I Like To Go A-Wandering Along The Mountain Track (Blue Mountains National Park)

Member Name: zoe_page_1

Product:	Blue Mountains National Park
Date:	26/09/05 (180 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lots to see and do, much of it free

Disadvantages: Not bursting with public transport links

Though I am usually loathe to pay someone else to do for me what I could feasibly do for myself, there are some exceptions to this, most notably when paying someone costs very little more money overall and saves me a considerable amount of time. I’m at the beginning of a 4 month trip to Australia, 3 months of which will be spent working in Sydney, so technically I could have sorted out our trip to the Blue Mountains myself. However a quick glance at google told me lots of organisations had already done the leg work and were offering organised tours to the region so I pictured myself spending my spare time on the beach rather than planning a trip and booked us on one of these.

The Blue Mountains are in New South Wales, about an hour and a half driving from Sydney or a couple of hours by train. The main tourism site, http://www.bluemts.com.au/tourist/Default.asp gives details of how to get there, driving directions and so on. The region has lots of things to do and see, but there are a few ‘must-do’ things that most day tripper tourists get through.


THE THREE SISTERS at ECHO POINT

This rock formation of 3 large imposing blocks, each towering over 900m tall, is accompanied by a number of different legends that come to different conclusions as to why 3 sisters from a time gone by came to be encased in stone for all eternity. One version I heard claimed it was because they’d fallen in love with brothers from a rival tribe; another said it was because they’d got in trouble for throwing stones into a water hole and their father turned them into stone to prevent them from the baddie conjured up by their misdoings, but then managed to drop his magic stick before he could turn them back. Whatever the story the rocks are impressive, and due to their height can be seen from several outlook points in the area, even when the camera clicking Japanese brigade are in town. Nearby there is a visitor information centre, a selection of gift shops selling souvenirs and opals and a few food outlets. Another good lookout is Sublime Point – similar great views but without the crowds as only small tours can stop there unlike at Echo Point which seemed to be a compulsory stop to anyone visiting nearby, with groups herded in at regular intervals.


SCENIC WORLD - www.scenicworld.com.au

Located in the town of Katoomba, Scenic World is home to various Blue Mountain ‘experiences’ including the world’s steepest railway, a cable car, a scenic rain forest walkway and a glass-floored flyway. Most people seemed to do the same as us – got down to the valley floor on the railway, walk along through the forest, come up on the cable car and skip the flyway entirely. This is due to time constraints but also cost – if you go across on the flyway you have to come back on it at a cost of $16 return, whereas with the other 2 trips you can go down on one and up on the other and get 2 different experiences for that same price. The queues for tickets were huge so we were glad to be on an organised trip as tour guides can skip the queue and buy tickets in bulk without a wait. The railway was indeed steep, and slightly different from the funiculars I’m used to, but quite exciting as you sit tilted back in your seat and plunge into darkness for a few moments as you speed up or down the hill. The temperate rain forest walk was a bit of a disappointed – it was devoid of wildlife and seemed too dry and like a normal British forest for what we were expecting, but it’s free of charge and wasn’t too crowded as we strolled through it. The cable car was a large one which they certainly packed full – I was pinned to the front window by a throng of Japanese tourists while an old woman in the group groped my arse – but at least I had a good view. Both trips are shorter than you might like – no sooner have you set off than you’re almost there – but they’re well worth doing although you can walk both up and down the hill on foot for free. Cunningly you exit the ride through the gift shop which sells the same stuff they have everywhere but at higher prices than the Chinese souvenir shops near the harbour. The food outlets were also disappointing – pies, pre-made sandwiches, cakes, chocolate bars and crisps were almost all that was on offer, and prices were high as there’s nowhere else within walking distance for them to compete with.


WENTWORTH FALLS

Wentworth falls is a cute little town in the region whose main attraction is the spectacular waterfalls. We took a short bush walk into the national park, down to a lookout clearing that was across the valley from the main cascade and enjoyed fantastic views. Some trips take people to the water itself but you really have to be a reasonable distance away to enjoy it – we could see it in the context of the whole valley while others only saw it as the water right there in front of them.


LEURA CANDY STORE

Leura is ‘the garden village’ but to most tourists it is simply home to a tiny sweet shop than manages to pack in over 1000 types of sweets and other imported goodies from England, Switzerland, America and across the world. It’s very olde worlde – I’m surprised they’ve not christened it ‘Ye Olde Candy Shoppe’ – and about as big as a hotel bathroom. Because so many tours stop there it it’s always packed full and they have no sort of limit to the number of people inside so at times if can be hard to turn round, let alone meander around, nosing in the shop’s little nooks and crannies. I’d love to have been there first thing in the morning and had the place to myself, but we were there mid afternoon so had to make do.


BOOMERANG THROWING, DIGERIDOO PLAYING AND BILLY TEA DRINKING

In between the sites, many tours including ours make time for the above. We found a random field en route to Scenic World and had a go at throwing boomerangs (mine went up and circled back, but didn’t make it back into my hand). Later on we stopped for afternoon tea made traditionally in a Billy can, and the madder members of the group swapped spit and slobber in an attempt to play something resembling music using a Didgeridoo.



There are tons of organisations offering trips to the region, many of which are vaguely similar, and almost all of which include excursions on the way there and back to neighbouring places in the region. Our trip included a few stops in Sydney for example – at the Olympic Park and at a wildlife park where we got to play with koalas and hand-feed kangaroos, and each got a free toy. We also cruised back into Sydney rather than coming back on the minibus – the trip was about 45 minutes and quite cold as the sun was going down but had great views. Most trips include all stops and entry fees apart from Scenic World – mainly because there are a few options there so they have to ask people en route what they want to do. Our trip cost $69 (= 30 GBP) for students and $72 for adults. That was terrific value given the number of things we did, and we didn’t stop all day from our 8am pick up to our arrival back in the harbour at 6pm.

I would like to go back to the Blue Mountains, and might squeeze it in before leaving the region. Now that I’ve done a tour and hit all the main sites, it would be great to go back alone and just wander through the little towns and villages, and along the woodland paths that connect the areas. There are numerous places to stay there, from youth hostels to deluxe spa hotels, and trolley and regular bus tours offer hop-on-hop-off style travel to transport you from place to place, so car hire is not necessary. However if it’s your first time in the region I would recommend a set tour. Our guide was a fountain of knowledge about all things nature related, and was happy to answer any questions people had, and it was reassuring to know someone else was watching the clock and keeping us on schedule so we didn’t have to do it ourselves and could get on with enjoying the trip.

There are so many random things to do in the Blue Mountains, from rock climbing to art gallery browsing to bathing in Japanese bathhouses. We went in September which is Spring here, and though the mountains are supposedly 5oC cooler than Sydney, it was one of the warmer days we’ve had so jackets and jumpers spent all day in the minibus as we went out and about exploring. It was a Saturday and was busy but not unbearably crowded, and I presume the area has an almost all-year-round tourist season as Sydney seems to and most of the visitors here have come from the city. The scenery is stunning, and completely unlike the coastal region of Sydney and its suburbs. I can see the sea from where I live and work, but that’s the nearest I get to ‘nature’ – the Blue Mountains on the other hand offers a completely different experience and it’s a well-advertised must-do that truly is a must-do.

Summary: Picturesque part of New South Wales, a must-do must-do