The Blue Mountains

A detour from my Sydney trip, the Blue Mountains were gorgeous (for the 15 minutes I got to truly enjoy them 🤣). Here’s days 3 and 4!

Day 3

Had a little sleep in, then was on my way to Katoomba, NSW. The Blue Mountains are named for the haze that comes from the vaporized eucalyptus oils from the trees. A quick stop for groceries, then to my next hostel to ditch the luggage, cook up some lunch (LOVE having access to a kitchen when travelling, hidden perk of hostelling), and then went for a hike towards the Three Sisters. Being a Sunday afternoon, the trails were busy, especially since these were the easier grade, accessible ones with a solid surface (so maybe it was more of a walk than a hike?). I’m glad I made the effort though, because I beat the clouds to Three Sisters, but only barely. Have a peek at the clouds rolling in as I approached the Three Sisters:

I ended up going on for only a few more minutes before getting rained out, admitting defeat and turning around. Luckily I was able to take a bus back to downtown Katoomba, and not get entirely soaked. I got changed and spent a couple hours reading. I think my favourite hostel dinner is a dangerously easy one: canned tuna, microwave rice, and some canned veg. It’s not a gourmet meal, but I couldn’t be bothered to actually cook, especially when the kitchen gets busy around 5 pm and carries on until late. 

Day 4

My second day in Katoomba was also rainy, but my weather app said the visibility was supposed to improve later in the afternoon. I accepted my fate, and read all morning and then some. After lunch I got dressed up and headed to the Leura Falls track. It was still foggy, but I hoped it would clear. Unfortunately, I was mistaken and didn’t get much of a view, but a nice hike nonetheless.

With the recent rains, the trail was washing over in places. I almost made it out unscathed, but ended up ankle deep in water after I’d come too far to turn back. A soggy walk back to the hostel was in order, but nothing the hand dryers in the bathroom couldn’t fix!

After the second night in Katoomba, I caught the train back to Sydney Central and checked into my third hostel of the trip – see my Sydney post for the details!

See you soon,

Kate