I really couldn't remember much about the Blue Mountains from my visit when I was aged 14 so with a day to spare in Sydney recently I decided to take a day trip out there and have another look. The day didn't start well, although it was all my own fault. I had travelled from Perth to Sydney and had reset the time on my alarm incorrectly. I was up and raring to go at what I thought was an ideal time so went to the hotel lobby to wait for my pick up. I thought the night staff were looking at me strangely until I finally realised it was 4am and my pick up wasn't until 6! Oh well, back to my room for a while. Right on the dot of 6am the BLUE MOUNTAIN TOURS bus arrived driven by a bright, bubbly, friendly driver/guide named Amy. The day was looking up. As the first aboard it meant a bit of a trip around Sydney to pick up other passengers but Amy kept us well entertained telling stories, playing popular Australian music and educating us all on Aussie slang. Our first stop was for breakfast of bacon and egg burgers and coffee at Cafe 2773 in the charming little country town of Glenbrook. 
Well fortified we set off to drive higher into the Blue Mountain range to see the iconic Three Sisters peaks. What a stunning and spectacular sight it is with bush, mountains, deep valleys, sandstone cliffs and standing proudly over them all, the Three Sisters. Apparently we were lucky to have a very clear view as mist and cloud were threatening. We spent quite some time there admiring the panorama from all different vantage points before reboarding the bus and heading the short distance to Scenic World to ride the world's steepest railway as recorded in the Guiness Book of Records. It drops 206 metres with an incline of 52 degrees. Originally built to take coal out of the mine in the valley below, it is a thrilling, if short, ride.
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| Just look at how steep the track is! |
At the bottom we enjoyed a gentle ramble along a bush walk while Amy described the mining history of the area, the vegetation and the various birds spotted along the way including colourful parrots and the rare lyre bird. I love the bush so was in my happy place although, as a New Zealander who doesn't have to worry about such things, I was on the alert for snakes and spiders.
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| A homage to the coal miners and horses of the valley |
At the end of our stroll we boarded the Cableway to reach the top of the valley and then changed to the Skyway which took us across the Jamison Valley 270 metres below and past the Katoomba Falls tumbling down to the valley floor. It was all thrillingly scenic. Time for our pre-ordered and tasty lunches at The Bunker in the small town of Springwood. This was a great opportunity to get to know, and chat with, my fellow travellers, who came from many different countries.
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The Skyway crossing the Jamison Valley, Three sisters on the left
(photo from Trip Advisor) |
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| The Katoomba Falls are around 200 metres high |
After lunch we headed off to our final stop of the day, the Featherdale Wildlife Park. This is basically a small zoo and an excellent place to see many Australian birds and animals. Here you get a close up view of Tasmanian Devils, Quokkas, Dingos, Wombats, Cassowaries, Crocodiles, Emus and the very, very busy little Echidna that never stopped moving, plus many colourful Parakeets, Parrots, Kookaburras and other birds. This is a great place to see the amazing variety of wildlife unique to Australia.
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| A rare albino wallaby |
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| Koala |
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| A tree kangaroo, I never knew they existed |
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| The busy little echidna |
After a generous amount of time at the park we headed back to Sydney. It had been a fantastic day, I enjoyed every minute of it and highly recommend BLUE MOUNTAIN TOURS. I'm pretty sure this is the only tour which includes both breakfast and lunch.
Disclaimer: I have no association with Blue Mountain Tours and paid full price for the day...it was well worth it!
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