THE BLUE MOUNTAINS

First of all, I’m sorry it’s been ages since I last updated here. I know I left you all hanging and you must be dying to pick up where we left off on my little adventure… Or not, but either way: I’m back to fill you all in. I mentioned in my last post that before I headed out of Sydney up the east coast of Australia, I went on a day trip to see the Blue Mountains. So here we go!

We set off on the tour from central Sydney. I didn’t have much of an idea of what I was actually in for since I had booked this tour months ago through STA as part of my Australian welcome package, but I definitely ended up being pleasantly surprised. I’m not sure I’d recommend the package I booked from STA on a whole, because I’m sure most of what was included could be organised more inexpensively on arrival in Sydney. However, this particular day trip is definitely something I’d say is worth doing, whether you decide to book a tour or go by train or car.

The nice thing about driving to the Blue Mountains from Sydney is that you can make a stop along the route at the Featherdale Wildlife Park. This park actually ended up being my favourite part of the tour. This was partly because I wasn’t actually expecting it, and partly because the park really is excellent.

As well as the super-dangerous caged crocs, there are loads of areas where the animals are able to roam freely among the park visitors, which is a fantastic experience.

You can even buy little cones of feed for the kangaroos and wallabies.

Although it looked like they enjoyed eating the cones more than the actual feed!

I absolutely loved this place because of the variety of animal species.

Coming from the UK, it’s unusual to see any of these kinds of animals in our British zoos, so I was fascinated by the cassowaries, the dingoes, the quokkas and the roos.

After a couple of hours spent wandering round the park, we got back on our minibus and set off on the second leg of our journey to the Blue Mountains. The second half of our trip was extended slightly by our bus’s reluctance to make its way up the hills faster than at a brisk walking pace, but we did finally make it.

Luckily the views more than made up for the journey.

It’s easy to see why these are called the Blue Mountains. The characteristic blue haze makes this ancient forest feel like a place filled with secrets.

We were taken to a number of different viewing points and also into the forest itself, to learn some basic bushcraft. Our tour guide seemed to think he was some kind of real-life action man, which was amusing to watch if nothing else!

If you’re ever in Sydney, looking for something to do that doesn’t involve buildings or beaches, definitely consider a trip to the mountains. If, like me, you’re travelling on your own and want to go with a group, the tour I went on can be booked here. Alternatively you could rent a car and go it alone. Either way, I’d recommend it!