As a bit of a
family getaway we booked a weekend away in the Blue Mountains late last year. It
was so long ago that Leonie and I had almost forgotten all about it.
Nonetheless we soon were planned our weekend and what we wanted to see and do.
I was keen for some family bushwalks while the kids wanted to check out the
IMAX cinema.
Perfect weather
greeted us as we headed out west early on Saturday morning. Our first stop was
Wentworth Falls where we found ourselves at an overcrowded lookout. Knowing the
crowds wouldn’t be where we were going we set off on our first walk. For years
I’d wanted to head down the National Pass and explore the Jamison Valley. The
initial part of the walk was relaxing as we headed along the clifftop and over
a number of small creeks, then all of a sudden we were heading down the very
exposed sandstone steps which hugged the cliff wall. Every few metres we would
stop to admire the vista and magnitude of this pass. We couldn’t imagine how
the trail blazers of the area had managed to cut a path into the side of this
sheer cliff-face. After numerous stops and countless steps we were at the
bottom where the beauty of the Wentworth “falls” could be appreciated. Like
others, we stopped here for a bit of lunch and the kids paddled their feet in
the cold water. Others around us were keener than us using the waterfall as a
place to cool off. Moving on we traversed the lower cliff track towards the “Valley
of the Waters”. The walk offered amazing views of the valley and memories of
when I use to travel through the valley for work. In what seemed like no time
but was actually 90min we were at the base of Empress Falls. Here we got to
watch a few of the commercial canyoning groups’ abseil down the 30m waterfall
having completed the picturesque Empress Canyon. The walk from here was a
little demanding but we soon found ourselves back at Conservation Hut and then
finally back at the car. I was so proud of our 6km family walk.
Continuing further
up the mountains we soon found our accommodation and checked-in. The kids were
buzzing with excitement at the prospect of staying in a motel for the night.
After getting comfortable we headed into Katoomba where we picked up a few
supplies and checked out a few tourist spots. We’d decided to have dinner out
but to our detriment so had everyone else in town, Katoomba was packed and
every restaurant informed us of the 30-40min wait just to get a seat.
Apparently the 6-foot marathon was on leaving the town packed with people
making a weekend of it in the mountains. In the end we chose to get some
takeaway pizza and headed for a secluded lookout where we watched the sunset
over the 3-sisters.
Sunday morning
we were all a little stiff but I offered some good advice and we were soon
headed out for our second walk of the weekend. Heading to Echo Point we joined
the mobs who flock to this spot for that special photo. Leaving the crowds we
headed around to the “Giant Staircase” and after a short walk we were standing
at the base of the first “sister”. From here our trek took us down the 700
steps to the valley floor, once again we were amazed at the people who built
these risky tracks and stairs….. It appeared that many of the people of the
track seemed to be doing the walk the wrong way, why would you climb up these
stairs unless you were a fitness junkie. Once at the bottom the trail snaked
its way around the spur of the 3-sisters and along the valley floor. No sooner
did we start than we found ourselves at the base of the Furber Stairs and then
the “Scenic Railway” where we chose the easy option of a train ride on the
world’s steepest train line back to the top. The kids were keen on the front
car and the thrill of looking out at the vista as we made our way up the
incline. The quick trip is breathtaking and we’d soon completed another 4km
walk in the mountains. A short bus transfer had us back at the car and our time
in the mountains was coming to an end.
So many
memories of my childhood growing up in the mountains and doing family walks
with my parents had been filling my head all weekend and to now I was sharing
those experiences with my family which was very rewarding and special. As we
headed for home I quizzed the family on what was their highlight, our answers
were all mixed but there was one common response. The fact that we’d had a
family weekend away.
