The Blue Mountains

We left the apartment at 7am, walked up to The Cross, stepped over the drunks and boarded the train with people still heading home from the night before and a few school kids. We changed at Central and 2 hours and 24 stops later we were in Katoomba, gateway to the Blue Mountains National Park.

This year, New South Wales has seen huge amounts of rainfall.  This rainfall has caused huge amounts of landslides and slips which has closed many of the hiking trails and paths. We wanted to walk down into the valley, around the three sisters and back up at Scenic World, but couldn't as the Giant Stairway had been half washed away in February!

Ready, willing but not able to tackle the Giant Stairway

So instead, we walked the Prince Henry Clifftop Path from the 3 Sisters to Leura. The path was very wet and in places we had to wade through ankle deep water. The clouds were very low too so visibility was pretty poor!

3 Sisters

The commonly told legend of the Three Sisters is that three sisters (Meehni', 'Wimlah' and Gunnedoo') lived in the Jamison Valley as members of the Katoomba tribe. They fell in love with three men from a neighbouring tribe but marriage was forbidden by tribal law. The brothers were not happy to accept this law and so decided to use force to capture the three sisters. A major tribal battle ensued, and the sisters were turned to stone by an elder to protect them, but he was killed in the fighting and no one else could turn them back.

The 4 sisters

You can almost see the trees in the background

The 2 hour hike had plenty of lookouts - and these lookouts had plenty of cloud!

Almost clear!

Very scenic. Apparently.

Echo Point

3 Sisters & Echo Point

View from Katoomba Falls

We walked a few miles around the clifftop to Scenic World, but the 5000 Japanese tourists (many in matching his and hers outfits!!) put us off riding the world's steepest train to the world's longest boardwalk. So we played statues again!

LMAO!

Pout!

Oh dear