Blue Mountains Weekend

Two weekends ago, I traveled to Katoomba, NSW for a weekend in the Blue Mountains with three other friends. I had first visited Katoomba during my first week in Australia, when Al & I spent a day hiking and exploring the area around the famous Three Sisters rock formation. This time, however, I was able to stay two nights at a hostel in Katoomba and spend more time exploring the area with great girlfriends!

Day 1:
We left Canberra around 8:30a on Saturday and arrived just before 1p in Katoomba. We drove past our hostel to check it out, then grabbed some lunch and headed straight to Three Sisters. With Al, we had walked down (and later up) The Giant Stairway, which was right beside Three Sisters but with the girls, we decided to take a more scenic route down into the via the Katoomba Falls trail.

Three Sisters

Jamison Valley

Katoomba Falls

We walked past Katoomba Cascades and Katoomba Falls into a cool temperate rainforest, which was surprisingly chilly, even in midday with 29 degree weather (Celsius ;p). When we reached the bottom, we followed the trail to the Great Scenic Railway, which took passengers up a steep incline to Scenic World. Because we were not able to buy tickets at the bottom and wanted to spend more time hiking, we headed the opposite direction, toward the bottom of The Giant Stairway, which would lead 1000 steps up and back to the visitors' center. Unfortunately, we each had brought only one or two water bottles and as we came closer to the base of the Three Sisters and into the full afternoon heat, our supply quickly diminished. Walking up the staircase, we were in direct sunlight for periods of time, and I began to feel extremely dizzy and nauseous (obviously dehydrated and at that point, out of water) and had to make many stops. It was not a fun trip up but we all made it and rewarded ourselves with Gatorade and LOTS of water from a nearby drinking fountain.

View of Three Sisters from the bottom of the Scenic Railway

Climbing the Giant Stairway...kill me.

One of the Three Sisters from the Giant Stairway

That night in the hostel, we met several other girls, one of whom had just finished the one-day tour that we had scheduled for Sunday, so we were able to see her pictures and videos, which made us even more excited. As we learned from her, the tour cost $195 through the tour company, but we had booked a package through Blue Mountains Backpacker Hostel, which included 1 night's accommodation, the full-day abseiling/canyoning tour, lunch with the tour, and a free pizza and beer at a local restaurant - all for $199. It appears that we got a steal!

Day 2:
The four of us got up early to meet at the River Deep Mountain High tour company office. There, we were fitted with wetsuits and given a waterproof bag and abseiling gear to take into the canyon with us. Additionally, as I had brought my GoPro, the company had a helmet with a GoPro attachment, ready to go. We were bused to a rocky outcropping in the Blue Mountains for the first half of our day, where we would learn the basics of an practice abseiling for our canyoning portion, which would include a final abseil over a waterfall.

One of the cliff faces that we scaled 

Kristina abseiling down!

We first practiced abseil basics on smaller cliff faces then moved to a larger face, which was perhaps 20m. It was so nice to abseil again! I had done a fair bit of abseiling in high school, mostly for JROTC competitions or camps, but it had been a long time, and I really enjoyed it!

Then we went to a beautiful lookout point for our lunch, which we had been told were "sandwiches" but man, were they undersold! Our sandwiches were delicious and from a local delicatessen.; we had expected cheap, homemade sandwiches I chose a ham sandwich which was on really good bread with spinach, sundried tomatoes, brie, and avocado. It was the perfect way to refuel midday...and we had ample opportunity for water refills, which was perfect.

Lunch and Blue Mountains lookout with (l-r) Kristina, Alisa, myself, and Marleen

After lunch, we were bused to the drop-off point for Empress Canyon, and after a steep hike down to the start of our canyoning adventure (...our sore thighs were already protesting the return hike), we got changed into our wetsuits and began.

Pre-canyoning

Our canyoning adventure was just so darn FUN. We followed the path that the river had carved into rock by going down the canyon the same way that water flows, which included several water jumps and a final abseil over Empress Falls. Also, the canyon itself was absolutely stunning. It was so lush and green and almost secretive, as if not many people got to see what we saw (even though I know that lots do). I tried to capture its beauty with my GoPro but as I've discovered with much of the Australian bush, it simply cannot be captured in a photograph.

Gorgeous Empress Canyon

The furthest person in this picture is standing at the top of Empress Falls

Empress Falls from below - 30m

After a tiring and amazing day (and on my part, a sore bum from slipping and wiping out across slippery rocks at the base of the falls), we were bused back to Katoomba and cashed in on our free pizza and beer at Station Bar, aptly named as it is right beside the Blue Mountains train station. Marleen and I selected a crocodile pizza (neither of us had tried crocodile yet) and cold beers, while Kristina and Alisa chose pizzas with "safer" meats and cold ciders. We were all tired and happy, and after our pizzas and drinks, full, so we lingered at Station Bar for a few hours, just enjoying the nice weather and great times.

Crocodile pizza at Station Bar & Grill

Finally, we returned to our hostel for a good night's sleep before our last day in the mountains.

Day 3:
We had decided that because visiting the Jenolan Caves only added 45 minutes to our return trip to Canberra, it was worth the side trip, so after checking out of the hostel at 9a, we headed west through the mountains to the Jenolan Caves.

The view for most of our drive.

Upon arrival, we signed up for a tour of Lucas Cave then did a self-guided walk through one of the caves, which came with our tour ticket. We also walked around the Blue Lake, which was just outside the Grand Arch. The stunning aqua color comes from the refraction of light on limestone sediments in the water.

Blue Lake at Jenolan Caves

Beautiful scenery outside the Grand Arch

Our tour was an easy walk (also with 1000 steps but these were spread throughout the tour and within the cool cave) with a fairly large group but was very fascinating and beautiful. I have always been fascinated with caves and spelunking - just the idea of an entire world underground - and Lucas Cave did not disappoint. The rock and crystal formations as well as different rooms of the cave were gorgeous. There was even a room called the Cathedral, with rock formations resembling chandeliers, a pulpit, and choir. Unique weddings as well as concerts are held there for the amazing acoustics.

The chandelier formation in the Cathedral in Lucas Cave

Beautifully ribboned crystal

This column was broken by the movement of the rocks over thousands of years

Stunning stalactites

Underground river in Lucas Cave

After our tour, we headed home, through the beautiful Australian mountains and farmland to Goulburn, then on the Federal Highway home to Canberra. It was an amazing weekend full of outdoor adventuring, exploration, good food, and fun with good friends!

For now, I have no plans until Christmas, when I will travel to Adelaide with Al's family for 2 weeks then Al and I will head to the Red Centre in January for 5 days at Uluru, and following that, I will join my host family at the coast for the weekend! I am excited for the upcoming trips and thankful for the experiences I have already had in this beautiful country.

Some quick updates on life in general:
- I have begun taking a French class in Canberra, just until Christmas break, and I am really enjoying my teacher (a Swiss native) and three classmates (whose spouses do international work with France, so they often travel there). Also, my teacher takes her daughter to French playgroup, which I attended this past week for the first time with Emily. It was lovely, and I got to practice my French with others who are native speakers or have a passion for the language. I have determined that I am not content being a mediocre speaker, and I truly love learning more and want to be fluent. I meet so many girls here who are near-fluent in English and speak their native language and sometimes even another...I have always wanted that to be me, and I am green with envy that I am not good enough yet. My future simply must include some time in a French-speaking country, and I have entertained ideas of moving to Québec with Sadie (because I cannot bear to leave her again) to work in the future.
- My host family will celebrate an American Thanksgiving this Thursday, and I am happy to invite a few friends over to share in our meal. I will also be doing some Thanksgiving crafts with the kids this week, and we have already made and are adding each day to a "Thankful Tree."
- Al is traveling in New Zealand now until Christmas, so I am missing him and green with envy about that also haha...I can't wait to explore myself and really wish I could share in his adventure but I am so excited for him and all of the beautiful things he is seeing and people he is meeting. :)
- It has begun to get hot in Canberra. It was 36 degrees Celsius (97 degrees Fahrenheit) today, and I spent a lot of time at the pool with my friend, Lisa, and then with my host family at a friend's pool.

I think that's about it for now!

À la prochaine fois,
Alli

Tasmania - 11-14 October

I don't know if I've ever had a love affair with a place before, but I have one with Tasmania. In just three short days, I fell absolutely and totally in love with its rugged landscape, winding roads, beautiful coastlines, unique wildlife, mystical forests, and simple way of life. I had a taste, and I am already desperate for more. For this trip, I had two amazing travel partners - Eli, from Italy, and Laura, from France. Both Eli and Laura are also au pairs in Canberra, and Eli and I had met and hung out on several occasions. Laura and I met for the first time on the Friday night of our trip, when we drove to Sydney for our early flight Saturday AM. We picked up Eli at a hostel in Kings Cross, where she'd been on holiday, and we headed to Al's to spend the night.

We were fortunate that Al and his sisters were able to host the three of us on the night before our trip, AND Al even got up to drive us to the airport at 4 a.m. Saturday morning (what a champ :*). Despite getting up and to the airport an hour before our flight, we came very close to missing Jetstar's deadline for check-in. So after an extremely long line to check in, several hold-ups at security (aerosol and nail scissors in Laura and Eli's bags, respectively), and Laura getting frisked, we finally made it to the flight and arrived in Hobart, Tasmania at 8:15 a.m.

6:15 a.m. flight out of Sydney

DAY 1 - Salamanca Markets, Tasman Peninsula, Port Arthur, Federation Chocolate Factory, Tasmanian Devil Conservation Park:

Hobart Airport was tiny and precious. Upon our arrival, we had decided to look into renting a car, because from my research of Tassie, public transport was not feasible in order to see the things we wanted to see. After checking prices with several companies (damn those "under 25 years old" fees!), we rented a red Hyundai i20 for three days with Hertz - the only company without an under 25 charge. It was totally worth it!! We first went to the Salamanca Markets, which all of us had heard were full of interesting foods and wares for purchase. They did not disappoint. I got a small bottle of blackberry wine for my host family, a mini bottle of locally-distilled whisky for Al, and a wallaby burrito for myself!

Salamanca Markets with Mount Wellington behind

Wallaby burrito

The next stop was our hostel - a quaint and cozy neon-green building titled The Pickled Frog. It had its own bar, several lounges, a huge kitchen, and crazy cool murals and memorabilia all over the walls. Although check-in wasn't until 2 p.m., we were able to drop off our bags in a luggage store room and took a minute to regroup and plan the day. After looking at tour brochures at the hostel, we realized that with a car, we could do the exact things listed on the tour without paying the tour price! So we headed off toward Port Arthur and the Tasman Peninsula. The views on the way were stunning, and our car was definitely a highlight. It was adorable and new and hugged the Tasmanian curves like a dream. I may even look into purchasing a Hyundai i20 when I next need a vehicle!

Lobby/bar area of The Pickled Frog

Our rental car on the way to Port Arthur

None of my pictures do this landscape justice.

We traveled over two bridges that tied the mainland to the Tasman Peninsula, en route first to see the Tasmanian Devil Conservation Park; obviously we had to see Tasmanian devils in Tasmania. The views were to die for...each beach or mountain seemed more beautiful than the last, and the farmland and sheep were an ever-present sight. Shortly after entering the Tasman Peninsula, we began to see signs for some beautiful lookouts as well as the natural rock formations of the Tasman Arch and the Devil's Kitchen. We stopped for some short hikes around this area then made our way to the Tasmanian Devil Conservation Park. The entry to the park was rather expensive (~$30 each) but the money goes toward conservation efforts, and we all wanted to see Tasmanian devils. When we arrived, we were able to feed the kangaroos at the centre, which is always a fun experience! The centre also had birds of prey and quolls and other Tasmanian animals. The highlight, of course, was watching two female Tasmanian devils being fed, and learning more about the animal I've only ever known from a cartoon.

Pirates Bay

Tasman Arch, formed when a sea cave's roof collapsed

Pirates Bay lookout in Eaglehawk Neck

Devil's Kitchen

Tasmanian Devil Conservation Park

'Roo feeding!

Laura, Eli, and me with the 'roos

A quoll, which is a carnivorous marsupial native to Australia and New Guinea

Tassie devils

We went to Federation Chocolate Factory (an awkward experience as the factory was empty, and we were stared down by its only employee) then continued on toward Port Arthur, a town with much convict history. Upon arriving at the historic site, we decided against entry to the site, because several of the most beautiful old buildings/prisons were being constructed on, and we had seen signs for some other natural beauties. We headed on, following the signs to Remarkable Cave and another lookout then, based on a picture I'd seen on a Tasmanian tourism Instagram, we decided to hike to Cape Raoul, at the end of the Tasman Peninsula. Because I have a smaller phone company in Australia, I had no service in the more remote places, but Eli's Telstra service (the AT&T of Australia) was able to guide us along dirt and gravel roads to the trailhead for Cape Raoul. The hike was about two hours return, and we we hurried on the way back to beat darkness...but the view was stunning and a beautiful way to finish Day 1.

Remarkable Cave

Cape Raoul

Sunset at Cape Raoul

DAY 2 - Mount Wellington summit, Mt Field National Park (Russell Falls, Horseshoe Falls, Lady Barron Falls):

On Day 2, we slept in a bit and got up at a leisurely time. Because the weather in Hobart was predicted to be rainy on our final day, we had decided to do some activities closer to Hobart on Day 2 and save Freycinet National Park for Day 3. Around noon, we drove to the summit of Mt Wellington, which looms over the city of Hobart. An American from the hostel (who we'd actually met the day before by chance at the Tasmanian Conservation Centre) came along for the ride. The overlooks of the city and ocean were gorgeous. Twelve hundred and seventy metres up, the summit was full of giant red rocks and looked a bit like a space station, with a giant tower and satellite dish.

The pinnacle of Mount Wellington

Lookouts

Hobart from 1270 metres above sea level

After we summited, we dropped our new American friend back at the hostel, and the three of us headed to Mt Field National Park where (again from Instagram), I had seen pictures of several beautiful waterfalls. The national park entry was $24 per car, and the trail to all three waterfalls began just behind the visitors' centre. Russell Falls was closest, about 15 minutes walk from the visitors' centre. Past Russell Falls, we hiked on to Horseshoe Falls, which was probably 30 minutes further. Horseshoe Falls were my favorite, simply due to the immense greenery surrounding  the falls. The entire hike was absolutely beautiful. We were surrounded by huge swamp gum trees (a type of eucalyptus), myrtle, giant ferns, and mossy boulders and trees. The rainforest environment was damp and vibrantly green. The final falls were Lady Barron Falls (about 45 minutes past Horseshoe Falls), which we were able to climb. The full hike was such a pleasant day, and the drive to and from Mt Field was so nonchalantly beautiful.

A swamp gum tree, which can be as tall as 90m

I loved the moss everywhere!

Russell Falls

Horseshoe Falls - my favorite

Eli, me, Laura at Horseshoe Falls

Trekking to Lady Barron Falls

Lady Barron Falls (I'm camouflaged on the left side)

DAY 3 - Freycinet National Park (Wineglass Bay and Sleepy Bay), Cascade Brewery, Downtown Hobart

We woke up bright and early on Day 3 and left the hostel at 7 a.m. in order to make the 3 hour drive to Freycinet National Park and have time to explore Wineglass and Sleepy Bays before the return to Hobart for beer, a little shopping, and returning the rental car before Laura and my 8:30 p.m. flight back to Sydney; Eli was staying in Tasmania longer with a friend. It was a long drive but we arrived right on schedule, and our parking pass from Mt Field the day before worked again in Freycinet; it was a 24-hour pass. We first did a short hike to Sleepy Bay, which we had been told was worth the detour from the more popular Wineglass Bay. Despite yucky weather, Sleepy Bay was beautiful! We saw tons of huge boulders, stained red and the most vividly aqua water I have seen before. I absolutely love the view of mountains meeting the ocean, which Tasmania is full of! Following Sleepy Bay, we drove further into the park to the trailhead for the Wineglass Bay lookout hike. Unfortunately, we didn't have time for the hike down to the water but the lookout was a one-hour hike round trip, so we enjoyed the views of Coles Bay and the surrounding mountains on the way. Wineglass Bay, although not in all its glory on our dreary day, was still a sight to see and something to check off the ol' Australia bucket list!

Sleepy Bay

Friendly wallaby in the car park

Wineglass Bay - Do yourselves a favor & look up how pretty it CAN be when the weather's nicer!

Loved traveling with these two! (Excuse our hair, it was WINDY)

After leaving Freycinet National Park, we drove (or I drove...while Laura & Eli slept haha!) the three hours back to Hobart and went straight to Cascade Brewery, which is the oldest operating brewery in Australia.

Beer paddle at Cascade 

Beautiful Cascade Brewery, established in 1824

Next we went shopping in downtown Hobart and walked to the waterfront. At last, it was time to head back to the airport, so Eli's friend met us to get Eli, then Laura and I returned the rental car and headed to our gate.

8:30 p.m. came and went and before long, our plane was delayed until 9:30 p.m. Our plan was to take a train from the Sydney airport to Al's place to get the car, then drive back to Canberra. I was exhausted after the busy weekend and grudgingly accepted that I likely wouldn't be in my bed until past 3 a.m., then would be up with the kids before 8 a.m. However, finally, the airport announced that our flight for the night was canceled. Laura and I both immediately called our host families to notify them then went to the Jetstar desk for more information. As it turns out, there had been bad weather in Sydney so the flight was delayed getting to Hobart. Then, due to an 11 p.m. curfew at Sydney airport, the flight could not return Monday night. Laura and I were then carless, low on money, and hadn't expected to have to stay an extra night in Hobart. Additionally, because the cancellation was due to weather and not a fault of the airline, accommodation would not be covered by Jetstar. We decided to sleep at the airport but then were told that it closed at 10 p.m. Likely we would have slept with our bags outside if it had not been for Al, who I had been messaging about our situation. He, without even asking me, booked a hotel room for the two of us at an airport hotel with a free shuttle then told me to check my email for a confirmation. I was absolutely speechless that he did something so sweet for us, just so we could have a shower and decent sleep in a bed after our long weekend. So Laura and I quickly got on the shuttle and checked into our divine room at the Travelodge Hobart Airport. THANKS, AL <3


(Unexpected) DAY 4 - Departure:

Our flight was rescheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday morning and departed without any hitches. We caught the train from Sydney airport to Al's and I got a brief kiss outside of his place before we hopped in the car, headed back to Canberra. Tasmania was amazing but another favorite part of the trip was getting to discuss French and English with Laura during the trip. I obviously enjoyed both girls' company (especially singings "Colors of the Wind" in 3 languages while we hiked to Cape Raoul) but because I have such an interest and love for French, I soaked up every minute of getting to ask questions about grammar or vocabulary I'm not familiar with, as well as share the English language and answer questions Laura had about grammar or phraseology. I have so much respect for all of the girls I meet who speak such good English...because the more I try to explain it to others, the more confusing I realize it is.

Harbour Bridge and Opera House from the flight into Sydney airport

All in all, Tasmania was a dream. I desperately want to go back and am already trying to plan a trip to hike the Overland Track, a 6-day trek around beautiful Cradle Mountain. I know that most people who visit Australia likely will not make it to Tasmania on their trip but if it's at all possible, I really really encourage it! It would be impossible to see properly without a rental car but it is so worth it, and I want to visit again and again and again.

Till next time.

~
Alli