Blue Mountains

Hannah Clark
Sep 4, 2018 · 4 min read

August 4th-5th a bus load of exchange students groggily boarded a bus at 6AM to head to the Blue Mountains of New South Wales. It was between a 3- and 4-hour drive. On the way we stopped at Australia’s largest attraction, “The Big Merino,” a gas station with a few food options for breakfast. I went to McDonalds where I ordered my food at a station with a giant touch screen, something I have never done before, and chose from an Australian menu.

The Big Merino

After everyone finished breakfast, we reboarded and continued our journey. Around 10 AM, we arrived at Featherdale Wildlife Park on the outskirts of Sydney. There, we were taken to the back of the park where a ranger presented us with a Shingleback Skink, a Tawny Frogmouth, a python, and a padymelon.

Shingleback Skink
Paddymelon

After the adorable encounters, we were allowed to roam the park on our own accord. I saw animals I have never seen before, some I didn’t even know existed. There were beautiful birds, dingos, wombats, koalas, echindas, quokkas, wallabies, kangaroos, Tasmanian devils, and a 16-foot crocodile. In the park, we were provided with kangaroo food which assisted me in getting this sweet kangaroo selfie.

Penguin
Echidna
Koala
Friends!

After hanging out with some cool animals, we had lunch, then embarked on a two-hour hike through the Blue Mountains. The hike was beautiful and provided views of plants and rock structures I have never seen before. At the end of the hike, we went down what felt like hundreds of stairs to the base of Wentworth Falls overlooking a valley. The view was breathtaking. So was the hike back up the hundreds of steep stairs. I am glad I did it, but I won’t be doing it again haha. After climbing back up the mountain, we boarded the bus and headed to our hostel in Katoomba, NSW.

This was my first time ever staying in a hostel. It was a YHA, a trusted chain hostel (kind of like the KOA (Kampgroud of America) of hostels). The hostel had a huge kitchen with 3 or 4 commercial sinks, stoves, and fridges, a large dining and living area, and three floors of bedrooms and bathrooms. I was in a room with four other girls.

The next morning, we checked out of the hostel, walked around Katoomba for a bit, then went to Scenic World to get a different perspective of the Blue Mountains and check out Three Sisters Rock. Scenic World provided a 40 second trip up and down a mountain on the worlds steepest train, glass bottom cable car rides across a valley, and board walk hikes through the rainforest. While Scenic World was cool, it was too touristy for my taste and I was not overly impressed. Afterwards, we ate lunch, then embarked on our final destination, a lookout in the town with an excellent view of the Three Sisters Rock.

My favorite piece of the Katoomba street art
The world’s steepest train
Exploring the rainforest with Alex
Three Sisters Rock