Katoomba and the Blue Mountains

Take a train from Sydney and spend a couple days bushwalking

The most iconic shot of the Blue Mountains is that of the Three Sisters. The story behind this rock formation dates back thousands of years. As it turned out, the three sisters were in love with three brothers from another tribe. Because they were from different tribes, the 6 couldn't shack up and the brothers decided to just take the sisters by force. Makes sense so far.

Then, the elder of the other tribe was all like "Oh no they didn't!", so he went ahead and turned the sisters into rocks to protect them. It was actually a common form of contraception back in those days. And I mean, really, it seemed like a good idea at the time. Sadly, the old man was killed in battle and never got a chance to turn them back so the 3 sisters now stand for eternity teasing us with their lustful youth.

The Blue Mountains National Park has miles of trails taking you up and down all sorts of stairs. Do yourself a favor and bring a bottle of water. Walking from Echo Point, down to the Three Sisters, then over to Leura Falls and back up, could only take about 4 hours.

The beginning of the Giant Staircase. Should have a sign saying "Warning: Shaky knees ahead".

The Giant Staircase is near one of the Three Sisters, and over 900 steps. Try going down this, not up. Either way, your knees may be a bit shaky. Once at the bottom, you can easily walk to the Sky Train and get carried back up to Scenic World.

Or you could avoid the tourists and go to the left...

Going to the left at the bottom of the Giant Staircase takes you right into theblue Mountains Rainforest. Hike past water falls and through the bush. This is a great workout. Unfortunately, by not taking the Sky Train back up to the cliff top, you will have to walk up another thousand or so stairs.

On the Cliff Walk allong the Blue Mountains you can find dozens of lookout points for the rest of the mountain range.

A place to reflect before going back into town.

Getting to Katoomba is easy. The train from Sydney only takes a couple hours and drops you off right in town. From there you can walk to any number of hostels and hotels. If you drive up yourself, then check out the campervan park in town.

The Number 14 Backpackers Guesthouse is where we stayed. Originally, it was meant to be at another place called the Flying Fox. While that was the best priced hostel in town, they were full up. So book in advance, if you can. Ross, sent up to Number 14 Guestbouse on Gang Gang St. This place is as easy walk to the Town as well as its neighboring town, Leura. The Doublerooms are great and have and ours had an excelent view of the sunset. This was best enjoyed with a cup of complimentary tea, courtesy of the No 14.