Blue Mountains

11 January

If there is one thing I will appreciate when I head back to Wales, it's having beautiful mountains on my doorstep.  I've yet to find any quite like Snowdonia, so when I spotted the Blue Mountains range in my guide, I immediately jumped at the chance to go and explore.  After a few days of pretty grey weather, the sun eventually came out on the Saturday.  

I boarded the 8.30am train bound for Katooba.  The journey took approx 2 hours.  This was my first time on an Australian train and these ones in particular reminded me of the TGV in France with their double-decker carriages and steel shell.  The only difference were the flipping seats - meaning you can manually move them if you wanted to face foreword or sit in a group of 4- genius! 

Upon arrival I walked 2km through the main town towards Scenic World, an attraction based park which allows you to explore the area around 'The Three Sisters' range.  I had originally planned to just do the skyway but once I'd seen them all in action, it was hard to say no, especially for $30.  

After taking the skyway across the canyon (which it worth the entrance fee alone as the floor suddenly becomes clear and allows you to look straight down- not recommended if you suffer from vertigo) we headed towards Echo Point which is the best spot for the Three Sisters.  Most people had taken the Trolley Buses which had driven them from point to point but I'm glad I opted for walking as I was able to stop at different vantage points along the way and take some great photos.  There was one spot which took my breath away and after sneaking over the barrier (tut tut) allowed my new German friend, Steve, to take a cracking shot!

We continued on past Echo Point to Cahills lookout, a lesser known lookout but one that isn't to be missed as it provides stunning views of here Jamison Valley.  Following which, we headed down the Giant Walkway Stairs, which were the steepest I've ever seen!  I have been known to be a little unsteady on my feet so I was extremely wary about each step I took.  Unlike one father who put his two month old little boy on his shoulders as he climbed the last 20 or so steps.  I'm not even a parent and my heart was in my mouth...

After returning to the other side of the canyon, we headed down the 'steepest railway in the world', at one point I felt like I was back in Alton Towers!  Still it was good fun all the same.  We continued our walking trek past the Katoombe Falls and along a 50 min trek through the rainforest before returning back to the top via cable car before walking the 2km back to the station and taking the train back to Sydney.  For a total of $45 round trip, I felt I got my money's worth and I couldn't have picked a better day for it!