The Blue Mountains are about a 3 hour drive outside of Sydney. Along the drive, we had a very talkative tour guide. Learned about various bridges we drove over, areas of Sydney, history, and even the controversial "White Australia" Policy that ended about halfway through the last century. Looks like racism is pretty universal. The goal of the policy was to have only immigrants from Europe.
Our first stop was at Echo Point. This is home of the famous Three Sisters rock formation. Legend has it that three sisters were turned into stone to keep them safe from the bunyip (Aussie version of big foot).
 |
| Three Sister (on the left) |
The first thing we did was check out the $10 aborigine show (~15 minutes). It seemed pretty touristy, but when would I get to see some aborigine stuff?
 |
| Playing the didgeridoo |
Hearing the didgeridoo was pretty cool. Something to keep in mind, not all aborigines played the didgeridoo. Similar to the Native Americans, there are all kinds of different aborigine tribes throughout Australia. Each with their own language, customs, etc (although I gather there are similarities).
Also got to see boomerangs (although not in action). My favorite is the hunting boomerang. It doesn't return. It's just big and heavy to break kangaroo, etc legs.
We got to see some dancing, too. They even called up 4 male volunteers to partake in a kangaroo dance. I didn't volunteer, but sitting in the front volunteered me. I had to hop around and act like a kangaroo. I'm pretty sure this one wasn't an ancient aborigine dance. Probably just to get the tourists to look ridiculous. But it was a fun show. The performers were clearly having a good time.
Some more shots from Echo Point.
Check out all those eucalyptus trees. Really a beautiful sight. And if you look closely, you'll note a blue haze (more apparent in the first photo). That's where the Blue Mountains get their name. That haze is from light reflecting off eucalyptus oil/water in the air.
We next drove up to the Jenolan Caves. The world's oldest cave, according to our friendly tour guide. 300 million years old.
 |
| Tight fit through the mountain to the parking lot. |
We got to climb up those stairs.
Just kidding. That ladder is for workers to change the light bulbs.
Here's me looking super cool with my sunglasses on:
I was done taking photos. But then the guide said we had to take a picture of the broken column. It's the most famous part of the cave.
 |
| Formed by either the top or bottom shifting |
Cool cave. Outside the cave was the blue lake. Gets its name from its color. All the limestone creates a blue hue.
Now it was time for the 3 hour drive back to Sydney. Got back to Sydney around 6:30pm. Thankfully we made it through all the tight curves in the mountain.
 |
| Photo doesn't do it justice. There were some tight curves |
Last fun fact: Australia is flattest continent. Might be the oldest, but everything is just worn down. The tallest mountain is only about 2,000 meters. In the States, I think we call that South Dakota.
After getting back, 3 of us decided to grab some pizza at The Australian Hotel. I blogged about this place earlier when I first ate kangaroo. We got the saltwater crocodile pizza, a caesar salad, and coat of arms pizza. The latter had emu and kangaroo. Both of these animals are on the Australian coat of arms. They're on it because these animals stand upright and can't walk backwards. Also, every single Aussie will tell you "we're the only country in the world that eats the animals on our coat of arms!" That fun fact gets a little less fun over time...
We then went to the Shangri-la hotel. On the 36 floor is a fancy bar. Great view and great Manhattan cocktail. Of course, it better be. Cost $21.
We walked around the Rocks a bit more then met up with some people in Cockle Bay. I didn't stay out too late, though. Headed home for bed.
No comments:
Post a Comment