Easter in the Blue Mountains

At Easter, because our Term Break was later in April, we got a 4 day weekend. I took the opportunity to see the Blue Mountains. The Blue Mountains are only a couple of hours outside of Sydney, but the closest I got to them was to seeing them from the top of the Sydney Harbour. I thought a four day long weekend of hiking among the cliffs and scenery would be a good use of my time. Of course, the day before going, I managed to get a massive burn blister on the bottom of my foot playing dodgeball, barefoot, against my students on the softfall. Not only did his incident create plenty of amusement for my staff as I limped around, it also meant a panicked trip to the pharmacy to get some antiseptic and some needles to try and drain the blister so I could actually hike. Things went back to normal after an evening of working on the blister, so I was able to leave Friday morning without a care in the world.

The drive to Sydney was fantastic. I had a stop at the Ghoulburn bakery and bought some Hot Cross Buns (a massive thing at Easter here) and a much needed chai latte (why do I keep giving up coffee for Lent?). The drive to my hostel took me about 3 hours and I was ready to head to Katoomba (the main city in the Blue Mountains). The plan was to see Wentworth Falls on the way and then hit the Good Friday service in Katoomba at 3 pm. As many of plans do, this all went awry as I hit the Great Western Highway. It was worse than Deerfoot. It took 2 hours to travel 30 km. I barely made it to the Good Friday service, let alone Wentworth Falls. Imagine trying to get to Banff or Jasper on a long weekend, and there being construction on Highway 1 and Highway 16. Man was I stupid.

After Good Friday service, I was off to see the Three Sisters. They are the most famous cliffs in the Blue Mountains and have a connections to the Aboriginal DreamTime. The commonly told legend of the Three Sisters is that three sisters (Meehni', 'Wimlah' and Gunnedoo') lived in the Jamison Valley as members of the Katoomba tribe. They fell in love with three men from a neighbouring tribe (the Nepean tribe), but marriage was forbidden by tribal law. The brothers were not happy to accept this law and so decided to use force to capture the three sisters. A major tribal battle ensued, and the sisters were turned to stone by an elder to protect them, but he was killed in the fighting and no one else could turn them back.

They are gorgeous and, like the Eiffel Tower and Sydney Opera House, impossible not to photograph every time you see them. I was even lucky enough to see them with a full moon rising above. Too bad it wasn't this past weekend with the moon at it's closest point to the Earth.

After braving the hordes of Asian tourists at the viewing platform, I made my way down the Giant Steps and made it half down into the Jamison Valley before realizing: a) it was going to get dark soon; b) thongs/flip-flops were not the proper footwear for climbing down thousands of steps.
Therefore, I drove over to the Scenic Skyway to get a different view of the Three Sisters and the Jamison Valley and a picture of the full moon over the Three Sisters.  I then made my way to the mainstreet of Katoomba, had dinner and then drove the 30km back to my hostel in the 20 minutes it should have taken the first time.

The next morning I was up really early, hoping to miss the traffic I had hit the day before. On my way back to Katoomba, I finally got to stop at Wentworth Falls, where I was created with fog rolling into the valley and a beautiful waterfall.

Wentworth Falls

Once I was back in Katoomba, I had to go buy myself a friend. It was Easter after all. I headed down the Giant's Steps once again, with proper footwear this time, and into the Jamison Valley I went. After what seemed like thousands of steps, I was in the bottom of the Valley. I walked through the forest for 2 hours along the cliffs of the Three Sisters. There were small streams, waterfalls and multitudes of birds. Everyone I met on the past was friendly and in a great mood.

The Easter Bunny views the Three Sisters

The Easter Bunny with a small waterfall in the Jamison Valley

At the end of the trail, was the Scenic Skyway. The Scenic Skyway is three different forms of transportation in and out of the valley. There is a 'train' that goes straight up the cliff. It was used in mining operations early in the century. A gondala also starts in the valley and goes up the cliff. Finally, there is a tram that goes from one side of the valley to the other. I took the gondala up to the top instead of walking up more steps. I also took the tram across so that I could see a view of Katoomba Falls.

After trying the many types of transportation in, out and around th Jamison Valley, I got on the Road Tram to see some of the other sights. I got off at Gordon Falls and then, instead of getting back on the tram, I decided to walk along the rim of the valley. As spectacular as this walk was with all the waterfalls and gorgeous views of the valley, I would live to regret it the next day (more on that later). Three hours later, I was back at the top of the Giant's Steps and looking at the Three Sisters once again. The amount of stairs I climbed this day was literally staggering. I've never been this tired in my life. I was hoping and praying for an elevator at various times along the route. At least every time I stopped to rest there was either an stunning view, a tranquil creek or a calming waterfall.

I was exhausted by the end of my day of hiking and was in bed before 8.

Easter Sunday dawned in a fog. I headed to Wentworth for Easter Mass. The church was packed and I had to stand at the back. Like all masses in Australia there was very little music which was disappointing. I missed Jesus Christ Is Ris'n Today and Lord of the Dance.

Since the Blue Mountains are named after the bluey colored mist that rolls in, I once again made my way to the Three Sisters to get a picture in the mist.

After the requisite photo, I was on my way home with plans to stop at various viewpoints along the way and Jenolan Caves.

My route home followed the Grose Valley. My first stop was at Evans' Lookout, where the view was a little less than desriable as the fog obscured everything. The next stop at Govett's Leap was much better and I spent a good hour hiking around. The drops were terrifying and jaw dropping. I got vertigo almost every time. Bridal Veil falls was gorgeously amazing. The mists made the gorge seem prehistoric and mysterious. There is nothing quite like it in the world. This is the reason this place was heritage listed.

Bridal Veil falls

View of Pulpit Rock

More waterfalls. I didn't know there was this much water in Australia.

The views only got better at the various lookouts. By early afternoon, I was ready to move onto Jenolan Caves. The road there is pretty much a single lane that wraps itself around the various mountains and clings to cliffsides. Fun times driving that road. At least this time I didn't have my mother telling me about this couple in BC who got stranded on a mountainside and almost died.

I went on my tour of the caverns where there were magnificent formations. There is even a chapel built deep into the mountain. Next time I am definitely going to Easter Mass there.

Once I left the caves, it was time to start the long drive home. The day had a couple last spectacular views to share with me as I drove through the countryside towards Ghoulburn. There is nothing like gum trees in a sunset. The trees here in Australia are so distinctive and is something that I will miss when I go back to Canada.