Blue Mountains and More

We were picked up at our hotel by an odd small coach that looked a bit like a submarine on a high chassis for our tour to the Blue Mountains. Along with our driver and guide, Larry, 14 of us set off on a path westward. While the vehicle’s ride provided a jounce a minute, there was so much to see and do that we just took that as part of the overall experience of sightseeing in such a different environment.

First stop was at Featherdale Wildlife Park where we ate breakfast, visited during our meal by a keeper and a koala, Bailey, for petting and pictures. This small park has an amazing collection of Australian birds and animals. Since we were only there for a couple of hours, including breakfast, we missed more than we saw, but we did see a lot.
We fed kangaroos and wallabys, as well as emus. We were given feed in ice cream cones and learned quickly that the animals want the cones even more than the food. The emus would stalk you for the food and the roos were demanding, too. While they were persistent, they were also gentle and we enjoyed the very close encounters.

Among other animals there were wombats, adorable little furry piggy-looking creatures with short legs. Larry told us later that he and his wife had a pet wombat for 12 years that was quite domesticated. I suppose it’s a bit like have a guinea pig the size of a cocker spaniel. None of Australia’s animals are legally exported. They also had three rare albino kangaroos. We looked to see kangaroos in the wild where they are apparently plentiful, but had no luck in that endeavor.
From our breakfast stop, we headed up into the Blue Mountains, so-called because of the haze created by oils from the abundant eucalyptus trees. Stopping here and there at overlooks, we were treated to Larry’s knowledgeable “blah-blah,” as one of our guides in Greece once called their information spiel. He was both entertaining and very educational about Australian flora and fauna, history and geology, even how the price of housing starts high in Sydney and diminishes as one moves through the suburbs toward the less settled areas. Like many U.S. cities, Sydney has sprawled outward from its core. Because it began on the water and all waterfront property is pricey, residents commute from suburbs extending 50 miles and more away from the coast.
We made our way to Katoomba where we had lunch at a local golf course. As Pat noted, the country was not unlike our own Blue Ridge Mountains in some ways, but we don’t see names like Katoomba on our maps. Between the ridges of the mountains are spectacular gorges with great walls of sandstone amidst the forests.

At Katoomba we went to Scenic World (which is a lot better experience than its commercial name might indicate). We saw the famous sandstone pillars known as the Three Sisters, heard the aboriginal tale about them (turned to stone by a witch doctor to protect them from kidnappers) and we took pictures of the dramatic bronze sculpture of the sisters and the witch doctor outside the venue. We went down into the gorge via cable car and walked along a boardwalk in the rainforest area there where coal was once mined. We came back up from the gorge via a crazy railway ride that is as exciting as any amusement park ride.
This experience felt a bit like an adult field trip, a return to those “get on the bus, get off the bus, see things, learn things, then get back on the bus” days of our childhood. We were overlooking a series of vistas, including the Grose and Jamison Valleys. Unlike childhood field trips, Larry brought along a cooler for our last stop and served us champagne and mimosas as we had one more view of the Jamison Valley (pronounced Jammerson by Larry). Here’s a fellow who knows how to please tourists.
We came back into Sydney by their Olympic Park area. It’s pretty impressive to see all the venues they built being used productively. The aquatic center, for instance, is open 24 hours a day to the public. For $5, you can swim in the pool, heated with solar energy. Australians, like the people of New Zealand, are very proud of their green efforts.
When we left this morning we went over the famous Sydney Harbor Bridge. Returning this afternoon, we came over the Anzac Bridge. It reminds me of the Sunshine Skyway in the Tampa Area with its “strings of steel” design. The Anzac bridge commemorates the members of both Australian and New Zealand armed forces who have served their countries.
Coming back to our hotel, we have to wind around the one-way streets in The Rocks area, the first part of Sydney where the “First Fleet” landed with convicts who actually began the colony here. The edges of The Rocks are on the harbor, a portion tucked up under the Harbor Bridge. Many of the old buildings have been preserved and it’s a charming part of the city, home to popular wine bars and restaurants. It’s also a popular area for weddings and we’ve seen numerous wedding parties, many having photos made with the old buildings as backdrops.
Tonight, by the way, Earth Hour goes from 8:30-9:30 when lights are being turned off around the world in an iniative that began here in Sydney. It’s a World Wildlife Fund project that I hadn’t heard much about before we came here. Our hotel has asked us to participate and is serving a special drink in the bar on the 36th floor. We plan to go up to the bar earlier while it’s still light because it’s reported to have one of the best city views in Sydney.
We’ll be up and out early tomorrow for our flight to Melbourne. Each new place has so many special attributes of its own and I’m sure we’ll find much to like there.