A trip to the Blue Mountains…

After we had settled into our new pad in Bondi and gotten accustomed to our work schedules, Cory and I planned a quick trip up to the Blue Mountains- a short 2-hour train ride west out of Sydney. We wanted to get outside to do some hiking and some mountain biking, and the little mountain town of Katoomba was the ideal destination. I had been up to Katoomba before- twice when studying in Sydney in 2000, and again with on a family trip in 2002- and loved it every time. There is so much to do up there- along with the hiking and mountain biking, you can book abseiling (rappelling) and canyoning trips, take a double-decker bus tour around the town of Katoomba and the surrounding areas, or just hang out in the kitschy town itself, wandering in and out of the innumerable shops and cafes. Its a great spot for a day or two holiday from the city, and after so many days of laying on the beach and playing in the surf, we desperately needed to get away… Wait… What? Anyway…

We packed our backpacks, threw together a sack lunch, and made our way to the train station early in the morning to catch the first train east to Katoomba. It was supposed to be a beautiful couple of days up in the mountains, and we were eager to get outside and get into it. The train ride up to Katoomba is literally ‘too easy’ (A favorite Aussie colloquialism)- we had to make one change in the city, and then it was 2 hours up into the hills West of Sydney. We rumbled through town after sleepy town, the sun slowly rising as commuters hurried onto the train with their coffees and breakfast wraps. I love riding on trains through new places- there isn’t a better way to get a feel for the lay of the land, save driving yourself. This trip was no exception- every town had its own little station, corner cafes and news agencies- small town Australia. It was a great ride up into the mountains, and before we knew it, we were pulling into the Katoomba Station.

We clambered off the train, got our bearings, and headed to our hostel to drop our bags before heading out. It was a GORGEOUS day, and we had an added bounce in our step as we made our way through the streets and over to our hostel. We checked in at the hostel, chucked our bags in our room, and headed out, giddy to get our adventure started.

That first day we spent doing some trail hiking and sightseeing- we were just excited to be outside in the Australian wilderness… We headed straight for Echo Point, a look-out station perched on the rim of the massive canyon Katoomba is situated next to. The first order of business was to see the famous rock formation called the Three Sisters- three pillars of rock legendary to the area and the locals that live there. We snapped the requisite photos, read the myths detailing the history and formation of the Three Sisters, and then headed down one of the trails, anxious to get out of the crowds and down into the valley below. The canyon bordering Katoomba is Australia’s version of the Grand Canyon- it is HUGE, and OLD, but is vastly different in that it is entirely covered in forests. As we descended the trail, making our way down into the depths of the valley, it was amazing to see the vegetation change so dramatically- we started out hiking through a maze of conifer stands, and slowly descended into what was to become a lush sub-tropical rainforest- leafy trees towering overhead, ferns and dense vegetation covering the ground. It was a great hike- waterfalls, streams, open grassy areas, and places where the forest was too heavy to penetrate. We stopped and had lunch next to a meandering brook, and then made our way back up the vertical ridge of the valley via a seemingly never-ending staircase. We were EXHAUSTED by the time we reached the top, and saw that we had timed it perfectly- we had just enough time to make it back into town to have a beer while the sun was setting.

We wandered along the little streets, scouting out a spot for an afternoon beer or two and a place to satisfy our hunger pangs. We settled on an outdoor beer garden for the drinks, and a little Asian-themed restaurant for dinner. Both were exactly what we were looking for, and we were quite content as we headed back to the hostel after dinner, ready to get some sleep in preparation for the next day’s events.

The next day, we hired mountain bikes for the day at a local bike shop, and headed out to hit the trails. It was another beautiful day, and we were quite happy to be out exploring the trails that ran along the rim of the canyon. It turned out to be a little different than the trail riding Cory and I were accustomed to from our biking excursions back home, but still an awesome time. It was more ‘dirt road’ riding than trail riding, but still good fun. We were the only people out on the roads, and had a great time cruising along the edge of the canyon, stopping here for pictures, there for a water break. Despite being on ‘roads’, it was still a heck of a workout- the roads were continually going up and down hills along the rim of the canyon, and we knew that every hill we descended on the outward trip would be climbed on the return to town. With the sun beating down and the hills burning our lungs, we were soaked with sweat in no time.

And so they day went, riding along, taking photos and videos to document our adventure, enjoying the beautiful weather and another great day in the Blue Mountains. Finally, we came to the end of the road, and had to turn around. It wasn’t a moment too soon either, for there were storm clouds gathering in the distance, and we were going to have to hurry to avoid getting caught out in the rain. We hustled back to the bike shop, pulling up to the door just as the first raindrops began to fall- perfect timing!

We decided to cook for ourselves that night, so hit up the local grocery store to pick up a few things to grill on the communal bbq- namely, marinated kangaroo loin and some Aussie sausages. The weather had made a serious turn for the worse- howling winds, sheets of rain pounding down, but we didn’t let that stop our barbie. We put a can of baked beans and some corn on the grill as well, and before long, were ready to feast! To wash it all down, we headed out to the pub next door, a fitting end to a great day on the trails.

The next day, we had a canyoning trip booked down one of the local rivers. My previous canyoning experiences had included swimming through rapids, zip-lining over raging rivers, rappelling down waterfalls, jumping off 15-foot cliffs into swirling pools- exciting stuff. Regrettably, this trip was nothing like those- it turned out to be a simple float trip down a stream that was barely flowing. Boring. It didn’t help any that the weather was still awful, and we were cold and wet all day. Ugh… I had half a mind to go and demand a refund on our trip, as the guy we booked it through had sold us on how exciting that particular trip was supposed to be. Not so much…

Unfortunately, we had to RUSH to catch the last train back to Sydney, finding ourselves running down the platform to hop on just before the doors shut. We collapsed into our seats, exhausted from everything we had been up to the past few days. Despite the less-than-exciting ‘canyoning’ trip, we had a great time up in Katoomba, exploring the Blue Mountains. A good break from the city, but with the change in the weather, we were both ready to head back to Bondi- back to the beach…

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