Blue Mountains

Sept. 11. Blue Mountains

Tuesday, 9/11, was devoted to a tour of the Blue Mountains. The Blue Mtns.aren’t high – about 3300 ft., but they’re rugged and densely forested in some areas. They get their name from the bluish haze produced by gas emitted by the eucalyptus trees.

It took about 25 years before the settlers penetrated and crossed the mountains due to terrain and Aborigine resistance. They found the sort of land that was urgently needed for raising crops and livestock. Prior to that, con men in Sydney sold maps to the geographically-challenged convict/settlers purporting to show a route through the mountains emerging in China and freedom! I guess not enough of them got back to Sydney to warn others of this scam.

We made several Blue Mtn stops: the Blue Mountains National Park, where we saw kangaroos and cockatoos in the wild, sort of. They're accustomed to gawkers. Also saw Wentworth Falls and a rock formation called the Three Sisters.

Nice mountain vistas all along the way. That's my passport pouch cleverly disguised as a paunch under my poncho.

Just past the Three Sisters we stopped at a site where a cog railroad used by coal miners had been converted into a tourist railroad – the steepest incline RR in the world, the sign said: a vertical drop of 250 meters over a distance of 450 meters. It’s like being on a roller coaster with brakes. Weather turned cold and windy, with light rain, so we opted for mechanical conveyance up and down the cliff front as opposed to an hour and a half bushwalk.

Cheers for now,


Rob