Pilutti

October 6, 2007

Katoomba and the Blue Mountains

The Blue Mountains, part of the Great Dividing Range, offer some truly fantastic scenery, excellent bushwalks and gorges, gumtrees and breathtaking cliffs. The foothills begin 65 km inland from Sydney and rise up to 1100 m, but the mountains are really a sandstone plateau riddled with spectacular gullies that have been formed by erosion over millennia. The blue haze, which gave the mountains their name, is actually a fine mist of evaporated eucalyptus oil from the gumtrees.

For more than a century the area has been a popular getaway for Sydney residents seeking to escape the summer heat, experience a it of a winter wonderland, or simply retreat to a bedroom with gorgeous views of the surrounding national parks..

Public transport is available to the towns in the Blue Mountains with train service available throughout the day. Many tourists flock to Echo Point where one can have a look at the Three Sisters rock formation and start their bushwalking adventures. While thousand may come to the lookout and gift shop, I noticed that only dozens will actually take a bushwalk. It's a good idea to hike with a buddy for safety reasons, so I went with Michael Malenfant who is a structural engineer working on the project. I hiked along the Prince Henry Cliff Walk, descended into the valley at Fern Bower, hiked along the valley back toward the Three Sisters, and climbed the Giant Stairway up to Echo Point. For a less strenuous route, bushwalkers may skip the Giant stairway continue one more km along the valley to the Scenic Railway and ride the train to the summit. Here are the photos.

Boarding the train at Epping Station Central Station

I've never seen an engineer honored before...

Departing Central Station

Inside the train and the rules of the train

Belgian Waffle shop in Katoomba

Echo Point

Before I went to the Blue Mountains, I was browsing online and came across a picture of a tree hanging on to the side of a hill. As I was hiking, I came across the exact same tree, so I took a picture.

Tree hanging on

Gateway to the Giant Staircase

View from Lady Game Lookout

Taken from the bridge from Lady Game Lookout to one of the Three Sisters

Stairway from Lady Game Lookout (not to be confused with the Giant Stairway)

More pictures from the bridge...

Starting off on the Prince Henry Cliff Walk

There are many lookouts along the Prince Henry Cliff Walk. The following photos were taken from the various lookouts.

From the Prince Henry Cliff Walk, we descended into the Fern Bower. There are many waterfalls in this area including Lila Falls, Linda Falls, and Marguerite Falls.