A Day in The Blue Mountains
Today, as it was Saturday, A was not at work so he and A & L went out for the day to The Blue Mountains. M stayed at home with N as he had not been feeling well.
It was chillier today and there were more clouds and so as they were going up to the mountains they dressed for a chillier day!
They all set off around 8.50am so they could make the most of the day while it was light! It was a bit of a run but it was up the motorway and seemed quite quick!
First stop was in Leura which is a town joined on to another town called Katoomba! They parked and found a nice cafe where they could have a late breakfast. The cafes all seemed busy as this is a popular drive for the weekend tourers from the city or because quite a lot of people might have a 'weekend house' up in the hills and they are making the most of their time!
After their breakfast they had a quick look up and down the Main Street at the shops! They cater for the visitor and there was a mix of tourist shops and gift shops and quite a few home living shops! For those there with a car they could pick up some nice things.....but for those having to fly half way round the world to get home you just had to look! That was a bit of a relief for one of the two!
From here they drove the short distance to Katoomba! Katoomba is famous for being the location of one of Australia's most recognisable spots.....The Three Sisters! These are three rocky outcrops that are located in one of the vast valleys that make up the Blue Mountains! Katoomba and Leura, and a few of the other towns in the area, are located on the flat mountain plateaus of The Blue Mountains. The result is that at a variety of view points in the area you are high up above the wooded valleys looking down into them and the stunning scenery! It looks a little like looking down on the 'I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here' set!
The Three Sisters are stunning outcrops of eroded rocks and you wonder if in years to come the tourist pull of this town is going to be lost if they erode away and crumble away!
As it was a Saturday the viewing area and tourist information centre was very busy! Not only were the weekend visitors out but there were quite a number of bus tour groups there! The end result was that people were vying for the best spots to get their photos taken! However, this time it is of people in jackets, scarves and hats as it was chillier!
After admiring the view they went for a walk down one of the designated paths that takes you right down to the viewing point just above the rock stacks! Not S many people made it here but it was a great way of getting. Closer up look at the huge towers of rock that draw the crowds.
After going to the shop they were off again! From Katoomba they drove further east to Blackheath! Here they stopped for lunch. They went to a cafe called The Victory Cafe on Govett Leap Road. This was a quaint cafe and again was very busy! Behind the cafe was a huge hall like building on two floors which was filled with lots of antique sellers selling their goods! Each area seemed to concentrate on different types of antiques and goods to sell! Some were genuine antiques while a lot of it was second hand goods and chattels and furniture! Some definitely were NOT antiques but were more like child hood memories! So surely they are not old enough to be called antiques!
From here they took a short drive to 'Govett's Leap' which was another stunning viewpoint out across the valleys and once again you were standing on top of the rocky cliffs looking down into the vast valleys which are just totally covered in dense forest! This view point had a great view over to a waterfall which dropped hundreds of feet into the valley below! A told them that there was a path round to the waterfall and asked if A and L wanted to go round! So they said yes.....and A promptly said, 'Ok, I will wait here and see you when you come back!'
He must have known what he was doing as it as a walk with very many steps which went down and down - meaning that on the way back they would have to climb back up them! Well, for every great view there is a cost.....and this would be climbing back up all these steps!
The walk was well worth it....and the view from the lookout was stunning! I got some photos again and then they thought.....we better start the walk back! It wasn't too bad but it was quite hard going!
From here they set off back to Sydney and took the scenic route via Mount Tomah and along to Kurrajong! This road used to be the old main road but the freeway replaced it! However, this road goes along the top of the plateau and at Kurrajong you got great views down over the lowlands all the way to Sydney which was away in the distance! It was probably about 50km's to Sydney and you could just make out the skyline!
From here they hit the road again and it was back to Dural just getting home before it got dark!
This was a good outing and it was great to be back to see the 'Old Sisters'!
