Just outside Sydney are the Blue Mountains, a very popular weekend getaway for Sydneysiders and possibly one of the most visited attractions in Australia. The Blue Mountains get their name from the bluish haze that is ever present in the distance. Whereas most vistas generally have a bluish haze the thick Eucalypt forsest in the Blue Mountains contribute to making this haze a very pronounced blue - Eucalyptus oil evaporates from the trees and refracts blue light.
Katoomba is the most central and best served of the towns in the Blue Mountains, and is also home to the famous Three Sisters rock formation. When we arrived in Katoomba the mountains were swathed in thick mists which made for some very atmospheric photos and gave the whole area a spooky appearance, but it didn't provide for great views of the mountains! While the mists were around we opted to take a rainforest walk.
On our second day in Katoomba the weather to a great turn for the better, and we could fully appreciate the vistas afforded by the various lookouts around the town. It is no wonder that Echo Point and the Three Sisters are one of Australia's most popular attractions: they are within easy reach of Sydney, making for a great day-trip if you are short on time, and the views are incredible! The sisters are three columns of sandstone that glow orange in the sun and have as their background the eucalyptus forests of the valleys below and the mountain ranges with their blue tint in the distance.
With plenty of time in Katoomba we decided to take a longer walk through the rainforest, passing by a few waterfalls and cascades and seeing some juvenile Lyre Birds. Its a pity we didn't get to see the adults - the juveniles have very plain tail feathers, as opposed to the intricate plumage of the adults - but a forest ranger told us that we were very lucky to have seen any lyre birds at all, they are usually very furtive animals that shy away from human contact. This same ranger also told us that we were walking in the area where a British hiker was lost for two weeks about a year ago - instead of following a track towards the city he got disoriented and walked away. Though he was only about 10km away from where he got lost it took rescuers almost ten days to locate him. Having walked through the same forest I can attest that it is easy to get lost if you venture deeper into the undergrowth rather than sticking to the main walking paths.
After three days in Katoomba we got onto a train back to Sydney, from where we would hop onto the night bus to Byron Bay, and hopefully some warmer weather!
For pictures of the Blue Mountains visit my Picasa Web Albums.
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