Blue Mountains, New South Wales
After some incredible experiences in both Sydney and Melbourne, today we were off in search of Australia’s iconic Blue Mountains. Although a little way out of the city, it was well worth the trip to see such a fascinating and beautiful sight. A UNESCO World Heritage site, the Blue Mountains stretch across a horizon of eucalyptus trees. There’s over 140 kilometres of walking trails with some stunning rock formations, as well as plenty of other things to see and do in this area of Australia.
Getting to the Blue Mountains, Australia
Our journey started off a little unfortunately. We turned up at Sydney Train Station to catch a train to Katoomba, only to discover there were no trains on that route that day. Lo and behold, we hopped aboard a bus which took us over Sydney Harbour Bridge and on to our destination. When we arrived, we bought tickets for the Blue Mountains Explorer bus. This was definitely the most convenient way to reach our destination. It did, however, travel to a number of unwanted stops and was fairly expensive. It’s perfect if you want to get from A to B with some culture en route.
Arriving at the Blue Mountains
When we arrived, we were taken aback by the view. The Blue Mountains seem to stretch for as far as the eye can see.
The mountains apparently get their blue haze from the horde of eucalyptus trees that dominate the landscape. I’ve never seen anything like it and must say I was very impressed.
The Three Sisters, Blue Mountains
It’s easy to feel pretty small next to the Blue Mountains, particularly when they’ve been there for over 50 million years. You’ll also notice the interesting rock formation of the Three Sisters. They’re so called the Three Sisters due to Aboriginal legend. The story says that three sisters, Meehni, Wimlah and Gunnedoo lived in the Jamison Valley as members of the Katoomba tribe. The young women had fallen in love with three brothers from the Nepean tribe, yet tribal law forbade them to marry.
The Three Sisters create interesting shadows and colours as the sun passes over them. There are a number of hikes you can do around the Three Sisters, and you can even abseil if you’re feeling brave enough.
Escaping the Storm in Katoomba
Those blue clouds aren’t a reflection of the haze. The heavens soon opened and luckily for us, we managed to escape the worst of the weather.
There are a couple of shops just up the street from the viewpoint, if you don’t fancy walking the hundreds of steps to the famous Three Sisters. We would have been keen if the weather hadn’t turned on us. Instead we did some local wine tasting in a nearby shop, and were impressed at the selection on offer. If it’s up your street, try the Golden Harvest variety of wine. It was like drinking liquid honey.
We hopped back onto the bus and passed a number of walking routes. I’m sure that again, they would be great if it hadn’t been for the wall of rain perpetually hitting the bus. If you visit the Blue Mountains, make sure you check the trails out. There are some magnificent views and some falls nearby that you can check out too. Next, we did take a quick pitstop in the village of Leura. It had some great little boutique shops which reminded me so much of England. There’s also a great deli called Leura Gourmet. Make sure you try their smoked salmon salad, it’s divine.
Are you planning a trip to the Blue Mountains? If so, what are your plans? If you get the chance, make sure you visit!
