Sunday 23 March 2014

The Blue Mountains: Day 1

We set off just before 7am for the Blue Mountains on Day 4 of my Australia holiday.  Sydney grinds to a virtual halt during the rush hour and so our departure was timed to try and get us out before the rush.  Given that we were going the opposite way to most commuters I thought this would be easy.  I think naive would be a good term to use about my view.  Anyway we were along the Great Western Highway and well into Blue Mountains at Leura by mid morning.  The weather was pretty dismal and the light wasn't good for photography but we determined to make the best of it and had a reasonable 3 hour tramp as well.
The route from Coogee to Leura
The Jamieson Valley
The valley floor with it's tree cover and miles of bush trails.
The Three Sisters from the East
and later, when the sun was coming out, from the west.
The bridge over to the first of the Three Sisters.  Access to the others was stopped when it became too dangerous.
One of the overhangs on the tramp (with well-placed benches for those needing a rest).
The Cascades
The forest stretched as far as the eye could see
The Three Sisters is the Blue Mountains’ most spectacular landmark standing at 922, 918 & 906 metres tall, respectively.   Located at Echo Point Katoomba, around 2.5 kilometres from the Great Western Highway, this iconic visitor attraction is experienced by millions of people each year. 

The Three Sisters is essentially an unusual rock formation representing three sisters who according to Aboriginal legend were turned to stone.  There are various Aboriginal legends but the one I shall tell you has it that three sisters, 'Meehni', 'Wimlah' and Gunnedoo' lived in the Jamison Valley as members of the Katoomba tribe.  These beautiful young ladies had fallen in love with three brothers from the Nepean tribe, yet tribal law forbade them to marry.  

The brothers were not happy to accept this law and so decided to use force to capture the three sisters causing a major tribal battle.  As the lives of the three sisters were seriously in danger, a witchdoctor from the Katoomba tribe took it upon himself to turn the three sisters into stone to protect them from any harm. While he had intended to reverse the spell when the battle was over, the witchdoctor himself was killed. As only he could reverse the spell to return the ladies to their former beauty, the sisters remain in their magnificent rock formation as a reminder of this battle for generations to come.

It was after this tramp that we were fortunate enough to get a tourist bus to take us back to the town where we were staying because the long walk back on the road would have been rather too much for my knee.  Anyway my bus as a mode of transport  proved unfortunate and when the driver had to do an emergency stop my ribs bore the brunt of my fall and one or two were broken or cracked.  C'est la vie.  It wasn't my head or a broken ankle or leg.

21 comments:

  1. For the sake of a knee a rib was lost....
    I agree. Painful but a fair exchange.
    Love the cascades!,

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fiona nearly three weeks on and I'm not sure about the fairness of the exchange!

      Delete
  2. Breathtaking views, Graham! I'm really enjoying getting to see all this even if only by blog, so thanks for sharing - the legend included. I like the misty view of the Three Sisters from the east... Actually with my vivid imagination, I see four sisters - another face in the cliff wall on the right :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Monica the views were certainly spectacular. The vastness of Australia is breathtaking.

      Delete
  3. Seeing your photos brings back lovely memories of the Blue Mountains - thanks GB.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Helen my only slight sadness is that I didn't have time to spend exploring the more remote areas of the Blue Mountains. I do recall you mentioning your visits there but at the time I couldn't really envisage just how amazing the vastness is. My experience of Australian vastness had been limited to the semi-deserts.

      Delete
    2. Much as I love the British countryside I do miss the vastness of the landscapes in countries like Australia and the US.

      Delete
  4. The first picture is extraordinarily beautiful and would not be quite as good if the weather had been "good". The cascades are beautiful, too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Of course I mean the first picture, not counting the map; if you count the map, it's the 2nd picture.

      Delete
    2. Of course, Meike, I understood. You do have a point about the loss of atmosphere when the weather is always sunny.

      Delete
  5. This is a very beautiful area and you have some great photos to show. I like the way the cloud shadows show up over the forest.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Red. The clouds certainly provided lots of different shades of green.

      Delete
  6. An excellent set. Looks like HDR but lovely soft light.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Of course, Adrian, you'd immediately notice the HDR. Only on two though!

      Delete
  7. Sidney is forgiven. Those photos are breathtaking.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm sure Francis that Sidney will receive his forgiveness with due humility.

      Delete
  8. Beautiful photos, I am reminded of Cloudland Canyon right here in Georgia, but I think the mountains and canyons here are on a smaller scale.
    My Dad broke his ribs on a fall from a four-wheeler when he was in his 70's, he said he never knew how much he laughed until then!

    ReplyDelete
  9. What a shame about your ribs. You are doing us proud with your lovely photos. All that bush, it just goes on and on doesn't it?... and very inhospitable country too. Did you manage to get to Jenollan Caves while you were there? Not easy to see everything , I know !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Helsie I didn't manage to get to the Jenollan Caves. We only had one night in the area unfortunately.

      Delete
  10. Absolutely breathtaking photos GB....I felt as if I were right there.
    Loved the tale of the Three Sisters....folkloric stories always intrigue me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes Virginia there are lots of folklore tales in Australia and it was just a case here of deciding which one to use.

      Delete