Sydney Day 4 - The Blue Mountains

Waiting for the train. Most of the stations are very quaint.

Thanks to some chirpy birds the majority of us were up at 6am this morning. We headed to he bakery for some cheese buns and chocolate croissants. Since it’s a 2 hour ride to the Blue Mountains we wanted to get an early start anyways. We went through interesting little towns with names like Toongabbie, Rooty Hill, Warrimoo and Bullaburra and eventually arrived in Katoomba. Luckily for us our multipass rail/bus/ferry tickets also work here so our legs are saved from a 40 minute hike in a hilly city that compares to San Francisco. The trolley dropped us off at Echo Point and the view is spectacular. I would compare it to the view from the Eagle’s Nest in Germany (minus the large rocky mountains).

The Three Sisters Rock Formation with an Aboriginal history

It was a challenge to get pictures as there was an extremely large contingent of Japanese tourists everywhere today. We went on a 30 minute hike on the trails and ended up at the ‘Three Sisters’ rock formation where, in 1932, Ranger McKay kindly cut 900 steps into the side of the mountain for future tourists to experience acute leg burn and hyperventilation. The Blue Mountains get their name from the eucalyptus trees that grow in the valley. They give off a vapour and when the sun shines it looks like a blue haze. After lunch we rode down the mountain on the steepest incline railway in the world. Its on a 52 degree angle although it looks like its just shy of 90 degrees. I swear it is almost straight up and down.

The Scenic Train down into the Jungle. Note the angle of the train above and below the sign!

The Blue Mountains date back to the Jurassic Era and are 10times older than the Grand Canyon (I’m sure this will shock all the Americans). After experiencing the cool 12 degree mountain air all day, 17 degrees in Sydney seems almost balmy. We should all sleep good tonight.

A couple of Ugly Koala's hanging in the trees.