The Blue Mountains

The start of our Australian road trip takes us around an hour’s drive west of Sydney, to the Blue Mountains National Park in New South Wales.

The Park is so named because the mountains are said to take on a bluish hue, as a result of light being refracted through the air rising from the eucalyptus forests that line the landscapes.

There are many awesome views to behold. My main photo above shows the Grand Canyon viewed from the Look-out at Govett’s Leap. The photo below is of the Grose Valley shot from the Evans Look-out.

The most famous sight in the Blue Mountains is just outside the central town of Katoomba. I was a little sceptical when we arrived as to whether we would see it, as it was a very misty morning. As an example, my photo below shows the Skyway, which takes visitors to the rainforest floor of the Jamison Valley, attempting to navigate the swirling fog.

However, as we reached Echo Point, the mist suddenly rolled back to reveal the Three Sisters rock formation. This is one of the most visited destinations in Australia – a claim borne out by the number of coach tours arriving every hour, bringing day-tripper passengers from the cruise ships temporarily docked in Sydney Harbour.

We made Katoomba the base for our visit, and enjoyed its fiercely independent culture – the main street lined with vintage clothes shops, second hand bookshops and antique warrens. Pick of the hipster cafes was the Yellow Deli, where I enjoyed this bowl of hot chilli, with freshly baked cheese and jalapeno bread, and a green chai latte.

I also liked this aubergine parmigiana at the Gourmet Cafe and Deli in neighbouring town Leura. It tasted like lasagne, but with aubergine in place of the pasta and bolognese sauce. Excellent to find a vegetarian dish that is low on carbs. I will definitely try recreating this when I get home.

I’ve also been discovering some new Australian indie bands for the ADK Playlist. I like this new track from The Rubens, a band who hail from New South Wales. This is Liquid Gold.