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| The Blue Mountains, a World Heritage site west of Sydney, get their name from the bluish haze (created by the oils of the eucalyptus trees) that often hovers over them. The mountains began forming more than 350 million years and their upper layers of sandstone resemble those of Arizona’s Grand Canyon. Aboriginal people have lived there for some 22,000 years. The Blue Mountains encompass a network of rivers and streams with numerous waterfalls, many types of forests, and some 400 animal species—mostly birds, but also marsupials such as quolls, wombats and wallabies. We were fortunate to have three days of sublime views in the cold, clear weather. |
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The Scribbly Gum tree is a eucalyptus with a lovely, satiny pale trunk. It’s one of hundreds of varieties of Australian eucalypts. So who scribbles all over the trunk? The larvae of tiny moths. Their artwork doesn’t harm the tree at all. |
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One of our hikes was the “Grand Canyon Trail,” which descended/ascended steeply and followed the heavily bouldered Greaves Creek. The ferns and other vegetation there date back to the Jurassic age. Though the Blue Mountains are a popular getaway for Sydneysiders, we saw relatively few people on the trails. |
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We stayed at a darling self-contained cottage (the red building) in the village of Mt. Victoria. The grounds were visited by big kangaroos and flocks of birds, including the very vocal sulphur-crested cockatoos. The host and hostess said they no longer had a choice about feeding the cockatoos. If the bird seed runs out, the cockatoos start chewing on the wooden buildings!
Contact John and Carol at Cedar Lodge Cabins, Mt Victoria NSW |
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