I don’t even really know where to begin in trying to describe the Blue Mountains in Australia…. They are MAGICAL! Something happened – along the same lines as with the Adirondack Mtns in New York – for me here… I got “the bug.” I fell so in love with this area immediately that I couldn’t get enough of it… nor could I leave!!! The only difficulty I ran into here was trying to make up my mind as to WHERE I wanted to explore – there are far too many beautiful & precious places tucked within these deep canyons and quaint townships. A new friend of mine was heading to a local favorite – the bigger 6-fall track of Wentworth Falls… the Ruined Castle loomed 6-hrs in the distance… and Australia’s Grand Canyon ended up as the repeat tune in my mind for over 24hrs, and therefore drew me in – for another solo journey – and I had no idea WHY at the time (which is usually the most fascinating reason to go!)
I missed the train by minutes… I caught the bus within minutes… and I recognized the road name I needed (a couple km’s from town) and managed to hop off the bus in time to only be about 2+km from the trailhead! A quick run into the Bush Rock Café (the ONLY café or ‘shop’ so to speak in this mountain neighborhood) to grab more grub for the trail – snacks weren’t going to cut it… I needed real food! I spoke with Mark (the owner) for a few minutes and he reversed my route by recommendation… and what a thrill it was to start with the highlight – Evan’s Lookout – over the Grand Canyon!! This left me bouncing along the trail (yes, I literally ran down the stairs into the canyon floor!)… well, with one side trip ½ way down – on a “no through” trail to a cliff… to eat lunch, sit in silence, and capture some beautiful photo moments. It was me and one little tuft of bright pink flowers… a perfect flat surface for yoga… and not another person to be heard or seen… and bright sunshine as the “cherry on top.”
Once I finally descended the remaining portion into the canyon floor, I found myself amongst tropical fern-filled forest, a creek, waterfalls, and abandoned Aboriginal cave work spaces… and quite a bit of darkness, as the sunlight can’t reach this depth all too easy – not dark enough for a headlamp, but not light enough to be tank-toppin’ the trail!
It took me a couple hours, and quite a bit of river rock hopping and ducking under cliff outcroppings along the edge to reach the short tunnel through to the ascent… oh, can we talk about a good lil’ bout of cardio and leg burning… I used photo opps as an excuse to catch my breath a few times… and then indulged on a homemade Chai tea at the Bush Rock Café once I returned to the road – hours later! Too revved from the journey, I decided to tack on an extra 5km’s… and walk into the town of Blackheath, along the Great Western Highway.
Once in Blackheath I became a little sidetracked with watching a large flock of cockatoos munching on tree fruits/seeds back in a neighborhood that I wandered into… which actually caused me to miss my train by literally 2 seconds! I was on the platform – but with no ticket! Sooooo, back to the bus after visiting with a couple locals in the Altitude Deli. And that’s the way it goes!
I was so stoked from my day that I was absolutely beaming. I spent my night back in Katoomba visiting with friends and enjoying the lovely Blue Mtns YHA (hostel.)
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