Ok, so where were we? Ah yes, Sydney! Internet access has been more sporadic than I had expected, so we’re a little behind on the updates.
Anyway, we left Sydney on the Saturday morning (January 12th), to make a 2 hour journey north to a little place on the coast called ‘The Entrance’. Boydy, a friend from good old Northern Ireland, lives there now with his Aussie wife, and I really wanted to take the opportunity to see them.
We had a great time (apart from the time I was nearly swept out to sea), and ended up staying there until Tuesday.
On Tuesday morning we left to go west of Sydney, up into the Blue Mountains. Katoomba seemed to be where most of the interesting sites were located, so that’s where we stayed.
So, on Wednesday we went on a fairly lengthy walk, checking out Katoomba Falls, and the 3 Sisters (via Echo Point), and admiring the view of the rainforest from the top of the valley. Thankfully the fairly groggy, dull weather disappeared for most of the early afternoon hours, allowing us to get some good shots of the spectacular scenery.
The walk took us down (thankfully not up) the Giant Stairway which is a very steep, 900 step stairway, cut into the cliff face near the 3 Sisters. 900 steps don’t sound like much, but with the heat, humidity, and the angle they have been made, it’s quite nasty (unless you’re used to ascending and descending steep inclines).
One stage of the walk through the rainforest felt very Amazon like, but I didn’t see much exotic wildlife, except for a few Rosella’s (I think). The noises are cool though, and piercing at times.
If you’re in the Sydney area, the Blue Mountains are definitely worth a visit.
