The Blue Mountains

"for the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S, and he hath set the world upon them. "

The last day of our Australia trip we took the train from Sydney to the Blue Mountains.  The train ride itself was a pleasant journey through some beautiful country, but the high point of the visit to this wonderful area west of Sydney was the hike we did to Wentworth Falls and through National Pass.  We started at Wentworth railway station and followed Darwin's Walk along Jamison Creek to the brink of Wentworth Falls which drop 187 meters into the valley below.  There is a very steep trail cut into the rock that go to the bottom of the falls and we followed that past the falls to the National Pass trail which took us further west along the cliffs to Empress Falls (30 meters) and then back up to the town of Wentworth.  The views are incredible along the track and look out over the Valley of the Waters and the track was not very busy, perhaps because it was midweek and winter.

beginning of the Charles Darwin Walk

Jamison Creek

Heath Banksia

Jamison Creek

Weeping Rock

Queen's Cascades

brink of Wentworth Falls

views from the Grand Stairway

Wentworth Falls

White-browed Scrubwren

Rock Sprengelia

 along the National Pass trail

unidentified wildflowers

 National Pass

another unidentified wildflower

 snack time

 the trail

 unidentified plants and a flock of Cockatoos

 rock formations

 Rupicola apiculata (/)

Lodore Falls

Sylvia Falls

Empress Falls

 unidentified tree

 Queen Victoria Lookout

another unidentified tree

 River Rose

waiting for the bus to the train station

 Black She-oak

 coffee and a snack

Wentworth train station

Back at the train station we went on to Katoomba and walked from the station to Echo Point, about 2.5 kilometers, from which the Three Sisters and much of Blue Mountains National Park are visible. By the time we arrived it was late afternoon and the sun was going down, so we did no hiking there, but after seeing and photographing the views headed back to Katoomba where we had our evening meal at a small Indian and Asian restaurant and when finished caught the train back to Sydney.  I took a few photos from the roof of the youth hostel where we were staying when we returned, but that was the end of our Australian trip.  My wife would leave early the next morning and fly from Sydney to Vancouver via Tokoyo and the others would leave the next two days.  The trip was an amazing experience and all the more enjoyable for the family members who were with us.

 on the way to Echo Point

view from Echo Point

 Three Sisters

Crimson Rosella

Eastern Spinebill

 unidentified tree

 Kangaroo Paws

back in Sydney