Blue Mountains Part 2

Some photos from the last few days of our stay in the Blue Mountains




Our fourth day was essentially an "Aboriginal History Day". We drove down to the foothills just outside Sydney to visit a park that had as its centerpiece a hike thru the bush to a cave that featured rock art by the local aboriginal tribe - the Daruk. These hand prints are 1600 years old, and were amazing to view up close. Story is that they were first discovered in 1913 by a search party looking for a lost child.



The hike was a pretty, shaded walk next to a creek for a couple of miles all the way to the cave. One of the interesting stops was at this pool, where you can still see the gouges left by stone age aboriginal hunters as they sharpened their stone axes and tools in these grooves.




As we departed the caves and started up the path on the return leg of the hike I heard a rustling at my feet as a small snake slithered off the trail into the underbrush. Guess he'd been sunning himself before I happened along and disturbed him - nearly stepped on him in fact. Didn't think much of it at the time - he didn't look too threatening, had no particular markings, and I noted that he didn't have that diamond shaped head the most venomous snakes that I'm familiar with have, so I wasn't too concerned. Still, I was interested enough once we got home to do a Google search to see if I could identify him. Well, I did, and it turns out that what I nearly stepped on was the 2nd most deadly snake in Australia - the Eastern Brown Snake. As is the case with several of the most venomous snakes here, when agitated they'll actually come after you. Lucky for me he decided to retreat and not stand his ground when he sensed me approaching else my blogging career might have come to an abrupt end. He was well camouflaged - I never saw him until he moved.



Next day we returned to the Wentworth Falls area. We had been there before and thought the area was so pretty that we wanted to do some more hikes that we'd missed on our first visit . When we arrived about 9 AM this was the sight that greeted us - low-lying clouds filling bowl of the valley. Made for a pretty scene.




Looking down on the falls from a viewpoint above.



Our first hike was this one - the Charles Darwin Walk - named for the naturalist who came here in 1836 during his homeward voyage aboard the Beagle. It was earlier on this same trip (part of a 5 year voyage actually) that he visited the Galapagos Islands and started working out his theory of natural selection that was later published as The Origin of Species. Anyway, he apparently hired a guide and several horses and came up here during a stopover in Sydney. Stayed in the local hotel (still here) and walked this path one morning down to the falls.




A picturesque stop along the way.




And another. That area to the right is a little fern grotto that retreats back into a small cave. It was so inviting that we stopped here on the return trip to sit and have our lunch.



Our second hike was a little more ambitious. Called "The National Pass" hike, it's supposed to be the prettiest walk in the Blue Mountains - we sure wouldn't argue the point. It was really fabulous. Starts from the top of the cliff, then you descend about 200 steps down a very steep metal ladder to about halfway down the cliff face, where you then follow the (very) narrow track around and under several waterfalls for a couple of miles. It was really a magnificent walk, but not for the fainthearted. Gotta give Rita credit - she really doesn't like heights but she gutted this one out from start to finish. And believe me, the photo only hints at the scariness of some of the twists and turns.




At the edge of the abyss...Rita was pretty much memorizing the lace patterns of her boots at this point.



The reward for hanging in there was one of the nicest hikes we've ever been on, dotted with stream crossings like this one just in front of the waterfall you can see to the left, and which is actually a couple of hundred feet high - just couldn't fit it all into the photo.




Another waterfall along the route - all of them gorgeous. The reason most of our photos are of me is that Rita refused to let go of the hand rails...



And another sweeping panorama as we neared the end of the hike...much to Rita's relief.



Along the way we passed a tree where about 20 or 30 of these Sulphur Crested Cockatoos were roosting. We also have a flock of about 50 that comes home every evening to roost in the trees near our self-catering place in Mount Victoria.

Occasionally as we travel around we visit places that don't quite measure up to the expectation we had going in, whether derived from guide books or other research, but I must say that the Blue Mountains have proved to be even better than the hype - they're really fabulous. We've enjoyed our week here immensely and truly hate to leave. Gotta move along, however, this time to an area just north of the Hunter Valley called Barrington Tops. We'll be there for 4 nights.

The Blue Mountains

This week we've been staying in the little town of Mount Victoria in the Blue Mountains. The tourism center for the region is Katoomba, about 12 miles down the road from us - close enough to be handy but far enough away to provide lots of peace and quiet in the evenings.





This sandstone formation is called the Three Sisters, and the name traces back to an aboriginal story. It's also tourist central for the Blue Mountains area. Located in the town of Katoomba at a place called Echo Point, it's the main stop for every tour bus within about a 50 mile radius. Nice place to visit but we didn't linger.



There were lots of interesting, although challenging, hikes radiating out from the Echo Point area - most of which traced the cliff face along the valley. Some of the ups and downs were reminiscent of my walks in the Columbia River Gorge, where everything seems to be either steep uphill or steep downhill with not a lot of level ground in between. This one was called the Undercliff Walk for obvious reasons, and provided terrific views of the valley floor below from every turn in the trail.



We're at an altitude of about 3,000 ft. here - not mountainous by any means but high enough to provide cool, crisp temperatures in the evenings. The first day of Autumn was the 21st, and the leaves are already starting to change at this elevation. As some of the hikes worked their way back into bush the forest turned almost tropically lush, like this area featuring some large tree ferns. Reminded us a lot of New Zealand, where these things are called Ponga trees.



Came upon several little waterfalls with their inviting little pools, like this one near Wentworth Falls.




Lots of sweeping panoramas like this one. Guess the blue haze that these mountains take their name from is a result of billions of little droplets of eucalyptus oil that all of the trees expire into the atmosphere. Have read that in some seasons, and under some lighting conditions, the sky can turn almost cobalt blue. It wasn't quite that dramatic for us, but still pretty nonetheless.



One of the many waterfalls we encountered on our first day out and about. The falls range from these little wedding cake cascades to some rather major drops that rival anything I've seen in Oregon along the gorge for both height and beauty.



We usually manage to find inviting, off the beaten path places to have lunch, like this hole-in-the-wall peep hole near one of the lookouts. It took a bit of getting to, and required a bit of scrambling along the way, but the reward was to have it all to ourselves while the rest of the tourists fought it out down below.




This is called the Queen's Cascade, and it was fun to splash around in the shallows for a few minutes (helps to have waterproof boots).




On our second day out we did a cliffside walk near the neighboring town of Blackheath. We were out fairly early and apparently were some of the first people on the trail. At any rate, as we were heading down the path we kept hearing the nearby musical call of a Lyre Bird. They're not particularly rare or anything, but you hardly ever hear them except off in the distance. This one sounded like he was right next to us on the trail, and it turned out that he was ... literally. We stopped and looked for him in the brush, and he couldn't have been more than 15 feet away, scratching along the ground and singing non-stop. Must have been a female in the area because he was also "displaying", or fluffing his feathers and spreading that magnificent tail up and over his head like a peacock. It was quite a sight, and a rare one at that I guess. Not only is their song one of the most melodious of any bird-sound, but when they're trying to impress a potential mate they can mimic other sounds that they've heard - everything from other bird calls to human generated sounds like car alarms, camera shutters, and even chain saws - virtually anything they've ever heard they can mimic. Couldn't record his song with our camera, but did find this link to a BBC piece and it really is worth a listen:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjE0Kdfos4Y

We're here in the mountains until the 29th, when we head for the Hunter Valley.

More Sydney

We've continued to enjoy this beautiful city...and to take full advantage of our weekly ferry passes to explore the pretty little suburbs around the harbor. Here are a few photos of the week's ramblings:



We've been lucky with the weather as you can see. Have had a few really spectacular days that made for good photo ops - like this view as the Manly ferry is approaching Circular Quay, just around the corner from the Opera House. Note the cruise ship at the terminal. Rather than trying to elbow our way thru all of the "boat people" we opted to get away from the downtown area and caught another ferry over to the upscale suburbs of Balmain, Woolwich, Greenwich, and Hunters Hill - pretty little communities with some nice relaxing walks.




One of the stops on the ferry ride over to Balmain is Luna Park - an amusement park just the other side of the Harbor Bridge that's marked by this creepy looking face at the entrance. It's a Sydney icon, and I guess has been here for about 50 years.


Another pleasant saunter was around the other side of the Opera House to the Royal Botanical Gardens, which occupies the site of the original vegetable patch laid out by First Fleet settlers back in 1788. It's now a huge green space in the middle of the city - attracting office workers on their lunch hour and joggers enjoying the serpentine paths that wind thru and around the harbor-side setting. This particular spot is a popular photo stop for the bus tours...for obvious reasons, so we took our turn in the queue.



One of the features that make Sydney such a beguiling place to visit is the assortment of pretty shoreline walks all around the harbor. Someone definitely got it right years ago when miles of shoreline were set aside as part of Sydney Harbor National Park - a green buffer between the housing developments and the water. This particular pathway wound its way along for about 3 miles. Along the way you encounter obscure little ferry wharfs where (if you're so inclined) you can hop on a boat and return to Circular Quay, proceed further along the ferry route and hop off anywhere that pleases you or, as we did, just pop in to have a flat white (a local coffee), sit a while, and recharge for the next leg of the hike. What a pleasant place this is.



For me, what makes the city especially attractive and endearing is the fact that all along the shoreline walks - and anywhere you walk in any of the suburbs - you're constantly getting glimpses of the harbor. It peeks at you around every corner, from tiny little picturesque coves like this one to full blown panoramic views from one of the headlands...usually with views of either the Harbor Bridge or the Opera House.







See what I mean? Am told that the harbor itself is only about 19 miles long from the entrance to where you enter the Paramatta River west of the city (where the Olympic venues were in 2000). Thing is, that with all of the little inlets, bays, nooks and crannies that meander off in various directions there must be several hundred miles of actual coastline around the harbor, all of it providing elevated prospects like this one looking down at the water. I don't know if there's such a thing as a "perfect city", but for me Sydney comes as close to it as any place I've ever been. In my next life I want to come back as a "Sydneysider" as the locals are called...(also, rich, famous, talented...oh, well, you get the idea.)




Some wild orchids decorating a section of one of the shore-line walks.



As we rounded a corner on one of our hikes we encountered this Eastern Water Dragon sunning himself on the path - one of the many exotic creatures that live in the bush around here. Looks pretty fierce but they're actually harmless. Seeing him was a little startling at first - he must have been nearly 3 feet long - and at first glance I thought he was a snake. Since we were in the vicinity of the Taronga Zoo we initially thought that he might have been an escapee but nope, turns out that he was just another one of the locals. We later saw about 20 more as we proceeded on.


Leaving the Quay on the ferry back to Manly. You just can't get away from the Opera House. It sits smack in the center of the harbor and your eye is constantly drawn to it no matter where you are. One thing's for sure. In an age when every city is starting to look like every other city you're never going to mistake Sydney for anywhere else. It really is unique.



And the screen saver view as we motored by one sunny afternoon.

We'll be back here for a couple of days at the end of April - just before we jump on our return flight to Portland in fact- but for now it's time to re-claim the car and head west out of the city to the Blue Mountains.

Sydney

Driving up from Jervis Bay we took a short side trip over to Botany Bay National Park. Located just south of the city - directly across from Sydney's international airport in fact - it's the site of Capt. Cook's landing in April 1770. Although he only stayed here for 8 days before continuing north to chart the rest of the east coast of what was then called New Holland, his visit had a profound effect on world events. It was his botanist on the expedition, Joseph Banks, who later recommended this place as a viable location for a penal settlement, which the British Parliament finally acted on 18 years later by dispatching the First Fleet to establish a colony. They arrived in January 1788 only a few days before a French fleet sailed into the harbor on its own voyage of exploration. So....by the slimmest of historical margins Australia was claimed and settled by the Brits and not the French. Didn't take the new settlers long to realize that Banks' description of the amenities to be found in Botany Bay were a bit overstated so they went looking for an alternative. About a week after their initial arrival they sailed up the coast a bit, turned left, and entered Sydney Harbor (or Port Jackson as it's officially known), planted the flag, and established their colony. The date, January 26, is still celebrated as Australia Day.




This was the spot where the Endeavor anchored, collected water from a nearby stream, and made first contact with the aboriginal people who had occupied the continent for over 60,000 years...one of whom they shot in the legs when he challenged a landing party at the beach. While the park itself is quite well done, with a nice interpretive walk, good signage, and numerous plaques and monuments like this obelisk to describe the events that happened here, am afraid that the surrounding area detracts a bit from the whole experience. The area adjacent to the historical reserve is essentially an industrial park, with what appears to be an oil tanker terminal just offshore.


After spending a couple of hours at Botany Bay we motored up into the city, crossed via the harbor tunnel into the northern suburbs, and found our rental apartment in the beach community of Manly - our favorite place in our favorite city in our favorite country on earth. There are a lot of places we've found on our travels that we really like, but there's only one that we absolutely love - and it's Sydney.



Looking down from our window at one of the departing ferries. We bought a couple of weekly passes and have been spending our time riding the boats to all of the far-flung suburbs that dot the shoreline around the harbor. It's a 30 minute ride to get from Manly to the main ferry terminal at Circular Quay, from which you can connect to other ferry services to get anywhere in the city.




Looking out another window at Manly cove and the wharf. The main beach is located about 100 yards to the right of the photo - it's a pretty good surfing beach too.



A nice look at the Opera House as we passed by on the ferry. That's Circular Quay just to the right, and the Royal Botanical Gardens are just behind it.





With the weekly pass the ferries were basically a "hop on - hop off" service for us, and we took full advantage to see parts of the city we hadn't been to before and revisiting others that we knew from previous trips. This is the little cove at Watson's Bay - the starting point for one of the many beautiful shoreline walks that surround the harbor.



The British influence is very apparent all around the city and only adds to the charm of the place - like these schoolgirls in their uniforms heading home after school. Stopped along the way on one of our walks to watch some of the younger kids playing Cricket in the park.



Everyone recognizes the Opera House, but the other Sydney icon (which also borders Circular Quay) is the Harbor Bridge...or the "Coat Hanger"as it's known locally.



So, you have the Opera House on one side and the Harbor Bridge on the other, and you get to ride around on little ferries like this one to commute to work every day...or to explore the city as a tourist. Makes you feel like you're in a children's story book at times.



This is a replica of HMS Bounty that was built for the Anthony Hopkins/Mel Gibson movie many years ago. Can take a two hour luncheon cruise on it every day. Floggings are optional.

We'll be here for a total of 10 days before heading up into the Blue Mountains just west of the city.

Jervis Bay

After leaving the mountains we headed toward Sydney with a stop in Jervis Bay for a few days - one of the many beautiful beach communities along the southeast coast of New South Wales. It was still drizzling as we departed Thredbo - in fact we had to modify our route because of a landslide across the highway in one section - but it gradually started to clear as we passed near Canberra on our way towards the coast. We were finally blessed with sunshine during our time there, and so were able to get out and about to do some exploring - and hiking - in the many National Parks in the area.



The entire bay was absolutely gorgeous, and the centerpiece is Hyams Beach - advertised as having the whitest sand in the world. Like Barking Sands on Kauai, the sands are so clean that they squeak when you walk on them, and the water is as clear as a swimming pool. It was like a bit of the Caribbean plunked down in an Australian Bay. Must say though, that as beautiful as the place was, the sand still wasn't quite as white as the powdered sugar beaches of Pensacola, which really have to be seen to be believed.



Lots of creatures about in the National Park, including this mother kangaroo and her joey. There's a beach not far from here where it's said that the kangaroos actually go into the water and body surf..if you can believe that.





We made it a point to go walking in the evening - about an hour before sunset one night - hoping that the animals would be out and we certainly weren't disappointed. Saw several mobs of kangaroos, lots of wallabies, and flocks of birds including this guy in the picnic area mooching an evening's meal. Not sure if he's a Lorikeet or a Rozella, but there were about a half-dozen of them flitting around.





Got up early one day and drove around to one of the more remote trailheads in the park. We were the first ones to arrive at this beach and pretty much had it to ourselves for an hour or so while we explored the surrounding bay.




One souvenir from the recent rains was this Bluebottle (or "Bluey" in the local lingo). It's a Portugese Man-o-war that rode the winds onto the beach during the recent storm. While the tentacles aren't life-threatening like the Box Jellyfish in Queensland, they will make for a bad day at the beach if they wrap around a leg or an ankle. Some of the popular swimming beaches here have stations every hundred yards or so stocked with bottles of vinegar...to dowse the affected area from a jellyfish sting and neutralize the poison (and relieve the pain).




Our lunch spot on a sunny day.


After four pleasant and blessedly sunny days at the beach we packed up and pointed the car towards Sydney - our favorite city on earth. Will be staying in the northern suburb of Manly - a 30 minute ferry ride across the harbor from Circular Quay and the downtown area. Hoping the weather stays nice.

Charlotte Pass

Yesterday was another reasonably sunny day, so we drove around to Charlotte Pass - another winter ski destination in the Snowy Mountains but also the trailhead for several nice hikes. There are several thousand brumbies in this area - ie herds of wild horses, the descendants of domesticated pack horses that either escaped or were released into the bush about 100 years ago. Didn't see any, even though we scanned the surrounding hillsides with the binoculars when we stopped for lunch.



We initially intended to walk this track to a local feature called Blue Lake, but upon arriving at the river below we found the water swift flowing and too deep to safely ford on foot. My boots are waterproof but Rita's are not, so we decided it was a bit too risky to venture across, especially if any rain further up the valley swelled the stream any more than it already was. So...we headed back up the trail and set out on an alternate route along the crest of the hill back towards Mt. Kosciusko - or Kozzie as the locals call it - the same place we hiked to the previous day, but from the other direction.




The Man from Snowy River (Also a famous Australian poem).



...and the Woman from Snowy River.







Heading towards Seaman's Hut - built here after a couple of local blokes perished in a blizzard back in the 1920's. You see lots of these remote shelters in this area - a testament to the freaky nature of the local weather. Guess they can get a sudden snowstorm up here any month of the year. There were a number of cautionary signs on the way up warning hikers to be prepared when going into the back country...which this most certainly is.




And a closer look at the emergency shelter.


Here are a couple of views of the Snowy River from the picnic spot where we stopped on the way down the hill.






There's a local fish that lives in the river - even this high up - that apparently is known to crawl up on the rocks to sun themselves on sunny days. Supposed to be Yabbies (crayfish) too, although we never saw any. Kept looking around for Platypus while we were having lunch, thinking one or two might have worked there way up here feeding on the Yabbies...but no luck.



Although most of the area was alpine tundra and totally devoid of any trees, we did pass thru this forest of Snow Gums on the way back to the trailhead.


We're here for another couple of days before heading down out of the mountains, and the forecast is gloomy - more rain until Saturday. Oh well.