Blue Mountains

A couple of weeks ago, I finally made it out of the city for a trip up to the Blue Mountains. There are numerous places you can go in the area, but I decided to go to Katoomba, which is probably one of the more popular destinations. I can see why; we drove right up to a viewpoint, and overlooking a gorge were the Three Sisters, a stunning rock formation that is one of the main attractions in the region.

The Blue Mountains were recognized by European settlers as an area rich in coal, and there are still abandoned rusty mining tools lying around all over. Probably one of the best remnants of the now-abandoned mining operation is the Katoomba Scenic Railway, which qualifies as the steepest railway in the world at a 52 degree incline! The train carries you down into the valley, where there are boardwalks and bushwalking trails.

From above, you can take cable cars across the valley. We decided to take the cable car across, and then walk along the trails back to the car.

Even though the air is much cooler at 1000 metres, the cockatoos are still everywhere.

We stayed the night about 10 minutes outside of Katoomba. Unfortunately, a lot of the accommodations in the area are SUPER creepy and old-fashioned. This was the “sitting room”. Yes that is brandy in the background. Unfortunately I still think it tastes like cough syrup.