After living in Sydney for nearly 2 years, we finally made it up to explore the Blue Mountains a bit. We've been to the mountains before for social gatherings at colleagues' homes, but this is the first time we actually went for the mountains themselves. The weather was just right, and it turned out to be a nice day out of the city.
But first, a couple of foodie finds (because I'd feel weird not posting some food pics). We recently discovered Blackwood Pantry not far from us in the beach town of Cronulla...we went two weekends in a row. The plan was to try something new the next time, but I just couldn't - my first dish was so good I just ordered it again! Round 1 started with an apple, aloe vera, cucumber, mint juice and an orange, carrot, ginger, lemongrass juice. We split the Fremantle grilled octopus with spiced carrot hummus, chickpea, toasted pepitas, dutch carrots, paprika oil & fennel salad and a dish called Black Chyna (black rice, roasted pumpkin, macadamia, snow pea sprouts, avocado, tahini dressing w/ a poached egg). Both were delicious, but the octopus was definitely the standout. We had the coconut hotcake for "dessert", which was topped with fresh blueberries, pomegranate, passion fruit curd, kaffir lime syrup, sliced coconut and edible flowers. It looked like a work of art and was good, albeit a bit tart (though this didn't stop us from cleaning the plate). Pickle somehow found room for a second dessert (possibly because there may have been an unequal distribution of the coconut pancake) and managed to track down some gigantic chocolate covered strawberries at the Cronulla Spring Festival.
Round 2 started with a drink called the Beuno for me, which was warm almond milk, hazelnut and white chocolate...for some reason, I thought this was going to be coffee-based (like a flat white with a little something extra), but it was really like a super sweet hot chocolate made with Nutella and proved far too sweet for my taste. Pickle ordered a chocolate mint pistachio milkshake...I'm not that into milkshakes, but it was crazy tasty. I doubled down on the Fremantle octopus (it was just too good to stray), and Pickle branched out with the short ribs sandwich, another tasty pick.
But first, a couple of foodie finds (because I'd feel weird not posting some food pics). We recently discovered Blackwood Pantry not far from us in the beach town of Cronulla...we went two weekends in a row. The plan was to try something new the next time, but I just couldn't - my first dish was so good I just ordered it again! Round 1 started with an apple, aloe vera, cucumber, mint juice and an orange, carrot, ginger, lemongrass juice. We split the Fremantle grilled octopus with spiced carrot hummus, chickpea, toasted pepitas, dutch carrots, paprika oil & fennel salad and a dish called Black Chyna (black rice, roasted pumpkin, macadamia, snow pea sprouts, avocado, tahini dressing w/ a poached egg). Both were delicious, but the octopus was definitely the standout. We had the coconut hotcake for "dessert", which was topped with fresh blueberries, pomegranate, passion fruit curd, kaffir lime syrup, sliced coconut and edible flowers. It looked like a work of art and was good, albeit a bit tart (though this didn't stop us from cleaning the plate). Pickle somehow found room for a second dessert (possibly because there may have been an unequal distribution of the coconut pancake) and managed to track down some gigantic chocolate covered strawberries at the Cronulla Spring Festival.
Round 2 started with a drink called the Beuno for me, which was warm almond milk, hazelnut and white chocolate...for some reason, I thought this was going to be coffee-based (like a flat white with a little something extra), but it was really like a super sweet hot chocolate made with Nutella and proved far too sweet for my taste. Pickle ordered a chocolate mint pistachio milkshake...I'm not that into milkshakes, but it was crazy tasty. I doubled down on the Fremantle octopus (it was just too good to stray), and Pickle branched out with the short ribs sandwich, another tasty pick.
Last weekend, we tried another local café called Culture Bean...Pickle, whose sweet tooth knows no limits, ordered an Oreo cinnamon roll and a mocha. There were cookies throughout the entire roll, and it was topped with crushed cookies, a generous blob of thick frosting and even more Oreos. I had a flat white and a strawberry, blueberry lemon muffin that was even fresher and tastier than I'd expected. It was a beautiful little brekky...
OK, ok...on to the mountains...it was a gorgeous day as we headed up to the Blue Mountains. For our first trip, we decided to go the more touristy route, as the destination got great reviews and included a number of transportation options across the mountain tops for ideal views. So we headed out to Scenic World...I know, I know - it sounds ridiculous. Like some sort of sad attempt at a theme park where you expect to come across an animatronic wildlife show, a rundown viewing platform, and a myriad of marked up dollar store-quality souvenirs. It was definitely better than that, though it certainly created a concentrated tourist hub. I'm glad we went once for the views and convenient transportation around the area, though next time, we'll likely just check out some less populated trails on our own.
The first thing we tried was the Scenic Skyway, which takes you 720 meters across the valley (270 meters up). It provided beautiful views of the valley and the electro-glass floor allowed us to see below us as well...
After disembarking, we hiked up to Echo Point to get a better view of Jamison Valley and the Three Sisters, one of the most iconic landmarks in the Blue Mountains. The Three Sisters is a sandstone rock formation caused by erosion, but Aboriginal legends tell of three sisters, Meehni, Wimlah, and Gunnedoo who were turned to stone.
There were a number of beautiful, native flowers in bloom...
Our trip back across the Skyway provided an amazing view of Katoomba Falls. In the third photo, if you closely, you can see a flock of sulfur crested cockatoos flying over the falls.
After our trek to Echo Point and back, we grabbed an overpriced lunch at the food court and headed down the mountains via the Scenic Railway. The railway has been around since 1945, and at a 52 degree incline, it's the steepest in the world. They've adjusted the seating to allow passengers to vary the angle of their seats from 44 to 64 degrees, and added a glass top to the carts, which allows for a clear view as you travel down the mountainside and through the tunnel. The railway carries 84 passengers down (or up) the 310 meter track every 10 minutes.
At the bottom of the railway, we stepped out into a Jurassic rainforest. There is a 2.4 kilometer Scenic Walkway (which we walked nearly twice, as we got a bit turned around) through the rainforest. I was a little concerned that, given the number of tourists, we were going to simply be corralled through in a herd, but the crowds seemed to dissipate quickly and we were soon left alone to wander through the tranquil surrounds. While it was a cool setting, I have to admit, it wasn't like "the rainforest" as I'd always pictured it (which was apparently limited to National Geographic and Discovery channel features on South America or trips to The Rainforest Café). I mean, it's not like there are toucans and monkeys roaming around the Blue Mountains, and after living in Athens, Ohio, with the hills and forests there, it kind of seemed like more of the same. The plant life is obviously much different, but I'm not educated or interested quite enough to appreciate the difference in trees. It was certainly peaceful and pretty though, and it was nice to get out of the concrete city surrounds and escape into nature for awhile.
The coolest part of the rainforest walk was hearing the native lyrebirds. We only saw one at a distance and through the greenery (he was kicking up brush to clear himself a little performance area), but we heard several calling and chatting back and forth to one another, and they're a real trip! If you're unfamiliar with the lyrebird, they're some of nature's most talented impressionists. Here's a clip of David Attenborough introducing the lyrebird's impressive vocal range...
And here's one more of a lyrebird at a sanctuary in Australia who does a killer impression of, among other things, a toy gun...
After walking around the rainforest, we took the Scenic Cableway (yes...they're all scenic) back up to home base, which, according to Scenic World, is the steepest and largest cableway in the southern hemisphere.
I appreciated our little escape to the Blue Mountains...
it was a breath of fresh air and a lovely way to welcome spring!
it was a breath of fresh air and a lovely way to welcome spring!