Getting there

Katoomba is pretty much in the heart of the Blue Mountains and is less than a 2 hr train ride from Sydney ... It's the perfect way to get there!

The hills of the Blue "Mountains" ... instead of mountains, it really reminded me of the US Grand Canyon, but with vegetation (gum trees).

The Blue Mountains gets their name from the blue haze in the air -- it's actually the eucalyptus oil vapor from the gum trees.

Scenic World and the World's Steepest Railway

Scenic World is in Katoomba and has at least 3 claims to fame: The Railway, the Skyway and the Cable Way ...The railway is incredibly steep, but it's a great way to get to the valley floor. It "is the steepest incline passenger carrying railway in the world at 52 degrees or 128%, and has carried over 27.5 million passengers in it's 70 year history."

Take the railway down to the valley floor and walk the boardwalk to see the old mining operations and the forest on the valley floor.

The typical vegatation of the Blue Mountains ...

The Cableway -- the steepest cableway in the southern hemisphere ... or something-est ... can't quite remember. It's a great way to come back up out of the valley without a long arduous hike ...

And the 3rd "wonder" of Scenic World .. the Skyway ... supposedly the longest clear span of any enclosed gondola in the southern hemisphere ... It's actually a great way to get from Scenic World to Echo Point and the Three Sisters.

Echo Point and The Three Sisters are synonomous with the Blue Mountains ... so of course, I obsessed over trying to capture the Three Sisters in varying light from a variety of angles ...

Very early morning where I discovered to my horror (kinda) that they light up the Three Sisters at night ...

Not a lot of water flow in the middle of summer, but I still managed to find some waterfalls (I know, get help ...)

Some feathered friends ...

Left - Crimson Rosella Parrot; Mid - Sulphur-Crested White Cockatoo; Right - Red Tailed Black Cocatoo (I think ...)

Lizards -- No Snakes

Plenty of lizards, but thank goodness, no snakes!

After 3 nights/4 days I was ready to head back to Sydney

Next stop -- Tasmania!