Blue Mountains Odyssey. Day 5 – The sights of Katoomba.

Day 5 and the main purpose of our trip was here.  The Blue Mountains.  Out of the 5 of us, Jamie is the only one who had been there before.

We’ve been blessed with fantastic winter weather on this trip – it is cold (winter), but during the day the sun has been shining.  Couldn’t ask for any better really.

Here is a panorama of Lake Lyell from early morning – we could have camped right on the shore, but opted to be a little way up the hill and closer to the amenities.

After a hearty, warm brekky we were on our way to Katoomba.  The road travels many windy roads, including a stretch called 40 bends.  The name gives a pretty accurate impression of the road – it is also pretty steep uphill – lucky we were able to leave the trailer at base camp.

I’d obviously seen photos of the Blue Mountains before and had admired their beauty.  Photos, however can’t convey the splendour of this place – the breathtaking vistas, the sheer natural awesomeness.  Having said that, I’m going to bombard you with some I took today.  Indulge me – I was in photo heaven and this was the first time I’d had a reason to take panoramas this trip.

First – this is a context shot of the reality of most Blue Mountains views.

Even in July carparks are chock a block, buses are a plenty and tourists (including us) abound.  Having said that, people were more or less courteous and the crowds didn’t hinder our enjoyment.  I can’t help but wonder what it would have been like here before white man arrived.

Echo Point is the main attraction in town and has specatcular views of The Three Sisters, as well as lots of walks.

The dreamtime story of the three sisters is well worth reading.

https://bluemountainstoursydney.com.au/blog/37-dream-time-story-of-the-3-sisters-in-the-blue-mountains.html 

We walked from Echo Point to the Three Sisters (a 30 minute round trip).  The last part was very steep stairs leading to “Honeymoon Bridge”.  Across Honeymoon Bridge, we were standing on one of the Sisters.

Jamie and the kids on the first sister.

We had clear views from here towards the Echo Point Lookout.

The trip back up was much harder.

Have you had enough of mountain photos yet?  I haven’t, and there will be more tomorrow when we visit Scenic World – a theme park with cable cars that go up and down the mountains, as well as across ravines.  I’m expecting a bit of waterfall action there too.  We will also be visiting nearby Jenolan Caves for a bit of variety the following day.

Here’s a pic of Jamie enjoying the view from Spooners Lookout.

And a panorama with the 3 sisters in the foreground (2 are hiding behind their big sis).

We stopped off in Katoomba for a bit of window shopping and a late lunch, then headed back to camp, stopping at a couple of lookouts along the way.  I was happy to get a glimpse of my first waterfall – Bridal Veils Falls as seen from Govetts Leap.

Just about time to turn in for the night.  Just one more thing I should mention.  As I’ve been travelling around Australia lately, I’ve become amused by the quirky toilet signs with clear instructions of how to sit and how to dispose of waste.  Makes me wonder about toileting habits of other cultures.

And finally – for my photography friends – another couple of padlocks.

Stay tuned for more adventures tomorrow.