Get your Kattoomba on... - 1-2-2012

Heading off for Brisbane tomorrow and willfully anticipating a change of scenery and pace.  Sydney is incredible, but there is always that vagabond in us all that drives us on to something new.  Growing intense now...

Yesterday we set off for the Blue Mountains, one of Sydney's closest natural attractions.  I would say that it is one of Sydney's closest natural environments, but unfortunately it had a grandeur feel of simply another tourist trap in most aspects.

The train came to a small town bus stop in Katoomba from which we had a 20 minute walk to Echo Point, a gorgeous lookout of the valley and sheer rock faces cliffs.  If it weren't for the massive amount of tourists, speaking selfishly as I am obviously a tourist as well, Echo Point would be one of the most beautiful valley views I have ever seen.  However, I have never been one for built up, easy to get to, accessible to the masses natural areas.  The Three Sisters is in clear view from the lookout, and it makes anyone climber itch to get on the sheer face that is reminiscent to an opening scene of Mission Impossible; it's extremely powerful.  In a cheesy hollywood sort of way.

Moving down from the generally populated lookout area, we made our way down some 900 stairs, or something like that, on the aptly named "giant stairway" to the valley floor.  Finally in near seclusion with nature, away from the masses.  We went on a roughly 4 hour hike covering who knows how many miles, too bucolically captivating to focus on anything but the surrounding land.  The pictures speak for themselves; neither these images nor my best words can do anything similar to this any sort of justice, but it will have to do:

In an anti wi-fi zone area it seems, many of my posts have been very delayed.  This will have to do however, 75 AUD is a bit steep for internet use.  Having to hop between cafes, McDonalds, etc.  Not my cup of tea, but it will have to do with lowered "professional appeal" in posts.  Whatever.

Cheers.