Another day in the Blue Mountains and it looks like a sunny one as well. We have decided to go over to Echo Point and start at that point, climb down the Giant Stairway and walk below the cliff line back towards the mono-rail or train down from the top.
This should take about 3 hours and we decided to put on hiking gear to do the trek. This means of course we need to find our boots, decide on backpacks etc. Because today is likely to be hot and the humidity is high, we felt that we wanted to be back by 1 so we took snacks but no lunches. In particular we really wanted to ensure we had plenty of water
The second issue for me was that the battery will not keep the fridge going all day so I had to move some of the food into the camp kitchen fridges. As I was doing that along walked at Yellow-crested Cockatoo. This of course resulted in a mad dash to get the camera before it flew away.
So we headed off to Echo Point which overlooks the Three Sisters. Last night we got some really nice pictures so I was not too concerned about trying to get more. We had walked over from the campsite which took about 20 minutes but it was a good warm up. The weather here is such that without any effort at all, as soon as you step outside, you are sweating. The humidity is hard to get used to but at least the nights cool off so sleeping has not been a problem at all. We have bought a small fan to in case it does get too hot. (I do mean small and only cost $8.00)
We enjoyed the views from the viewpoint before starting down the hill, but with the blue haze in the distance it is hard to get clear pictures. Apparently the blue haze is caused by the releasing of the eucalyptus oil from the leaves of the trees in the heat. I am not sure if this is true, but it certainly has a haze over the mountains and valleys.
Wes commented that really the Blue Mountains are hills in size, but the canyons are deep. So instead of the mountains rising about the land, the hills raise a bit, but the canyons drop a lot. So down into this canyon we headed one step at a time – and there were many steps. Shortly after starting down us to the base of the Three Sisters and walked over a short bridge to have a closer look – but all you could really see was rock in front of you.
The steps and stairs down were very steep and I would hate to have to think about climbing up - which is not our plan at all. We found that we were in full sun and therefore felt very hot even going down. However, there were some great views and vistas so many times I stopped to take pictures.
On the way down we kept hearing bells (like bear bells) ringing. This seemed strange since who would be walking around with bear bells out here? The mystery was solved shortly when we met up with a couple who were on the trail. He was bird watching and apparently the Bellbird makes the sound we were hearing and his goal for the day was to spot on. He was definitely on the hunt. This species is also known as the Crested Thrush, as well as having names such as 'Dick-Dick-the Devil'. (Yep, I did some research but never saw the bird.)
As we walked along the Federation Pass Walking trail we really did feel we were in a Rain Forest environment. There were lots of ferns and trees of a large variety. The foliage was so thick that there were not many views to be had looking across the canyon or even upward to the cliff faces. I did find several different types of flowers but not many that were worth taking a picture of. This was really was a forest type walk and so when we got to the turnoff to the head onto a rain forest circular trail of 5 km called Leura Forest Trail we opted to by pass it. Instead we continued on to the Furber Steps which would take us back to the top.
We did meet a couple walking on the trail looking for the Railway station. They had come done into the Canyon on the Tram and wanted to go back upon the train. Unfortunately they had turned the wrong direction and was merrily heading up the canyon rather than over to the Railway station. We helped them sort that out and got them going in the right direction.
The Furber Steps gave us an opportunity to stop at several view points on the way up, but particularly Queen Victoria Lookout, Katoomba Falls Lookout, a trail to go behind the falls (not really behind but beside) and the Witches Leap Falls. At the Katoomba Falls we met a couple from Germany who were on travel trip between university semesters. We ended up talking to them for almost 30 minutes and really enjoyed hearing their travel stories. I am sure that taking a 30 minute break after climbing stairs for about 30 minutes had nothing to do with our interest in visiting. Also at this location we discovered a flock of cockatoos and had lots of opportunities at more pictures.
We continued up to the top after taking more pictures of the Katoomba falls and noted that clouds has swept in so it was not as hot. By the time we got back to the campsite it was after 1 and time for lunch.
After lunch we had decided to go for a drive along the scenic road called Cliff Road which had several view points. This was to accomplish two things, a chance to see other view points and a chance to charge the fridge battery. There was one road that went up through an area called the neck. It was gravel but easily passable if taken slow. We found some nice views but got the outside of the campervan dusty. The best lookout we found was called Sublime Point and without the GPS we would not have found it.
We returned to the campsite to take showers and try to relax before making dinner. This place has so many friendly people and since we are parked beside the camp kitchen we seem to have lots of conversations. The most interesting one we had been with a couple for Holland. They have been here in Australia for about 8 months now. Both have just finished their university degrees last year and thought they would like to travel a bit before settling down for careers. Again a very pleasant couple to share travelling stories with.
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