Bushwalking in the Blue-ees. NSW, Australia.

[Bob W]

Translation: Hiking in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia.

Sometimes we have the ability, time, and gear to spend weeks alone deep in the wilderness where no other people have ventured, and sometimes we must get our wilderness experiences a bite at a time.

Still, if you time it right, stay clear of the tour bus stops, and venture beyond the parking lot, shorter and more close-in walks can be very rewarding.

While on a working trip to Australia the bosses had to fly down to Melbourne for a meeting, leaving me 'stranded' in NSW with two days to explore on my own. Being in the Sydney area quite a lot, I had already seen most of the coast in the region, and many of the closer national parks. I had driven through the Blue Mountains many times, but never been able to stop or sightsee. So off I went...

First stop, the North Lawson Park hiking tracks. How I selected this spot, it's pretty much the first scenic stop coming from the city. Still, mine was the only vehicle in the parking lot and there were no people beyond the first waterfall. A two or three hour solitary experience in a rainforest only one hour from the congested Sydney sprawl... I wouldn't have believed it.

 

[Bob W]

 

[WILLIAM.M]

Very Cool

Thankd for sharing!!!!

 

[Bob W]

You mean this pictures don't look just like Abilene? LOL.
Coming from New Mexico, I find everything in Australia so exotic and different. Rain forests, waterfalls, colorful birds, strange animals...

Next stop, Wentworth Falls.

Wentworth is a heavily visited tourist town with herds of retirees, packs of kids getting off the train to hang out for the day, and tour buses. Still, walk past the first overlook and there are relatively few people on the tracks. The walk down the staircase, hundreds of steep tall steps cut into the cliff face, leaves most young families and older folks behind. The visitors at the bottom of the falls are mostly older kids and college-age adults; seems like I was the oldest person down there. And anyone who was bushwalking beyond the falls into the remote areas looked quite athletic indeed.

I started hiking from the town center, following the footsteps of Charles Darwin to the escarpment edge, and then climbing down to the falls and hiking a short distance beyond to the National Pass. My walk, both ways, took probably three hours.

 

[Bob W]

Next stop, Katoomba...

 

[Myal]

Awesome pictures .
It is good to see thru fresh eyes , living here , a lot of things that are actually amazing become very ordinary untill theyre seen thru fresh eyes .
Glad youre having a good time

 

[Bob W]

Thanks Myal. There's more to come.

I also visited the Mount Tomah Botanical Gardens. Not much of an adventure from a wilderness standpoint, so I posted those pictures in the Photography forum.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1133671-Mount-Tomah-Botanical-Gardens

 

[Bob W]

Katoomba. One of the larger towns in the area, it's also the location of Echo Point, an overlook of the Three Sisters. The overlook itself is a turn-around for tour buses with people standing shoulder-to-shoulder most of the day. Fortunately I was staying at a hotel only a couple blocks away, so it was convenient to visit late in the afternoon and early in the morning. In fact, one of the best views of the Three Sisters is to visit Echo Point after dark.

Had I more time to spend in Katoomba, I had planned a loop hike from the Leura Cascades to the Three Sisters. Hit it early in the morning before the tour groups, and I expect it would be rather solitary. It's on my list for some other time.

These pictures are from Echo Point and from the Katoomba Falls walking tracks and from Echo Point. The lines overhead in one picture are from the aerial tram at the "Scenic World" tourist trap.

 

[Bob W]

Day 2:

Just a quick stop at Govett's Leap. I didn't do much of a walk here, only down to the first good view of these falls, but there are plenty of trails I'd like to revisit.

 

[Bob W]

The recent bush fires in Australia made the news world-wide, and one of the worst hit areas was in the Blue Mountains around the town of Bell. To see some burn areas away from the main highway, I took a side-trip to the village of Mount Wilson and to a small overlook. If moving to Australia, Mount Wilson is certainly a place I'd consider residing.

The hills around show areas of red where the fires burned and killed the trees. The green areas show where the fires burned on the ground only.

Regeneration of the shrubs and grasses in the Mt Wilson area:

 

[willrise]

Luck bastard! I say that purely out of a jealous but happiness for you kinda of way : )

 

[Bob W]

I work for a small science/mining company that's based in New Mexico, but much of our work has been in Australia thanks to their recently-ended mining boom. These pictures were from my November trip, the third Aussie trip this year. And I leave Albuquerque for Queensland tomorrow. And that's it... until January of 2014 and the whole thing starts again.

This job involves a lot of travel, which isn't for everyone. Some trips I'm able to sneak away for a couple of hours of outdoor recreation, rarely I get a couple of days, and some trips no time at all.

 

[WILLIAM.M]

Excellent photos

Thanks for sharing

 

[Myal]

Youre gunna love Queensland .
It is proably going to be a bit warm and a bit humid , maybe monsoonal even but its beautiful up there
Thanks for sharing the pictures .

 

[Bob W]

I've been to Queensland before. Rockhampton and Mackay along the coast, and inland by Mt Isa. I was a little apprehensive about a Queensland trip in the middle of summer, but checking the weather it looks like I'm in for 80s in day, 70s at night, and scattered thunderstorms on some days.
Still, I find the humidity intolerable. Luckily (?) I'll be underground most days.

I don't even know the name of the town I'll be in, but it's a couple hours inland from either Mackay or Rocky.

 

[Bob W]

Thanks for sharing the pictures .

I hope you find them an accurate representation of your beautiful country. :thumbup:

 

[Myal]

It is refreshing to see it thru anothers eyes . Im used to what is my normal , and I forget that its actually pretty interesting to others .

You have done a marvelous job of showing this place

One day ( long time off in the future ) I hope to come see the US .

 

[Bob W]

Myal, I just passed by your place. Or more accurately, over it. Just flew Sydney - Brisbane, and am catching a flight soon to Emerald, where I've never been before.

 

[Glenn Jones]

If you get a chance, while in Central Queensland you should try to visit Carnarvon Gorge. By Australian standards, it's not too far from Emerald and it is a trully beautiful part of Queensland.

 

[upnorth]

Gorgeous country out there. :thumbup: