Day 29: 20231022 Sunday, October 22, 2023- Blue Mountains National Park
The sun got us up at 8am so we were off to do the Grand Canyon Track, which is a 6.3km loop trail. In the Australian National Parks, they use a trail grading system to give hikers some idea what they might be up against.
This one is rated Grade 3 and characterized by 3-4 hrs to complete, clearly sign posted markings, short steep hills, many steps and a formed track. One might also characterize it as a Moderate difficulty track. We arrived at the trail head at 8:45am. It took us just under the 4 hrs to complete, but it was really pushing the limits of Janet’s capabilities because it was a struggle to get back up to the top of the canyon at the end of the hike. But she was able to complete it and in the suggested time frame. Slow and steady wins the race.
The worse part was the elevations to drop down into this canyon, and then climb back out at the end. At either end of the hike are thousands of stone stairs, some more irregular than not, so you had to be careful with foot placement and most parts of the trail did not have hand rails. There are a few very steep twisty portions where handrails were provided and much appreciated. There were lots of people on the trail, and as we got to the halfway point, people who had started on the opposite end of the track met those coming the other way.
A tremendous amount of work went into carving out and setting those thousands of steps and creek crossings carved out of boulders, and there are many breath taking stretches of the trail (not just because you were out of breath, but fantastic scenes with hanging gardens, water falls, caves and gorges.
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There was one point near the end of the trail where people in wetsuits and climbing gear belay themselves down a vertical shaft several hundred feet straight down into the bottom of a slot canyon. They then hike down to where that stream intersects the main trail. There are apparently several places like this in the National Park and the sport is called Canyoning.
We would have appreciated it if there were a cable way that could bypass the thousands of steps down into and back out of the canyon. We had skipped breakfast and went on the hike just carrying water. We could have used some granola bars for that hike.
We drove into Katoomba, the largest city in the National Park. It has grocery stores and lots of restaurants, but most are only open during normal business hours and close at 5pm. We found a Pho shop under the Aldi grocery store, and eagerly slurped up bowls of Pho to replenish our energy stores.
We did pick up some granola bars, potato chips and Tim Tams for snacking on during the rest of this land part of our trip. They do not refrigerate eggs in the grocery store. We found that interesting.
We then did a quick stop at the Echo Point/Three Sisters Lookout. The Three Sisters is a rock formation along the cliff edge. Unfortunately, Katoomba has set up pay parking throughout the area around it so there is no free public parking. This is a bit at odds with all the other viewpoints in the area, and a bit of a put off. We had found free parking, but it was just outside the main downtown area where we ate lunch, and not within a couple of miles of the viewpoint. They didn’t have parking meters, but had ticket dispensers on every block with signs and you had to buy a parking pass and display it on your windshield. It’s hard to know how tightly they enforce it- we didn’t see meter maids circling every block, but it seems everyone was complying.
For dinner we drove back to Wentworth Falls to check out the Wenty Kabob and Pizza place on the highway. It was open after 6pm, which is a good thing. We don’t have any kabob places back home so we had a combo beef and chicken kabab platter. It was delicious, and came with a side order of nice crisp fresh out of the fryer French fries.
The place would be easy to just drive right past, but we’re glad we stopped in. There are a lot of more expensive trendier restaurants in the area that cater specifically to tourists from Sydney who arrive by train or car, but this place is a solid place to fill up on some good food.
The sun was still in the sky, but dropping fast as we left Wenty Kabob and Pizza. We drove back to the 3 Sisters viewpoint, and since it was after 6pm, the parking was now free. Ben was hoping to get a sunset photo, but the sun had dropped low enough that the sisters were already in the shade as the sun had dropped to the rim of the canyon. We did get to walk around more extensively though.
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There were numerous catwalks and decks with varying view points. The temperature was dropping rapidly into the lower 60’s and with the wind blowing, we actually had to turn on the car’s heater on the way home.
Tomorrow is our last full day in Wentworth Falls, and now that we have checked off the 3 Sisters and the Grand Canyon track off the to do list, it’s pretty much a free day to check out some other viewpoints and easy walks.
