Blue Mountains and Valley of the Waters

[Fri 12/2 - Sun 12/4] 

Our travels leaving Brisbane went much more smoothly than getting there. Caught an Uber to the airport for our 10:05am flight to Sydney, then picked up our rental car and drove 1.5hr west into the Blue Mountains, arriving at the lovely 3-room Valley of the Waters B&B around 3:30pm. We dropped our bags in the room and immediately headed out for a hike.

Convenient reminder

View from the deck of our room at Valley of the Waters B&B

The Blue Mountains aren't the tallest - the highest peak is just over 3,600' - but they are beautiful. They are covered with eucalyptus trees that emit oil droplets that evaporate and give the air a slight blue tint. The Valley of the Waters is a region within Blue Mountain National Park known for several waterfalls and spectacular cliffs. Our B&B was less than 50 yards from the parking lot and trailhead for Valley of the Waters. 

We walked to the trailhead, then headed out on the Empress Falls trail - normally a loop, but due to a closure it's a 3-mile out-and-back trail that passes several waterfalls. 

The Valley of the Waters

One of many falls along the trail

Another

And another

Great trail that (I later read) was initially built in the early 1900s

The trail starts with a slow descent that steadily gets steeper. In the 1.5mi outbound the trail drops over 900 feet. But, as (I assume) they say south of the equator, 'what goes down must come up'! So we turned around and headed back up the steep trail. It was one of the most exhausting 3-mile hikes I've ever done.

Up, up, up

We got back to the B&B, relaxed a bit, then showered and headed into the nearby town of Leura for a great meal at The Bunker. 

Saturday we had breakfast in our room (old school B&B!), then drove 20 minutes to the Grand Canyon trailhead. We got one of the last spots in the parking lot and headed out on the 4.6-mile loop trail. Once again, we started with gradual-then-steep descent, then leveled off in the canyon before climbing back out. It was challenging but completely worth it as we passed several waterfalls, creeks, pools and vistas. Karri and Victoria both described stretches of it as 'magical'. 

Descending into Grand Canyon

Sun meets falling water

One of very few flowers along the trail

Waterfall

The climb out

Nearly there!

Back up top - at Evans Lookout

We finished just before noon and drove to the nearby town of Katoomba. Sat in a park and had a snack before walking several blocks of the town - making a couple stops but mostly window shopping - then headed back to the B&B around 2:30. Victoria and Keenan were going to a concert in Sydney and Keenan generously offered to come get her. She packed up and Keenan arrived around 3.

(Long-awaited and oft-requested photo of) Victoria and Keenan

Karri and I relaxed in the room a bit until we realized it was too nice out and too early to sit around until dinner, so we headed out for another short hike. We walked back to the Valley of the Waters trailhead and set out on the Wentworth Falls circuit - a 2.5-mile loop with only a moderate descent. We were both tired but ended up being very glad we made the effort.

Valley of the Waters

Wentworth Falls in the distance (if you zoom in you can see people near the top)

Return trip under the upper face of the cliff

Got back to the room around 6. Karri took a bath while I relaxed, then we headed into Leura for a 7:30 reservation at Polar Bear - a Turkish restaurant with great food. They also pour the best gin martini we've had in Australia, with bartender/owner recommended Olive Leaf gin. Mmm. Sunday we had breakfast on the deck, then packed up and headed out.

Breakfast with a view!

We're heading back to Sydney to meet Victoria and Keenan at Manley Beach. Hard to believe this is the last leg of our travels in Australia.