On Sunday 27 November, we went with the Travel Club for a trip in the double-decker Blue Mountains Explorer Bus to the tourist town of Katoomba in the Blue Mountains.
Katoomba is 102 kilometres from Sydney and our journey started from the RSL Club in our home town of Penrith at the foot of the Blue Mountains. From here it is a gradual ascent, via the Great Western Highway, passing through pretty Mountains townships, until we reached Katoomba, one of the highest towns in the Mountains. It is 1017 metres above sea level and the air is fresh and much cooler than down on the Plains. The name Katoomba is a Gundungurra Aboriginal word meaning "falling water".
We stopped at Echo Point and spent some time there, having a look around this fabulous place. We had a good view of the iconic Three Sisters, located on the boundary of the Blue Mountains National Park. Everyone who comes to visit Echo Point wants to take a photo or a selfie with the Three Sisters in the background. We were no exception! There are several viewing platforms at different levels where you can get good views. We chose the Prince of Wales viewing platform with a great view of the Three Sisters and the surrounding Valley. It was a clear day and the vast panoramic view over the Jamison Valley was stunning! In the distance we could see Mt. Solitary.
The Blue Mountains is really a dissected plateau carved in sandstone bedrock. This landscape was formed over 200 million years ago by land erosion during the Triassic Period. It is hard to imagine this area was once covered by sea water!
The Lookout area at Echo Point is well designed for the many tourists that visit, with paths and ramps for easy access. Echo Point is also the starting point for many great walks, including the giant stairway that leads you down almost 1,000 steps to the valley floor below. There is also a walk to the Ruined Castle which follows a route once used by shale and coal miners. We called in at the Visitor Information Centre and had a look around its well-stocked shop with some good souvenirs and merchandise for sale.
After a delicious lunch at Katoomba RSL Club we re-joined the bus for a drive along Cliff Drive passing Scenic World where the Skyway, Scenic Railway and Cableway are all available for a thrilling ride into the Valley. The Scenic Railway is the steepest incline railway in the world and is a heartstopping drop down a cliff face to the valley below where there is an elevated boardwalk through the rain forest at the bottom of the valley. However, there was no time to-day to experience these thrilling rides!
We continued down to the Katoomba Cascades where we stopped, as some people on the bus wanted to do the walk. We waited in the Park at the top of the Cascades for these people to do the walk and then we all boarded the bus again for the scenic journey along Cliff Drive. We stopped at Cahill's Lookout to view the breathtaking view over the Megalong Valley including Boar's Head Rock and Narrow Neck Peninsula. The Narrow Neck Peninsula separates the Megalong Valley from the Jamison Valley.
It was then time to re-join the bus for the return journey home, after an enjoyable day spent visiting some of our favourite places in our beloved Blue Mountains.
The Narrow Neck Plateau is an eroded remnant of a sandstone layer at an elevation of 1000 metres above sea level which divides the Jamison and Megalong Valleys. The Great Dividing Range is in the far distance.
Acknowledgments
1. Wikipedia
2. NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.
3. Sydney Uncovered 2022.
4. aussietowns.com.au
