Katoomba and Blue Mountains
“To know the road ahead, ask those coming back.”
— Chinese proverb
West of Sydney lie the Blue Mountains, one of the most spectacular landscapes in New South Wales. The region takes its name from the distinctive blue haze that often hangs over the mountains, created in part by the vast eucalyptus forests covering the landscape.
This was the first time in more than two months that I had to wear a coat. I was now in the subtropics, and unlike Canada, where travelling north generally means getting colder, in Australia it’s the opposite. You can see in the pictures that I was cold even by Canadian standards.
I stayed in Katoomba, which made an excellent base for exploring the Blue Mountains. It was also home to one of the nicest hostels of the entire trip. And, perhaps just as importantly, Katoomba even had a decent Thai restaurant.
The highlight of my stay in the Blue Mountains was hiking out to see the famous Three Sisters rock formation overlooking the Jamison Valley. This was definitely not a hike for vertigo sufferers. My stomach got a little queasy as I looked out from some of the viewpoints along the trail.
By the time I returned to the hostel I was almost frozen, so I warmed myself up with about half a bottle of Bundy rum. I’m not sure that’s the officially recommended treatment for hypothermia, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.
More than anything, I remember the drive up into the Blue Mountains with Tangerine Dream cranked up. It’s one of those perfect combinations of music, time and place that sticks in your memory for the rest of your life.
The Three Sisters — Meehni, Wimlah and Gunnedoo — are associated with a widely told story in which three sisters are turned to stone during a conflict and remain that way after the person capable of reversing the transformation is killed. The story has long been repeated to visitors to the Blue Mountains, although its origins as a traditional Aboriginal Dreaming story have been disputed.
