A day in the Blue Mountains

After a couple of relaxing days we had an early start for our coach tour to the Blue Mountains, but it was well worth the effort as they were spectacular!!

There really is a blue haze around them caused by the oil from the Eucalyptus Trees vapourising into the air - amazing!!! Unfortuantely this is also the main cause of bush fires when lightning strikes ignite the vapours! Fortunately the recent fires had been put out by the rain, so we had a clear view of the scenery.

We started off with a stop for Billy Tea (made in a billy can!!) in a clearing full of kangaroos and other wildlife!!

We then went on to Echo Point for a magnificent view of the whole area, and a special rock formation called "The Three Sisters".

We then went on several high altitude journeys including a Skyway, Cable Car and Miners Train - all of which offered more spectacular views of the area. In the Rainforest below we were able to do a circular walk taking in all the flora and fauna, as well as see where they used to mine the coal - absolutely amazing how they used basic technology to remove the coal and get it so far uphill to the surface!!!

We then went to Cahill Lookout for the most wonderful view of the Blue Mountains, stretching miles across to the Great Divide. We had been warned of storms and heard thunder rolling round in the distance, so had to make a hasty exit.

Our coach driver took us to Olympic Park on our return to Sydney to demonstrate throwing a boomerang - and yes they really do work in the right hands!!! Unfortunately we were not allowed to try because of a recent accident involving a boomerang and a Dutch lady who failed to duck when necessary!!!

We then had a leisurely cruise down the Paramatta River back to Circular Quay. All in all an excellent day out!