The Three Sisters | Kevin & Ruth Sheather

The Three Sisters were a bit further away than yesterday.

Wednesday was a day out of the tourist brochure, but Thursday dawned with total cloud cover. Happily, rain held off until about 3.00 PM. Aileen had had another bad night with her back and needed the services of another chiropractor. She found an appointment in Blackheath at mid-day. That left us with a morning to fill in.

We returned to Katoomba to drive some of the cliff top roads that provide views to the Jameson Valley. It was more of the same from the two previous days, but Blue Mountain scenery can stand some repeats. We stopped at a couple of lookouts, but the heavy cloud meant that the colours were subdued and nowhere near their best.

For some older scenery we returned to the old site of Explorers Tree and confirmed that the rellick was no longer there. But on the other hand we did discover the Katoomba end of The Six Foot Track. It now begins at an eco-cultural plaza, I guess you would call it, with history and Aboriginal culture sharing prominence. The quality of the trail head path does not continue very far.

We returned to Blackheath for Aileen to subject herself to another pummelling. Then lunch at a gourmet sandwich shop in the main street of Blackheath. Different and very tasty.

Sadly, this is where my photos of the Blue Mountains end. I took some shots at Mount Wilson and on the way down the mountain to Lithgow but they are not on my camera or phone. It is a mystery.

A mural on the old theatre in Blackheath.

We still had an afternoon to fill. The last time that Ruth and had driven west to east over the Blue Mountains we had used the Bells Line of Road, the main link between Lithgow and Richmond on the Nepean River. I had noticed a turn to the left east of the small town of Bell, to Mount Wilson. This small town became our destination.

From Blackheath we had a 32 km drive, the last 10 km or so on winding mountain roads. We found that we were in an area not unlike some of the less developed parts of the Dandenong Ranges in Victoria. The area is elevated with roads leading to large acreages blocks containing substantial houses with extensive gardens.

There is a small commercial centre but no one was there. The area offers a number of walks but it would require a much better day to entice me onto any of them. At least we now know what is there.

Returning to Bell, we continued on towards Lithgow, hoping to take a look at the Zig Zag Railway, the heritage listed original railway that climbed the mountain from Lithgow. When I planned the trip, a ride on the railway was to have been on our itinerary, until I discovered that the train only operated on Friday to Monday. Rain had started by the time we reached Clarence Station, the top station of the Zig Zag Railway, so we drove past.

To cover new territory, we continued down the mountain to Lithgow, returning to Blackheath via Hartley and the Mount Victoria Pass. Beside the highway, we could see the new road being constructed, towards the base of the mountain where the tunnel will start.

Each time we drove to or from Katoomba we passed, in Blackheath main street, the Blackheath fish and chip shop. We subsequently discovered that the shop had opened about a year after Ruth and I had honeymooned in Katoomba. So, when dinner time approach Bernard and I sallied forth and acquired four seafood boxes. They provided a very satisfactory meal.

On Friday morning we were out of bed early as we all had a distance to cover before nightfall. We left Blackheath at around 8.30 AM, Aileen and Bernard bound for Cooma and Ruth and I for Coffs Harbour. It was a long day, but we used the tollway tunnel system to escape Sydney. Further north,we were interested to see the scope of the highway extensions under way to link the northern end of the Newcastle Bypass with the highway north of Raymond Terrace.

A short drive on Saturday morning brought us to the RSL Club in Ballina and the eightieth birthday celebration that was the gneisses of the whole trip south. It was a successful event. We renewed acquaintances with folk from our days in Melbourne who we have not seen for a very long time.

Next morning, with the family of our new eighty-year-old, we enjoyed the views over Shelly Beach from a café, as we shared brunch with visitors who had come to Ballina for the celebration. Suitably refuelled, we climbed back into the car for the last three hours of our trip.

Aileen had hurt her back yesterday morning, of all things, putting her trousers on. Tuesday night had been a bad night for her, so the priority for Wednesday morning was to find a chiropractor. She located one in Katoomba, with an appointment just after lunch. That determined the direction in which our sightseeing lay that day, but it was not much different to what we had in mind.

We started our tourist day at Wentworth Falls. As we approached the parking area for the walk to the viewing point we noticed smoke in the air, then spotted a helicopter with a water bucket underneath. Must only have been a small fire as the smoke reduced quickly but was still a bit of an obstacle to clear photos. Views into Jamieson Valley were good but when we moved along to the viewing Point for Wentworth Falls, the flow of water over the drop was a bit disappointing.

The less seen side if Thr Three Sisters.

View into the Jamison Valley from Wentworth Falls

The next stop was Sublime Point, where we walked down to the top viewing area that gave us a view of the lower lookout. Sublime Point protrudes into Jamieson Valley further than any of the other promontories, so does provide a top vantage point. It also provides a view of the back of The Three Sisters.

Next in order was Leura and the Leura Cascades but most of the area was closed to the public with car parks sealed off with temporary gates.

By now it was nearing lunch time. We found a parking space under the library and took the lift up to a cafe on an upper level. The chiropractor was located just over the street. I walked Aileen over while Bernard and Ruth waited.

The fire control helicopter at Wentworth Falls. Note the bucket in the lower left hand corner.

Aileen felt better, so we continued our drive. As we were close to Echo Point we resumed there, taking in the views of mountains and valley and taking those mandatory photos. We went back to have another look at Leura Falls area but had no better luck. Finally we drove to Katoomba Falls. Again, there was not much flow in the stream and as it is quite a long walk out to the point where the water actually falls, we decided to give it a miss and move on.

That mandatory photo but I didn’t get the Sisters in the background.

The Jamison Valley terminal of the Scenic Railway.

A Sulphur-crested Cockatoo at Katoomba Falls

Heads down and eat. Wood Ducks also at Katoomba Falls.

The Waratah, floral emblem of New South Wales.

With the Katoomba area pretty much done, we returned to Blackheath to visit the Campbell Rhododendron Gardens. Rhododendrons grow well in the mountains with specimens of this family of shrubs adorning private gardens at evert turn. Despite the uniform floral theme, the gardens are worth a visit. Ruth and I previously visited about six years ago.

The gardens are spread over a timbered hillside with the blooms juxtaposed with native trees that provide natural shelter. A stream runs through the lower area with lagoons that provide reflections and a home for water birds. Sadly, many of the blooms were past their best but still provide a blaze of colour over the hillside. There is an entry fee of $5.

A pool in the stream that runs through the lower levels of the gardens.

There is another verry good lookout in this area, just south of Blackheath. Evans Lookout provides views into the Gross Valley and of some of the best Sandstone cliffs in the area. It provides parking for one end of the Evans Lookout to Govetts Leap walk, a very popular walk through what is known as the Grand Canyon. This is a walk that I would have loved to do but I am afraid that time has passed me by.

A view over the Grosse Valley from Evans Lookout.

By this time Aileen was feeling the effects of the chiropractor’s pummelling so we returned to our cabin to rest and prepare for dinner. Bernard is a keen golfer so decided that we should patronise the Blackheath Golf Club for dinner. We had another pleasant meal and had the dining room almost to ourselves.

That was not, however, the end of our day. Aileen turned eighty on 28th November this year. We could not pass up the opportunity to celebrate. We had shouted her dinner and Ruth had purchased a birthday cake and candles. When we returned to our cabin we continued the birthday celebration with cake. The candles could not be lit because we did not have matches and it was too late to try to borrow some. We sang “Happy birthday” and talked.

Then bed time. That is always a great time of day at our age.

Kevin & Ruth Sheather

The Mobilesheathers – exploring Australia

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