Blue Mountains, Australia

Sydney is great and all, but if you want to experience some nature, Blue Mountains, which are only an hour and a half away from Sydney, offer a perfect opportunity. We took the train from the Central Railway Station to Katoomba. But you can also drive, which significantly cuts down the travel time. On the day that we went, we caught an early 8 am train, which helped us barely avoid hoards of tourists when we got to our destination.

Blue Mountains

We didn’t do any organized tours, so once we got to Katoomba, we just followed the signs in the town to get to the Echo Point Lookout that overlooks the Three Sisters – an unusual rock formation that according to the Aboriginal legend represents three sisters who turned into stone. There are also many panoramic views of the mountains, start of the many trails, and also the tourist store and bathrooms. It makes a good starting point and is only a 20-minute walk from the train station.

After that, we went down the Giant Stairway, which was very steep, and in parts, shaky, so, in other words, perfect! Once at the bottom of the valley, we had an option of several trails, so we walked in the jungle for a while taking in the smell of Eucalyptus (over 600 different eucalyptus trees in that forest!) and trying to spot some wild life (no luck).

Three Sisters

The trail that we took ended at the bottom of the Scenic Railway (a 40-second ride in a little tram to the top of the valley). We watched people do the ride, but it seemed a little too much like Six Flags in the middle of the forest, so we opted out to go up the Furber Steps, which are right next to it and take a little longer than the Railway. If you have little kids or are not physically fit, the stairs (both over 800 steps and pretty steep) might not be a good idea.

Once we got out of the valley, we stopped at one of the local pubs to quench our thirst with some local cider – quite a popular drink in Australia. Many places in Australia, including this one, do not serve food in the afternoon (only dinner and lunch), so plan your meal breaks accordingly.

The train took us back to Sydney and on it, we met a guy from Houston, Texas (I know, what are the chances) and a couple of Americans who used to live in Houston. So much, for trying to experience different culture! Anyway, the trip was nice, but if

Thousand steps stairwells

you are short on time and you are not a huge hiking enthusiast, you won’t miss much if you skip it. Apparently, many locals come down to Blue Mountains to camp and hang out, so it’s as much of a local hang out as it is a tourist attraction.

And no, unfortunately, we did not see any koalas near our trail. Some local firefighters who passed us on our way up the steps to rock climb told us that koalas stay pretty deep in the bush and avoid tourists, leaving us in the dust of crushed dreams. . .

So, here’s a quick recap of suggested things to do in the Blue Mountains (that we personally tried): Echo Point Lookout, the Giant Stairway, and the Furber Steps.