From Sydney we had booked a day trip to the Blue Mountains in 2008. I had an enormous jet lag after the lack of sleep from AMS to HKG and from HKG to Sydney and the fact that we didn’t recuperate long enough in Sydney took its toll. I woke up at 2:30am and even though I was tired I couldn’t go back to sleep. That left me waiting in bed for the tour to start at 7:30am.
Leura
The first stop of the tour was a little town close to the Blue Mountains: Leura. When I tell people about this town, I still describe it as one of the prettiest places I have seen. Flowering cherry trees have been planted all around the town. The guide showed us his house in Leura and the candy store.
Blue Mountains
Govett’s Leap
The next stop was the Govett’s Leap Lookout. Govett’s Leap is the name because Mr. Govett was the first guy who spotted this beautiful area. This was already a great spot to have a first look at the Blue Mountains.
Echo Point
The next stop was the equally beautiful Echo Point. From this Lookout Point you can see the Three Sisters rock formation. The story behind the name is that three sisters from Katoomba fell in love with three men. However, due to tribal laws they could not marry the men. The men did not accept this and started a war; an elder turned the women into stone. He was killed in battle and he was the only one who could turn them into humans again.
Whether you buy into these stories or not, the view is amazing!
Jamison Valley
From there we would take the Scenic Cableway into the Jamison Valley. This was an insanely steep cableway but the views were fantastic.
The below picture does not do the views any justice, but it does show a beautiful waterfall.
Scenic Railway
After my first experience walking through a jungle – I have to say I was quite scared to run into creepy critters but unbeknownst to me I would encounter these on the next destination in Cairns – we took the Scenic Railway back up. Apparently, since my visit in 2008 a lot has changed. The carriages now have glass windows for a better view and you can select the 64 degree incline. In my time we could only take the 52 degree incline (which is still available) and it was a pretty cool experience.
It’s difficult to take pictures of this railway so you’ll have to do with a wobbly picture of the incline and a picture of the sign, which (completely Hong Kong-esque states that it is the “Steepest incline railway in the world).
Featherdale Wildlife Park
The last stop of the tour was Featherdale Wildlife Park where I was finally able to pet a kangaroo! The park is really nice and relaxed. It was not too busy and it’s not too big so that was a plus. I even saw a quokka before I knew (through people taking selfies with it) how cute this animal is. In my next visit of Australia I would like to visit Rottnest Island to see them in their natural habitat.
Conclusion
In my opinion the Blue Mountains are worth a visit, even if it means you can spend one day less in Sydney. I would’ve liked to stay in the area a bit longer and to explore the region some more. It would’ve been nice to stay in a town like Leura and go on hiking trips through the Blue Mountains, but this trip was hectic and we tried to squeeze in as many sights as possible. If you’re on a tight schedule, one day is enough to see the absolute basics of the area and it’s worth the trip.
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