The purple headed mountains
All Things Bright and Beautiful – Cecil F. Alexander, 1848
The rivers running by
The sunset and the morning
That brightens up the sky
Woke up at around 2.45am to use the loo and saw lights through the gap in our curtains; we were already docked in Sydney, back where we had started 11 days ago. How the time flies.
It was not quite the end of our fantastic holiday, however. We still had most of the day to enjoy here in Australia, and we determined to make the most of every minute. At least the weather forecast was good. 🙂
The alarm went off at 5.45am and we arose, got washed and dressed and packed our remaining bits and pieces into our rucksacks before leaving them in 3142 and heading up to the Ocean View for breakfast. Despite the hour the place was packed; some lucky people were remaining on board for the next cruise around Australia but most of us were disembarking. I tried to push to the back of my mind the thought of the 20+ hours of flying we had ahead of us.
Once we’d finished breakfast we returned to 3142 and had a last look around the cabin, checking all the drawers and cupboards to ensure we hadn’t forgotten anything. Then we hefted our rucksacks onto our backs and left, heading for The Club which would be the meeting point for those of us going on the “Blue Mountains with Airport Transfer” excursion. It was just as well we were booked on this trip as we would have been dropped off at the airport around half-nine and, as our flight home wasn’t until 21:45, we would have been hanging around the airport for a full 12 hours before our 14-hour flight to Dubai. Horrendous!
Soon our excursion was called and we proceeded down to Deck 2 to have our Sea Passes swiped and disembark the Celebrity Edge. We glanced back at her as we trooped disconsolately down the gangplank; I always feel a little pang whenever we leave a ship for the last time; that moment you step onto terra firma and know that your cruise is over. 🙁
We made our way into the cruise terminal and found our cases pretty quickly, which we trundled along to the waiting coaches. Once our bags were stashed in the hold we boarded the bus and took our seats, after placing our rucksacks into the racks above our heads. We had a two-hour drive until we reached the Blue Mountains, but in the meantime, we would be stopping off at the Glenbrook Visitor Information Centre on the way.
The coach took us through the streets of Sydney, past Darling Harbour and the Crown Casino and other places we recognised from our stay here when we arrived. Leaving the city behind, the driver put his foot down as we travelled along the highways, looking out of the windows and enjoying the journey.
At around 8.45am the coach pulled up at the Visitor Centre which had restrooms and a shop with a coffee machine if anyone could use a hot drink. Our guide said we had about 20 minutes.
Inside, it was a bit like your usual Tourist Information centre, with leaflets and guidebooks and souvenirs such as plush possums and koala bears and kangaroos. We browsed around for a bit but didn’t buy anything. Then we used the loos and made our way back to the coach.
Continuing on our way again, we arrived at Echo Point viewing area around half-past nine. The sun was shining brightly but, as we looked across at the stunning views (or lack thereof) we saw that we were actually above the cloud layer. We hoped that it would clear as we would be going up to about 4,000 feet and in any case, we would have all the time in the world to look down at clouds on our loooooooong flights home!
Even with the cloud layer the views were fantastic. Huge sandstone rocks and crags and ridges, all lushly covered in eucalyptus forest and native bushland. We felt the sun warm on our backs as we breathed in the fresh mountain air and drank in the wonder of nature.
One of the most photographed sights in the Blue Mountains is that of the Three Sisters, three sandstone rock formations that tower over the Jamison Valley. They were swathed in cloud this morning, which added a bit of mystery and atmosphere to them, particularly when you consider the folklore surrounding them.
The commonly told legend of the Three Sisters is that three sisters, Wimalah, Meeni, and Gunedoo, lived in the Jamison Valley as members of the Katoomba tribe. They fell in love with three men from the neighbouring Nepean tribe, but marriage was forbidden by tribal law. The brothers were not happy to accept this law and so decided 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.
We continued walking around; there were lots of undulating paths winding their way up and down to differernt levels, giving us new vantage points. The clouds were indeed beginning to thin out now, and the views were stunning. You could see why they were called “blue” mountains; a distant blue haze was very discernible among the peaks.
Soon we had to meet up with our guide once again, to make our way to the starting point for the Scenic Railway.
Coal and shale used to be mined in the mountains, and there are still remnants of the mines today. In 1945, part of an old mining railway that was used for hauling shale up the cliff was converted into the Scenic Railway for the use of visitors.
We joined a short queue and boarded the carriage, whose glass doors slid firmly shut as we sat in our oddly-angled seats and held on to the bar in front of us. As the carriage moved slowly away, the Indiana Jones theme tune blasted out as we set off through the bushes and trees and into a tunnel at a speed of 4m/second. Just then, the carriage angled steeply forward as we plunged into the darkness. We wedged our feet against the base of the seat in front and gripped onto the bar; this was steep. It lasted only a few seconds before we levelled out again, but now I knew why our seats had been at a backward angle; they became level as we descended! We learned later that the ride passes down a 52° incline into the Jamison Valley and the rainforest below. It was certainly something different! 🙂
Just for a sense of perspective, 52 degrees looks like this (see also the photo below).
As we alighted from the carriage in the valley, we could see lots of boardwalks and paths through the lush Jamison Valley. There was also the entrance to a disused mine as well as various old mining tools and tubs. Our guide told us we had an hour to explore and asked us to meet at the start of the Skyway cable car for our journey back up.
It was lovely walking through the green, shady rainforest. We saw lots of paths to explore as well as interesting plants and birds; several times we saw white birds which Google told us were sulphur-crested cockatoos.
Presently, we found ourselves joining a short queue to take the Scenic Skyway. This is a 720m return ride across the valley in a cable car, suspended 270m in the air, with astounding views that take in the entire valley including the Three Sisters. In operation since 1958, it was rebuilt in 2005 with a cable car featuring a glass bottom. Anyone with acrophobia might want to give this one a miss! 🙂
It was amazing. We boarded and I hurriedly ensured I had a good view at the window because it was standing only, and as I am under five feet tall getting a good view of anything is quite a challenge! I was able to get some brief video footage, but I didn’t want to take in these fabulous vistas through the screen of my phone, so I didn’t take many photos. The ones I did take, however, are enough.
How glad were we that we had booked this excursion instead of sitting around at the airport for hours on end? It was utterly fantastic.
Once we disembarked from the cable car at the other end, we found ourselves in the inevitable souvenir shop and café. There was seating outside with wonderful views over the valley, so we decided to have a cup of coffee and a cake and take them outside to enjoy in the sunshine.
Afterwards it was time to take the cable car for the return journey. This time, I went to the centre of the gondola where I could look straight down through the glass floor. It certainly did give you a weird sense of vertigo and I didn’t stay there long, resuming my spot by the window which Trevor had been keeping for me. 🙂
All too soon it was time to meet our guide again to make our way back to the coach for our journey to the airport. We sat there in the air-conditioned comfort as we looked out of the windows and tried not to think about the long, boring, tedious time we had ahead of us.
Presently we saw the road signs directing the way to Sydney International Airport and our guide read out lists of airlines and which check-in desks you needed to go to. She didn’t mention Emirates! However, our flight was not until 21:45 hours tonight so the check-in desk wouldn’t be open for some hours yet.
The coach pulled up and we alighted and retrieved our luggage from the coach. Then we trundled our cases into the terminal building to look for the Emirates check-in desk. As expected, it wasn’t open yet.
It was only two o’clock, so we had nearly eight hours to hang around at the airport, before our 14-hour flight to Dubai, and then our seven-hour flight to Newcastle. A necessary evil if you want to go to the other side of the world, but the rewards are definitely worth the tedium of long-haul flights.
Until the next time! 🙂