Blue Mountains

Most people that come to Australia to see a sporting event would go to a Rugby match, whether it be union or league. Or Aussie rules football. Maybe a cricket match would be appealing but no, I had the opportunity to watch a basketball game so I did! The Wollongong Hawks versus the Townsville Crocodiles. It was as entertaining as any hoops game I've ever been to. Except I didn't know any of the players and I guess they only allow 2 imports from overseas per team per year to keep the competition even. Pretty fair I would say. After a great battle the Hawks pulled away to win 84-66.
We spent the next few days lounging about. We did help with a bit of yard work and some mulching at Jen and Ca's but it will never really repay for the hospitality that has been shown towards us.

We headed out on Wednesday to finally explore the Blue Mountains! Nancy and Hedley booked a small cottage for the four of us for the next few days in Blackheath. A place far enough from the main touristy areas in the mountains but with just as much, or more to offer. After a couple hours of driving we all stopped at Katoomba to see the famous Three Sisters rock formation right on the edge of the mountains at the Jameson Valley. Before attempting to describe the Three Sisters I'll just try to explain the beauty of the valley. Imagine the Grand Canyon but with thick, lush forest surrounding the whole landscape. An area that is teaming with Wildlife and so captivating that all you can do is stare. Forget getting lost hiking in these mountains, you can get lost just gazing at its beauty. Its also easy to see why they are called the Blue Mountains. They give off a faint and hard to see bluish hue that is truly amazing. The Three Sisters, a towering trio rock formation that seem to look after the valley is as amazing as anything I have ever seen. The Three Sisters are maidens that have been trapped in stone pillars since The Dreaming which is the creation period, according to the indigenous.
After a gaze at the scenic lookout at Echo Point Genn and I took a popular track that led right to the Three Sisters where we continued on the Giant Stairway Walk that actually follows the cliffs, to and around The Three Sisters down into the valley. We didn't take the entire walk down but we did run into our first American couple on this trip. Paul and Christy. Business owners from California who traveled to Australia on a ship from the US. A 28 day cruise stopping at many islands along the way. Sounds like fun! They were really nice and seemed to enjoy and respect our means of travel. We shared ideas and gave travel advice and then Genn and I were off to meet back up with the Akhurst's. On the we saw a very dehydrated girl sitting outside the information center. Hopefully she will be ok. Remember to always drink plenty of water!
We had a quick peek at Scenic World (location of Scenic Railway) which also had a great view. Afterwards we cruised off to Blackheath! It only took like 20 minutes from Katoomba and once we got there we understood why Hed and Nance would rather come here. The town seems to lie right in between the Megalong Valley and Grosse Valley. It is less populated and doesn't have as many tourists. Its also small enough which made it easier for us to hike around.

When we arrived to the cottage we were immediately pleased. Its tucked away, hidden in the bush with only few neighbors. Inside was fully furnished with anything you could ask for. Two bedrooms, a patio with a grill, sofas in front of a fireplace, full kitchen and even a bookshelf filled with books, games, cd's and DVD's. Not to mention it had hardwood floors and built cabin style. Very nice for sure.
After a delicious, Nancy made sandwich Genn and I walked to the nearby Braeside Walk that eventually led to the Grosse Valley. Along this hike we crossed beautiful creeks that usually led to or came from a small fall. The trail followed the creek which brought us to Govetts Leap Falls. A small stream that goes hundreds of feet right into the valley below. We looked around this area for a bit and had a spectacular view from Barrows Lookout. This was one of the many lookouts in this valley which gave breathtaking views of the valley and mountains. Words cannot describe it but you can see just by looking at it why early explorers struggled to trek through these hills. They may not be towering peaks like we having the states but the cliff faces they must have reached after endless days in the bush would make it impassable. They would pass eventually but not easily.
We made our way back to the cottage and enjoyed a much needed, ice cold Tooheys Old. As we were sitting on the patio we met Ray, one of the friendly neighbors who chatted with us for a bit. He brought over his laptop and showed us a slide show he made, with jazz music, of the snow they just received a week or so back. It looked like something we would see back in the states. Everything covered in snow from the ground and trees to vehicles and houses. It made me miss the snow. We all chatted with Ray for quite a while about snow, rock climbing, snakes and spiders, apples and future plans and ideas. It was a very good visit with Ray and a very positive conversation. After our visit with Ray we enjoyed a delicious dinner of sausages and chicken kebabs on the grill with salad, potatoes and onions on the side. So good! Genn and I decided to have a battle royal with many of the board games provided by the owners of the cottage. We duked out an epic game of Battleship followed by Scrabble and Yahtzee. All matches were pretty much even we enjoyed sitting by the fire Genn proudly built herself while playing games. It reminded me of something I would do when I was a kid.

The next day in Blackheath started out with a quick brekkie and some Bing Crosby. Genn was very happy because it made her think of her daddy back home. A great way to start the day in my opinion. Hedley dropped us off at the Govetts Leap information center where we explored briefly and had a good look at some maps of the surrounding area. The Blue Mountains are big!Genn and I started hiking on a small track that winded through a habitat reserve that took us right to the Govetts Leap Lookout. Another stunning view of the hills and massive valley below. Another, smaller rock formation called Pulpit rock was in view off in the distance. From the lookout we had a perfect look at Horseshoe Falls and Bridal Veil Falls. Small streams that eventually dropped hundreds of feet to the valley beneath. Simply amazing!We trekked off and took the Cliff Top Track to Evans Lookout where we passed through our hiking area from the day before and Barrows Lookout. The track followed the cliff edge (don't worry, still at least 20 feet from the edge) for about 3 Km and then to Evans. Another beautiful lookout for us to get lost gazing at. This lookout was near a cliff face that you could see led probably 1000 feet straight to the bottom of the Grosse Valley. It was time for lunch at this point and continue our hiking to Walls Cave!We walked for an eternity it seemed and finally made it to Walls Cave Road which led to the trail that would eventually take us to the cave. This was a short but very steep hike through dry brush that at some point turned into a thick rainforest. We were getting closer to the caves and streams nearby and it was great to see this landscape transformation. Once we reached the Caves we followed this trail that winded through them, following a stream and then to the Walls Cave. The Walls surrounded the inside covered in lush vegetation and reminded us of a Jurassic Park amphitheater. We relaxed here for a while taking pictures and whatnot then decided it was time to hike back through the jungle, through the dry brush up the steep trail to where we would continue walking for one more lifetime. Another 5 Km or so later(probably 12-15 total this day) we arrived back to the cottage.

Nancy and Hedley have been telling us of this lovely place nearby in Loganbrae called Shiplee Plateau that supposedly has the BEST apples. I was craving an Apple juice so bad and we were all very excited for some deliciousness. When we arrived there was A giant sign that instantly made all of us very sad. "Open Sundays only from 9am-4pm." Well, today was Thursday so no apples for us. Ray mentioned the day before that a new owner was doing some remodeling of some kind so we assumed that was the reason behind these crazy and ridiculous hours. "Oh well" we all said and Nan and Hed decided it would be great to drive on through to show us Hargraves Lookout, which happens to show a great view of the hotel they stayed at for their honeymoon in 1954. I immediately saw how this area was very popular for rock climbers. There we stood, right at the top looking down into the Megalong Valley. The bottom not completely engulfed in Gum Trees like the other valleys but a clear, clean grassy area which also had a highway passing through. Its was here where I realised that each lookout and valley we had seen was more beautiful then the previous. They all were breathtaking and we were very lucky to be seeing such wonderful sights. Afterwards we all went to a pub for a beer to satisfy the cravings we were all having earlier. This was no Apple juice but refreshing none the less. Dinner that night was a smorgasbord of goodness! Sausage patties, bacon(ham slices), fried eggs(Sunny side up), chips(fries), asparagus and tomatoes. It was very scrumptious and filling. We followed with a game of Yahtzee and watched a season finale of a show called Rake which we both enjoyed. Maybe we will try and watch it all someday.That night Genn saw a spider on the wall next to her bed and got scared so we both shared a twin bed as a part of a bunk bed. It was the most comfortable night of sleep yet on this trip :)

The next morning we were off back to Wollongong. We drove out of the Blue Mountains and very pleased with how our time here was spent. We did quite a bit of hiking, sightseeing and relaxing at the cabin. We could not have asked for a better experience. On our way out we stopped by the rhododendron garden and walked around for about an hour taking in all of the beautiful colors. The festival would be taking place the next week so they were in full bloom and very beautiful!

The night we returned we had reservations to The Normandie Restaurant and we were all very excited to use our vouchers we won from Trivia a few weeks earlier. Jen, Carolyn, John, Sophie, Nancy, Hedley and the two of us made the very best of it! Entrees(appetizers) from Oysters, garlic bread and Calamari to Mains(entree) like chicken breast, t-bone steak, rib eye cutlets, pork, salmon and they even had kangaroo steaks on the menu but we did not indulge. Jack Daniels on the rocks was calling my name and Genn had her whiskey and coke! Others were partaking in white and red wines and Tooheys. It was a great time with great people and could not have been better. We even found out what the meaning of "fanny" is here in Australia which is very funny to say the least. If we were talking about the American meaning of fanny lets just say its the opposite side of the body but on a woman....get it? How is that for a fanny pack?After dinner we got a proper lesson on Australia greetings and goodbyes. Jen and Ca could tell that Americans don't kiss on the cheek just by exchanging greetings with us. Genn and I probably make the greeting very awkward. We never knew if we should actually make contact on the cheek or just touch cheeks and make the kissing sound. I guess it depends on whether or not you are family or close friends. We got great Aussie education on the subject and we kissed our first cheeks! Now we know :)After a great night we knew we had some packing and rearranging to sort out for the next day we were off once again. This time back up North to enjoy Queensland and some birthday island time!