TODAY'S ITINERARY
Woke up when the sun is up and bright! Prepared breakfast with the stuff bought from Woolworths the night before. This airbnb is so cosy and bright!
Had our breakfast and decided to go for a short walk to the Three Sisters Lookout which is just a short 5 mins stroll!
The weather is just so bright and sunny which makes everywhere so pretty! But don't get con by the sun, the wind is chilly~~
Underestimated the cold in Australia which is why I'm layering a jacket above a long sleeve sweater.
The famous Three Sisters of Blue Mountains
The Three Sisters is a rock formation in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia, on the north escarpment of the Jamison Valley. They are close to the town of Katoomba and are one of the Blue Mountains' best known sites, towering above the Jamison Valley. Their names are Meehni (922 m), Wimlah (918 m), and Gunnedoo (906 m). The Sisters were formed by land erosion. The soft sandstone of the Blue Mountains is easily eroded over time by wind, rain and rivers, causing the cliffs surrounding the Jamison Valley to be slowly broken up.
That's the actual fact of the Three Sisters, but I prefer the folklore which makes the story more interesting!
The commonly told legend of the Three Sisters is that three sisters, Meehni, Wimlah and Gunnedoo, lived in the Jamison Valley as members of the Katoomba tribe. They fell in love with three men from the neighbouring Nepean tribe, but marriage was forbidden by tribal law. The brothers were not happy to accept this law and decided to use force to capture the three sisters. A major tribal battle ensued. As the lives of the three sisters were seriously in danger, an elder from the Katoomba tribe took it upon himself to turn the three sisters into stone to protect them from any harm. While he had intended to reverse the spell when the battle is over, the elder himself was killed in the battle. He was the only one who could reverse the spell to return the ladies to their former beauty, hence, the sisters remain in their magnificent rock formation as a reminder of this battle for generations to come.
The view is just so magnificent! Notice the tint of blue above the greens? That is because they are clad in vast forests of eucalypts (commonly called gum trees), which in the hot sun discharge a fine mist of eucalyptus oil from their leaves. The mist refracts light which makes the haze look blue at a distance. And this is how Blue Mountains get its name!
There is a Prince Henry Cliff Walk on the side of the lookout of The Three Sisters, however, as it was rainy when we were there, the walk was closed for safety reason.
Do head into the visitor centre at the lookout area as it has a list of suggested bushwalks if you are interested in going. Furthermore, if you have any questions about the walks, the staff will be able to advise you.
The Visitor Information Centre at Echo Point is a good place to pick up maps and find out more about the area. It's open 9am to 5pm daily and is closed on Christmas Day.
After visiting the Three Sisters, we stroll back to our accommodation, but using a different route to explore the surrounding which we passed by the World Heritage Plaza.
This building housed the Waradah Aboriginal Centre which offers a once in a lifetime Aboriginal experience in one location. You can also learn about Australia’s living Aboriginal culture from the local Dharug and Gundungurra tribes through informal cultural discussions and lectures.
Enjoying the weather of Autumn while strolling back. An experience you will never get in the sunny and hot Singapore.
After resting for awhile at the accommodation, we head back out to start our day at Scenic World!
We drove to Scenic World which have free parking whole day. If you are not driving, you can look out for the Trolley Tours which will bring you around Blue Mountains. The Trolley Tours allow you to hop on and off the bus the whole day for a fee.
Katoomba Scenic World is a privately owned tourist attraction located in Katoomba in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia, about 100 kilometres west of Sydney. Scenic World is home to four attractions, of which the most famous is the Katoomba Scenic Railway. The site also includes the Katoomba Scenic Skyway, the Cableway and Katoomba Scenic Walkway, a 2.4 km elevated boardwalk through ancient rainforest.
The above picture stated the price for the unlimited pass which is really worth it if you are planning to spend the whole day at the Scenic World as it allows you to take the rides as many times as you want.
The first attraction you will see once you entered is the Scenic Railway (other than the souvenir shop).
We did not head for this first as we wanted to clear off Scenic Skyway and the walk in the area first as it is the only one at the side and we wanted to have the walk while the sun is bright.
The Scenic Skyway features a 72-person cabin with sections of liquid crystal glass that turns a raised section of the floor from translucent to transparent as the ride progresses. With 360° views, the 720 metre journey provides the best views of Katoomba Falls, the Three Sisters, and Jamison Valley stretching to the horizon. Disembark at the Skyway’s east station to access lookouts over the valley along with bush trails to Echo Point.
Turn left at the exit of the Scenic Skywalk station which will leads you to Prince Henry Cliff Walk. If you continue on the walk, you will reach Echo Point in approximately 30mins (It stated as 30mins, but I think if it's me, it will take almost an hour, hence we didn't walk the full length) while the Cliff View Lookout is just a 5mins walk from the station.
At Cliff View Lookout, you can enjoy views over to Mount Solitary straight ahead (known as Mun-mi-ee by the Gundungarra people) and to the Ruined Castle, on the ridge slightly to the right.
The Prince Henry Cliff Walk was named for Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, third son of King George V. He neither saw the track nor opened it, but was “in the right place at the right time” (so to speak). He was visiting Australia in 1934 when the first stage of the track was opened. It was a popular thing in those days to name places after royalty and the Duke happened to be the chosen one this time.
Along the Walk, you will see sign board in English and Braille.
From the intersection, this walk heads away from the 'Cliff View Lookout' sign, keeping the road on the right of the footpath. The path heads into open parkland, around the edge of the park and down the wooden steps to the bottom, where the walk comes to the Kedumba River crossing, just downstream of the Katoomba Cascades.
Katoomba Falls Park looks so pretty and nice for chilling.
Katoomba Cascades
Popular with locals and visitors alike, these picturesque cascades are on the Kedumba River. The cascades are nestled in the bend on Cliff Drive, near Katoomba Park. There are stepping stones across the creek at the bottom of the falls and a bench seat in the shade. There are a few small clearings where visitors can sit and enjoy the falls.
The short 300 metre walk down to the falls takes about 15 mins, making it the perfect distance for smaller children. On the day we went, it was slightly muddy, so be sure to wear closed shoes that you don’t mind getting muddy.
We carried on walking along the path as we thought of trying to see the end of the path.
Continued walking~ It's so refreshing to walk along and thankfully, not much insects came out to greet us.
On the way to the other entrance, you will pass by interesting fixtures that tells you the history of Railway.
The coal mine company cut a cable car track into the cliff face to bring coal from the valley floor. It was originally constructed for a coal and oil shale mining operation in the Jamison Valley in the 1880s, in order to haul the coal and shale from the valley floor up to the escarpment above, using the cart as seen on the left side of the above picture. From 1928 to 1945 it carried coal during the week and passengers at weekends. The coal mine was closed in 1945 after which it remained as a tourist attraction. It is now used by the Scenic Railway to take visitors down the steepest railway incline in the world 310 metres to the floor of the Jamison Valley.
This is actually at the arrival side from the Main Building. Both sides have panels of information of Blue Mountains such as the reason of it being called Blue Mountains, as explained previously.
Once we reached the Main Station, we head for Scenic Cableway. It is a 84 passenger cable car that passes over a 25-metre (82 ft) high tower on the edge of the cliff, and then 510 metres (1,673 ft) to the Valley Station in the Jamison Valley 200 m (656 ft) below.
The 545 metre journey gently descends into the Jamison Valley and also returns visitors to the top of the escarpment. The Cableway’s fully enclosed cabin is a unique vantage point for viewing the Three Sisters, Orphan Rock, Mt Solitary and Katoomba Falls. Disembark at the bottom station to access the Scenic Walkway and stroll through 2.4 kilometres of Jurassic rainforest. Wheelchair accessible with a capacity for 84 passengers, the Cableway is the steepest and largest aerial cable car in the Southern Hemisphere.
Us in the Cableway! Which also marks the end of our exploration in Scenic World.
DAY 3: PLACES VISITED
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1. Echo Point Lookout
2. Queen Elizabeth Lookout
3. World Heritage Plaza
4. Scenic World
a. Skyway
i. Cliff View Lookout
ii. Prince Henry Cliff Walk
iii. Katoomba Cascade
iv. Katoomba Falls
b. Railway
c. Cableway
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5. Coles
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Woke up when the sun is up and bright! Prepared breakfast with the stuff bought from Woolworths the night before. This airbnb is so cosy and bright!
Had our breakfast and decided to go for a short walk to the Three Sisters Lookout which is just a short 5 mins stroll!
So peaceful and chillax~
And we reached the Echo Point Lookout!
The Three Sisters is a rock formation in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia, on the north escarpment of the Jamison Valley. They are close to the town of Katoomba and are one of the Blue Mountains' best known sites, towering above the Jamison Valley. Their names are Meehni (922 m), Wimlah (918 m), and Gunnedoo (906 m). The Sisters were formed by land erosion. The soft sandstone of the Blue Mountains is easily eroded over time by wind, rain and rivers, causing the cliffs surrounding the Jamison Valley to be slowly broken up.
That's the actual fact of the Three Sisters, but I prefer the folklore which makes the story more interesting!
The commonly told legend of the Three Sisters is that three sisters, Meehni, Wimlah and Gunnedoo, lived in the Jamison Valley as members of the Katoomba tribe. They fell in love with three men from the neighbouring Nepean tribe, but marriage was forbidden by tribal law. The brothers were not happy to accept this law and decided to use force to capture the three sisters. A major tribal battle ensued. As the lives of the three sisters were seriously in danger, an elder from the Katoomba tribe took it upon himself to turn the three sisters into stone to protect them from any harm. While he had intended to reverse the spell when the battle is over, the elder himself was killed in the battle. He was the only one who could reverse the spell to return the ladies to their former beauty, hence, the sisters remain in their magnificent rock formation as a reminder of this battle for generations to come.
There is a Prince Henry Cliff Walk on the side of the lookout of The Three Sisters, however, as it was rainy when we were there, the walk was closed for safety reason.
The Visitor Information Centre at Echo Point is a good place to pick up maps and find out more about the area. It's open 9am to 5pm daily and is closed on Christmas Day.
This building housed the Waradah Aboriginal Centre which offers a once in a lifetime Aboriginal experience in one location. You can also learn about Australia’s living Aboriginal culture from the local Dharug and Gundungurra tribes through informal cultural discussions and lectures.
We drove to Scenic World which have free parking whole day. If you are not driving, you can look out for the Trolley Tours which will bring you around Blue Mountains. The Trolley Tours allow you to hop on and off the bus the whole day for a fee.
The above picture stated the price for the unlimited pass which is really worth it if you are planning to spend the whole day at the Scenic World as it allows you to take the rides as many times as you want.
Some interesting facts of Scenic World's attractions. Personally like the Scenic Railway the most!
After we purchased the unlimited pass, the staff patiently explained all the attractions of Scenic World and the possible routes to take with the estimated time taken.
Really thankful for her explanation which allows us to fully enjoy Scenic World.
We did not head for this first as we wanted to clear off Scenic Skyway and the walk in the area first as it is the only one at the side and we wanted to have the walk while the sun is bright.
So we head up to Scenic Skyway, which opened in 1958. It is a suspended box car holding 30 passengers travels 450 metres across the Jamison Valley, 300 metres (about 1000 feet) up.
At Cliff View Lookout, you can enjoy views over to Mount Solitary straight ahead (known as Mun-mi-ee by the Gundungarra people) and to the Ruined Castle, on the ridge slightly to the right.
Along the Walk, you will see sign board in English and Braille.
As we walk away from Cliff View Lookout, we reached a board that states Cliff View Lookout is a 10 mins return walk.
Popular with locals and visitors alike, these picturesque cascades are on the Kedumba River. The cascades are nestled in the bend on Cliff Drive, near Katoomba Park. There are stepping stones across the creek at the bottom of the falls and a bench seat in the shade. There are a few small clearings where visitors can sit and enjoy the falls.
The short 300 metre walk down to the falls takes about 15 mins, making it the perfect distance for smaller children. On the day we went, it was slightly muddy, so be sure to wear closed shoes that you don’t mind getting muddy.
The Kedumba River
From the cascades, this walk crosses the creek to the western side, where it passes a picnic bench. The track continues downstream, winding through the forest for a short while until climbing up a gentle hill to the Kedumba River lookout.
Along the way, there will be signboard here and there for some information of the path.
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| Photo from John's Blue Mountain Blog |
It is slightly confusing at Reid’s Plateau as it does not have a prominent signboard to indicate that you have reached. However, there is a fascinating old shelter/shed (as above) which will indicate that you reached the right location.
As we were unsure of the route/trail, we decide to head back from this point, using the same path we came by. So we headed back to the Scenic Cableway Station to take it back to Scenic World. And from there, we took our favourite of Scenic World which is the Scenic Railway.
The Scenic Railway is the steepest cable-driven funicular railway in the world, the steepest incline of 52 degrees contained within a total incline distance of 310 metres (1,017.1 ft). The cars have clear sides and tops to ensure an uninterrupted view. It has been carrying passengers since 1935.
Custom designed carriages allow passengers to choose their own adventure like never before, adjusting their seated position up to 20 degrees! Choose an adventurous ‘Cliffhanger’ ride at a steep 64 degree incline, or for those seeking a relaxed journey select the ‘Laid Back’ option. Of course, loyal fans can still ride the ‘Original’ at 52 degrees.
The Railway experience descends 310 metres through a cliff-side tunnel, emerging into ancient rainforest at the Jamison Valley floor.
Once you reached the end of the Railway, you will have to go through partial of the Scenic Walkway to reach the other entrance for boarding to go up back to the main building.
The coal mine company cut a cable car track into the cliff face to bring coal from the valley floor. It was originally constructed for a coal and oil shale mining operation in the Jamison Valley in the 1880s, in order to haul the coal and shale from the valley floor up to the escarpment above, using the cart as seen on the left side of the above picture. From 1928 to 1945 it carried coal during the week and passengers at weekends. The coal mine was closed in 1945 after which it remained as a tourist attraction. It is now used by the Scenic Railway to take visitors down the steepest railway incline in the world 310 metres to the floor of the Jamison Valley.
And this is the machine in-charge of bringing the Cableway safely up and down.
Once again, we headed off to supermarket. This time, heading to Coles instead. Bought some food for the next day as we will be heading into our accommodation in Hunter Valley which is quite far out.
Back to our accommodation to cook dinner! All brought from Woolworths the day before.
Our supper at night before heading off to sleep!
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