Kate Phillips Backpacking in Australia

On Friday night we celebrated Benjamin’s 23rd birthday with a take away and some beers at ours and then the following morning we got up at 4am to catch a bus then a train to The Blue Mountains.

The train took a couple of hours and at 8.30am we arrived in Katoomba to meet Jock (Louise’s Mum’s fiance’s brother) who was to be our excellent tour guide for the weekend. First stop was the lookout over the Three Sisters and our early start had paid off because there was a low mist over the valley and no annoying tourists getting in the way of our (many) snaps!!

Next stop was “The World’s Steepest Railway” which lowers you down into the valley near The Three Sisters. I went along expecting a nice little railway carriage going down a slight incline and so was surpised to find a rickety few chairs lined up along a metal track thing. I got in and was still fiddling around with my camera and bag when ”the train” started moving and I saw the people two seats in front disappear over the side of the hill and suddenly we were all going down a practically vertical slope WITHOUT SEATBELTS!! It doesn’t last long, which is probably just as well because much longer sitting in that position grabbing my camera wouldn’t have been so much fun! Although it was funny watching everyone’s faces!!!

At the bottom we walked round the forest along a track and saw some wildlife and pretty trees with funny names. I also had a sip from the mountain fountain because I was wearing my ‘Geography teacher fleece’ (VERY cold in the mountains) and had to demonstrate to my pupils. Then we got a big cable car back up the hill and we had it to ourselves becasue all the other tourists were still sleeping!!!!

Next stop was Blackheath and Evans Lookout where you get a great view across the mountains and you can see why they get their name. Eucalyptus vapours give off a blue glow.

After the lookout we drove through Hartley on the way to Jenolan Caves. At one point we were driving along the top of a ledge in between two valleys. The route down to the caves isn’t great if you get car sick but seen as only me and Louise could keep awake that wasn’t so much of a problem!! Me, Alice and Melissa went on a guided tour of “The Chifley Cave” (as unfortunately I didn’t have time to go proper caving on this occasion and “The Temple of Baal” tour which sounded cooller wasn’t running at the right time)!! Inside the cave was amazing and very cold and it’s got me motivated to start caving again when I’m back home.

After the cave tour we drove through Oberon to Tarana for lunch (chips n gravy - mmmm) at a nice pub where we could sit outside in the sun. Following lunch we drove to Jock’s golf club because usually there’s about 20 kangaroos hanging about there but as fate would have it there were only 3 when we arrived, and I had to put my glasses on to see those three!!

In the evening we went along to Lithgow’s Working Men’s club for a meal with Jock and his daughter (Joanne). The club was huge and has everything - pokies, kids room, bowling lawns, a wedding room, a pub, bookies, a restaurant…… Unfortunately our 4am start began to catch up with us so we only managed to stay out till about 11pm.

That night I had the best night’s sleep since I’ve been in Australia. Me and Lou were sharing a double bed but I don’t think I moved from the minute I got in till the minute I was tempted out by the smell of bacon and sausages!!

The next day we got up, had our yummy brekkie then headed over to Joanne’s house for the morning. In the afternoon we played a bit of golf with the cat in Jock’s garden and eventually at 5.30pm we headed back to the city. I’m not sure what I’d been eating that the other girls hadn’t but I couldn’t stop talking on the train; in fact I didn’t even notice this until they pointed out that they hadn’t said anything in reply in the last ten minutes!!!

The man on the tannoy said we were to change at Valley Heights but when we arrived at this station it took us so long to gather our bags and get down to the door that the train started moving again before we could get off!!! But it all worked out OK and we weren’t actually stranded in some middle-of-nowhere Aussie town!!! We even made it back in time to catch the end of Love Actually on telly so all in all it was the perfect weekend!!!

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