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.

Travel Delays; Rainy Brisbane

[Wed 11/30 - Thu 12/1]

We had planned it would take us about 7 hours to get from our hotel on Hamilton Island to our hotel in Brisbane. It ended up taking nearly 14 hours thanks to a delayed flight caused by heavy rains. We checked out around 9:15am, caught a shuttle to the harbor, caught a boat back to Airlie Beach, then another shuttle to Whitsunday Coast Airport, arriving at 2 for our 3pm flight to Brisbane. Just as we got in line to check our bags, it started to pour outside. After several announced departure delays, we finally learned that the inbound flight from Brisbane had circled over us a few times before heading back to Brisbane. So we sat in the tiny (3 gates total) airport and waited. Fortunately, they had a restaurant with decent food - and a bar - so we made the most of the time, relaxing, reading and/or watching a show or movie. The plane eventually made it through (with a new crew) and we boarded around 8:30 for the 90-minute flight to Brisbane, where it was also raining heavily. We got to our hotel around 11, grabbed a light meal from the restaurant next door, and went to bed. A long day, but if that is the worst of our travel woes, we'll consider ourselves very lucky.

We woke Thursday to more rain and wind, with a forecast for it to continue all day. We had reservations for a boat cruise on the Brisbane River with a stop at a koala sanctuary - and a little rain wasn't going to stop us Seattleites. We bundled up and caught an Uber to South Bank, where we boarded a Miramar Cruises tour boat for a 10am departure. We cruised west/south along the winding river with a surprisingly good recorded commentary describing various points of interest. Turned out to be a great way to see (a portion of) the city on a rainy day.

Pedestrian bridge over the Brisbane River

A couple of the riverfront mansions (the one on the right is available for A$44 million!)

Around 11:15am, the boat dropped us at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary where we had until 2:15pm to explore the grounds. It was really fun. In addition to koala's they house lots of other mammals, birds and reptiles. We saw dozens of koalas up close, plus: kangaroos, dingos, platypuses, tasmanian devils, owls, eagles, bats, crocodiles, lizards, snakes and more.

Koalas

Curious kangaroo

Feeding a young kangaroo

Feeding a mama with a 'joey' in her pouch

Dingos

Freshwater crocs

The boat ride back was nice - despite the continued rain and wind. They dropped us around 3:30 and we decided to walk along the riverfront, in the direction of our hotel. Stopped for a couple beers and appetizers at Sea Legs Brewery - a cool spot near Kangaroo Point. Afterwards, we walked another mile or so toward the hotel, then Karri and Victoria hopped an Uber while I decided to walk the last 2 miles or so back.

Arbour on the riverfront walkway

Central Brisbane on a rainy day

Lots of waterfront art

Trying to decipher the game of cricket at Sea Legs Brewery

We met back at the hotel around 7 and decided our appetizers were going to be enough to hold us over for the night - and that a warm shower and staying in might be nice. Karri and Victoria are watching a movie while I write this. Tomorrow morning we catch a flight back to Sydney where we'll pick up a car and drive west to the Blue Mountains for a couple nights.

Whitehaven Beach and Hamilton Island

[Sun 11/27 - Tue 11/29]

Dinner on the deck - 'take away' Indian food - was delicious. We finished getting organized and headed to bed for our early departure Monday morning. Up before 6, checked out of the hotel, and our taxi picked us up at 6:35am for the 5min drive to the marina and our half-day beach excursion to Whitehaven Beach with Cruise Whitsundays. We checked our bags through to Hamilton Island where we'll be staying the next couple nights, then boarded a large catamaran headed to the 'Most Beautiful Beach in Australia' (by some sources). It was densely overcast with rain likely and a chance of thunderstorms, so we adjusted our expectations accordingly. The cruise through the Whitsundays was beautiful, even with the cloud cover. It reminded us a little of the lush green San Juan Islands back home - only with turquoise water... and more humidity.

Not used to being up at 6am!

Cruise through the Whitsundays

Landing craft to shuttle people to the beach

Whitehaven Beach is known, among other things, for it's silica sand, which is crystal white, fine, soft and doesn't retain heat so you don't burn your feet on a sunny day. We had 2 hours to enjoy the nearly 4.5mile long beach. Our tour company had stand-up paddle boards available, so Karri and Victoria gave it a go in somewhat choppy water (and saw a blue-spotted stingray!), then the 3 of us went for a nice walk along the water. There are no crocodiles here, but this is Australia so there has to be some lethal creature lurking. Along the upper-eastern coast, from October to May, it's box jellyfish ("considered the most venomous marine animal" and you may "experience paralysis, cardiac arrest, and even death, all within a few minutes of being stung"), which are nearly invisible and like the warm water near the shore. The tour company gave us full-body 'stinger suits' to wear if we decided to go for a swim, but we opted to just briefly go in waist-deep. The clouds thinned a bit (it never rained!) and we had a few sun-breaks before the boat came to retrieve us and continue on our journey. 

A peek of blue sky

Back on the boat

It was a quick 20-minute ride to Hamilton Island where we hopped off, grabbed our bags and caught a free island shuttle for the short ride to the Reef View Hotel. Checked in, dropped our bags and immediately headed to the pool to cool off and relax for the afternoon. Around 4, Karri and I went for a walk to scout activities for the next day and pickup a few items at the store. Got back to the room, cleaned up and walked 10min to dinner at Manta Ray, a nice spot on the water.

View from our patio

Hamilton Island is a gorgeous spot and a popular tourist attraction. Walking home from dinner we agreed that if feels a little like a Disney property - very clean and orderly, nearly everyone drives around in rented golf carts (or 'buggies' - hundreds of them), most/all of the resorts and restaurants are run by the same company (you can charge most anything, anywhere to your room), and there is one, ubiquitous wifi signal at the hotels and the harbor/resort area - even at the beach. There also appears to be a ton of money here, as indicated by several very large homes built into the hillsides and the monstrous yachts that fill the harbor. 

Tuesday morning Karri walked to a bakery to grab us breakfast, then we packed up and headed out for a hike, hoping to experience the island beyond the resort. Karri had found some nearby trails and the concierge confirmed this would be a great hike. We walked 5 minutes from our hotel to a trailhead at the east end of Catseye Beach. There were 10-12 golf carts parked at the trailhead, but with several trail options we were optimistic it wouldn't be crowded. First we headed to Passage Peak - the tallest point on the island at 700ft. The well-maintained trail immediately started climbing and continued a slow-but-steady uphill for the first mile-plus. We passed a few groups coming down and soaked in some great views of the islands. It was 80+ degrees, at least 80% humidity, and the late-morning sun was hot. The last quarter mile or so was the steepest and I was dripping with sweat when we got to the top, but the view made it worth it.

Passage Peak (right of center) from our balcony

Passage Peak lookout

Hot but happy to be there

View looking east

Western view - our hotel is the tallest of the 3 white high-rises

From there we decided to continue a loop around the eastern portion of the island - the concierge had mentioned a couple of great lookouts, a secluded beach, and terrain unlike anywhere else on the island... just what we were looking for. The trail headed south, along the eastern edge of the island, to South East Head. We had the trail entirely to ourselves.

A mix of terrain

South East Head - a great spot for a chair

Not a bad view from the chair

We continued along the southern edge to Escape Beach. We passed a single hiker going the opposite direction, then arrived at a beautiful, secluded - and empty - beach. The concierge had assured us that box jellyfish season doesn't really start until late-December and that we'd be fine to go for a swim. We were so hot, it was never really a question that we'd take a quick dip.

Descent to Escape Beach

Could not wait to cool off in the water

Shaded but not very comfortable hammock

I got out of the water to grab my phone and take some pictures of Karri and Victoria swimming, but once I yelled 'shark' they wouldn't hold still for me to take a photo! I wasn't kidding about the shark either. From the shore we saw 1, then 2 or 3 more, small, blacktip reef sharks swimming within a few feet of the shore.

Blacktip Reef Shark - maybe 2-foot long

Looking for more sharks

Some dark clouds started rolling in so we decided to hit the trail and finish our loop - an up, then down stretch through dried out forest. Final tally just over 6 miles with lots of elevation change - a real challenge with the heat and humidity, but we all thoroughly enjoyed it. We were again hot, tired and exhausted when we got back to the hotel. Stopped in the room to clean up, headed down to the pool for a refreshing swim, then ordered over-priced-but-refreshing tropical drinks and lunch poolside. We all relaxed the rest of the afternoon - Karri napped briefly, Victoria finished her book and I worked on this post. 8pm dinner at Coca Chu - a resort-affiliated Thai restaurant - very good food.

Tomorrow is a travel day - shuttle to the harbor, boat back to Airlie Beach, shuttle to the airport, flight to Brisbane.