The Blue Mountains are a mountain range in New South Wales, located about an hour inland from Sydney. Known by travellers country wide due to its beautiful and dramatic scenery it places high on the to do list of many if not all. The Blue Mountains national park is dotted with small towns, guesthouses and hotels for people to stay in when they visit. The number of bushwalking trails are more than we can mention and deciding which walks to have a go at may be difficult, it certainly was for us.

Our first day in the Blue Mountains started in mid afternoon so we decided not to undertake a walk but to visit the major lookouts instead before walking the next day. First stop was Wentworth Falls lookout. From here you can’t exactly see the falls but you do get an incredible view of the valley which the water cascades down into.

Next on the list was the most famous part of the Blue Mountains, Echo Point and the Three Sisters. We drove the short distance to the lookout and were instantly wowed by the view before us.

The Three Sisters have a historical meaning to the Aboriginals of the region. Legend has it that the Three Sisters lived in the valley as members of the local Katoomba tribe who fell in love with three brothers from another local tribe. This was forbidden by law and caused a major battle. To protect the sisters from harm a witch doctor turned them to stone but was then himself killed, leaving the sisters cast in their rock formations for generations to come.

From Echo Point not only do you get a great view of the Three Sisters from the lookout but a short 30 minute walk takes you to the rock formation up close where you can really appreciate the beauty and the power of nature (or a witch doctor if you choose to believe that). Not being ones to pass up the opportunity we took the walk, not to be disappointed. When you arrive at the rocks there is a walkway built into them which requires a number of steep steps but nothing most people can’t handle.

Up close you can really appreciate the sheer size of the Three Sisters as they dwarf people below them. The view of the actual formations is not the only attraction to this short walk as it also provides some quite spectacular valley views and highlights the dramatic rock faces that you walk on top of.

After taking in these amazing sights we made for our campsite for the night, situated deep in the national park. We drove for around 45 minutes along a dirt, gravel road further and further into the bush, often questioning ourselves as to whether we trusted our directions but sure enough we arrived at one of the best free campsites yet. Dunphys Camping area in a large campsite with all the essential amenities (a toilet, what else do you need?!) and as we arrived we drove past a few Kangaroos hanging around just outside the camping area. Obviously thrilled because seeing Kangaroos never gets old we hoped for more at the actual site. We weren’t disappointed!

Usually we set the tent up straight away on arrival our chosen night spot but this time was different. The forecast  was grim! Relentless rain was predicted all night and we had planned an early start to get on with some walking so we made the conscious decision to spend the night sleeping in the car so as not to be packing away a soaking wet tent. At the campsite there was us two and three young germans which gave the place a very peaceful and friendly vibe. We made dinner quickly as the rain was due any moment and the set off in hunt for more Kangas. The hunt didn’t take us far and there were Kangaroos everywhere. Around every tree, around the car, around the toilet, literally everywhere. We spent the rest of the daylight hours taking picture after picture of our new friends trying to get as close as possible without scaring them.

Morning came and after what we can only describe as less than ideal nights sleep in the rather uncomfortable car we were ready to leave the  campsite by 7am. The rain had eventually hit and with it a significant amount of cloud cover was still hanging around. So much so that when we arrived at our chosen walk back at Wentworth Falls the view was completely obscured. You couldn’t see further than 10 metres in any direction which would lead to significant problems but we decided as it was early and we weren’t in any rush we would give it a shot and hope for the best.

We had done some research into the best walks in the national park and had decided on the National Pass route, famed and prize winning.

The route takes you down into the valley and towards the top of the waterfalls. Luck had it that the weather did start to clear up a little bit as we worked our way along the path and by the time we reached Wentworth falls the view was better.

The route actually takes you directly across the top of the falls via stepping stones which was a welcomed unexpected surprise before then plummeting down to the valley floor via what feels like hundreds of steps. The hard work was worth it when we reached the bottom, stepping out directly below the falls. With a short hop over some boulders you can feel the water cascading down on top of you if you so wish, we however opted for just the spray and not to soak ourselves to the skin with some of the walk still to go.

The peaceful nature of the walk through the bush was only increased as while we were at the waterfall base there was nobody else around. We took pictures and admired the view whilst only being able to hear the water and the wildlife living near by. It made for a perfect end for a perfect few days in the Blue Mountains. Now all that was left was to climb back up the steep steps and make our way to Sydney for Australia day. Bring it on..

Jonny & Hayley 🙂

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