As you may have guessed from my username, I have a link to Australia... my dad is Australian but has lived here in the UK with my mum for over 25 years, so I am a Brit with an Aussie background! I have been to Australia 3 times in my 19 years to visit my dad's family and on the last visit at Xmas 1997 we took a few days out to visit the Blue Mountains, a region about 200 miles due west of Sydney.
The area is easily reached on a large motorway straight out of Sydney, so if you are in the city on a visit, why not combine the cosmoplitan urban landscape with the relaxing and awe-inspiring beauty of the Blue Mountains?
Our summer visit (for if you remember correctly, it is summer in Australia at Christmas!) took in the main attraction of the region, a stunning giant natural rock formation called the Three Sisters. The formation is comprised of three pillars of rock jutting up from the floor of a massive valley covered in forest. To see it is to believe that such a wondorous sight can exist! Just take a few minutes to admire the view on a sunny day when the skies are blue (incidentally, the area is known as the Blue Mountains due to the blue haze given off by the eucalyptus trees covering the valleys) and the air is still and you will realise that you are seeing one of the greatest sights on Earth. Most people talk of the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls or the Barrier Reef when they speak of natural wonders. That is fair enough, although I haven't seen them firsthand myself. But the Three Sisters must rank highly in the opinions of anyone who has seen them.
Two man-made tourist attractions are also situated at the top of the valley of the Three Sisters and both of them are rides not for the faint-hearted! Don't misunderstand, these are not rollercoasters but rather rides that will show you the full splendour of the valley while scaring you! The first ride that I went on during the visit was one of those hanging cable cars that takes you right out over the middle of the valley, several hundred feet above the trees below! It's a huge valley too, so if you are only enduring the fear factor for the opportunity to fully appreciate the epic view, don't let any mischievous member of your party rock the cable car to raise a few nervous laughs!
The second ride is truly fantastic. I believe that it is the world's only fully vertical hydraulic railway. The car in which you sit has the appearance of a rollercoaster but don't be too scared! You go from the top of the valley literally straight down to the bottom in a matter of 20 seconds or so. The feeling of going straight down is exhilirating and the reward at the bottom is to be able to look across the valley, at the level of the tree canopy, to the Three Sisters on the other side.
This is the main attraction in the Blue Mountain region, but another is the Jenolan Cave tourist centre. Further on into the mountains, the caves are situated at the end of a long winding road down into a valley filled with trees. The caves themselves are spectacular with massive subterranean halls and stalagmites/stalactites!
We stayed only one night in the Blue Mountain region, having set off from Sydney early on the first morning and fitting in all the attractions before retiring to a motel for the night and returning to the city the next day. The principle town in the region is Katoomba, situated only a mile or two from the Three Sisters. There is actually a hotel at the Three Sisters, but with the view it provides, don't expect it to be cheap! Katoomba itself is, if I remember correctly, not a particularly vibrant town but more one in which to stay the night before heading back to Sydney. Our motel was cheap and comfortable, with a swimming pool and good breakfast thrown in.
Unfortunately, being only 12 at the time of the visit, money was not really my problem, so I cannot come up with reliable prices for the tourist attractions and accomodation. I imagine that the rides at the Three Sisters would have been reasonably priced, but whatever the cost, I must stress that the sights and experience are worth it. Again, I cannot comment on the price of Jenolan Caves, but must conclude that the cost is worthwhile.
If you are visiting Sydney and would like to see some of the natural beauty of Australia of which so much is said, visit the Blue Mountains. It is a region of breathtaking natural views and moving sights. Not much is said of the area on holiday programmes when reviewing the world's greatest sights, but I would like to change that.
Visiting the Blue Mountains is one of the things that you must do if staying in Sydney. Just hire a car and hit the road west - you won't be disappointed, I promise.
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