change quickly.).
Sunset at Echo Point overlooking the Blue Mountains Australia
Three Sisters
Even next day did not disappoint.
We had beautiful weather to enjoy the Katoomba Scenic World with the ‘steepest passenger railway in the world’ (built for mining purposes), the cableway (from ‘treetop to clifftop’ and the walkway through the ‘ancient rainforest . . . on elevated boardwalks’.
At the end of a great day, it was dry enough to walk back along the Prince Henry Cliff Walk catching glimpses of the Three Sisters along with seeing some of the flora and fauna especially those not known to us in the UK.
Pink wildflowers captured at Echo Point
Katocomba
As the NSW website warned, the conditions changed. We woke to fog . . . but after the previous day, we didn’t feel cheated. In fact, it was fun trying to capture it with the camera. It was weird knowing that there was this enormous view in front of us yet thick fog covered pretty much everything. The trees loomed out giving a very different feel to the day before.
Street in katacomba shrouded in morning fog and misty forest scene near Lilianfels Resort
Bus appears through thick fog in Katacomba in the Blue Mountains
Walking along the road, we did a bit of ‘mouching’ (Cambridge Dictionary tells me this is ‘to walk or do things slowly and without much purpose’). Katoomba is the perfect town for this with shops, art galleries, antique centres and food – in particular, the Yellow Deli.
The website talks about it being a ‘small humble building . . . built with discarded materials’. The Yellow Deli serves ‘hot steamed sandwiches’, healthy salads, homemade soups and desserts . . . yes, you need to be hungry to take full advantage of the goodies they have on offer.
Then back to pack up the car for the next adventure . . .