AUSTRALIA - New South Wales

Blue Mountains

Caitlin and I were both sad to leave Adelaide because of the great friends we had made there. After goodbyes we headed to the station to catch out train back over to the east coast. After 24 hours in the cabin we were dropped off at Sydney before we were off again. This time to the Blue Mountains. On our first day we went on the 1000 step decent which used to be he old miners trail to the bottom of the valley. We passed an interesting waterfall called Witches Leap Falls, where the water runs over the rocks shaped in the faces of a witches head. Caitlin and I were both relieved we did not have to climb back up to the top, from the mine a train still runs to the top - originally only used to transport coal but today passengers are aloud on board too! The train is the steepest train in the world - reaching an incline of 52 degrees! DON'T LOOK DOWN!

The following day we were out again to see the Leura Cascades. To get there we followed a cliff walk trail and as the mist began to clear we were able to appreciate the stunning views of the Blue Mountains Nation Park. The whole area of the national park is about the size of England, and when looking out it makes you feel really quite small! When we reached the viewpoint at the Leura Cascades we were rewarded further by the beautiful sight. It's unfortunate that my picture does not do the scene justice! Making it hard to imagine how staggeringly high the cliffs are, how loud the crashing water sounds and how far your voice is carried down the valley by the echos.

That day there was no train to take us back to the start! However we were able to take a detour on the way back for one more photo opportunity before it got dark. We visited the 'Three Sisters'. They are actually a rock formation and the aboriginal culture tells us how they got there. To cu a long story short, 3 sisters were taken to the valley and told to wait on top of the rock while the father went out to hunt. But girls will be girls and they would not wait patiently so with his magic stick their father turned them into stone where they still remain!

Canberra

I went to Canberra to go and see a friend, Jake - Kate and Paul's son who had moved there, the capital city of Australia, to study. When I arrived Jake took me to meet his housemate, gave me the grand tour of his apartment and we talked for hours about our adventures and the joys of travelling - Jake had recently been to Europe and travelled around on the inter rail. During my short visit to Canberra I managed to watch a lot of TV (to me a luxury while away, especially as i was in charge of the remote!) I met a few of Jake's friends from work and uni and we all went out for drinks. I also got a tour of the city - that was designed by a competition winner to plan the city, although after the competition the designer has not yet visited to see the results!

It was great seeing Jake and what he is up to now and fun remembering what we got up to as kids with Amy, Jake's sister and my bother David!

Sydney

Arriving in Sydney we tried t get our bearings in the big city. That morning we met up with a person that we met on the train over and went for a walk around heading for the harbour. It's such a hive of activity there and a great place to sit, relax, take in the buzz of the atmosphere and people watch - Japanese tourists getting trigger happy in front of the Sydney Oprah House, extravagant ladies having liquid lunches at the waterfront and keen beans getting active climbing up the Sydney Harbour Bridge etc. etc.!

Later on we retreated to Hyde park with a picnic lunch and spent the rest of the day swapping stories in the sun and eating grapes!

The next day we went to Coogee Beach for more time in the sun. On he way home we picked up dinner from the super market, that night Caitlin and I were cooking kangaroo! I found it amusing being in a country where we were able to eat the national emblem! Although they are actually considered a pest now! Kangaroo meat is extremely lean and even more healthy than chicken and more importantly it is so tender and tastes delicious, I tried not to think of my kangaroo friends I made earlier on in my trip!

On out last day in Sydney (and in Australia) we risked the weather reports for rainfall as the skies were blue and went to the beach again, the infamous Bondi beach. We were in luck and were able to stay dry! Because we were there on a Saturday the beach was absolutely packed and there were bodies everywhere, we managed to find a spot for the afternoon to chill out and watch the surfers.

Back at the hostel we packed our bags for the flight the following morning and checked the passports. With time to spare we went back down to the harbour to watch the sunset, a pretty good day to wrap up the last 6 weeks!