The Blue Mountains are Australia's most accessible wilderness and is in the form of deep gullies and gorges carved in a raised plateu. The Gensemer family never went there before save a day trip not long ago.
There are two ways to the Blue Mountains from Umina Beach. The family got there via a long mountain road through a river valley and past towns such as Wisemans ferry, which was built up around a free ferry across the wide Hawkesbury river.
The family stopped in the Mount Tomah botanical gardens, one of the three around Sydney, to have lunch. After lunch they walked around the gardens and saw a few of the garden's many attractions, including the Wollemi pines.
The family finished off the day with a short walk near Govetts Leap lookout, one of the three biggest lookouts in the mountain town of Blackheath, where the family planned to stay in during the vacation.
On the first day started what Daniel Gensemer said was the second best hike the Gensemer family took in the Blue Mountains.
The family parked at the top of the cliff near Scenic World, Katoomba to start a hike. For about half the length of the walk, the family followed the Prince Henry Cliff track, a well-defined trail along the edge of the cliff that included lots of lookouts. After having a snack at Echo Point, the most popular lookout in the Blue Mountains, the family climbed down the cliff via a very steep, 904 -- step staircase known as the Giant Staircase that winded down right next to the Three Sisters.
The family had lunch in the forest below the cliffs before hiking to the Katoomba Falls (Katoomba is Aboriginal australian for "shining, tumbling water), and finally the Scenic Walkway. The Scenic Walkway winded past a coal mine. Wytse Gensemer pointed out that the layer of coal was visible in the rock. Later the family saw a lyrebird, a large songbird that had the ability to mimic other bird's calls.
That night, the family ate at a thai restaraunt in Blackheath.
The family got to see the most on the second day of the trip.
First the family went on a brief visit to Hartley historic site before checking out Mt. Wilson, where they went to the Cathedral of Ferns and took a hike past some cascades. The family had a snack near the apple orchards on Bells Line of Road
before driving back to Blackheath.
To finish up the day, the family drove to Pulpit Rock, a wonderful lookout that provided sweeping views of Grose Gorge, and one of the most popular in Blackheath.
The Wentworth Falls hike was, as the Gensemers agreed, the best hike they went on in the Blue Mountains. It started on the third day of vacation.
After visiting a view, the family hiked to the top of the Wentworth falls, before climbing down stairs to the bottom, or rather, onto a forested ledge halfway down the cliff. For most of the rest of the hike, the family hiked on a trail called the National Pass, keeping a sheer cliff close to the trail on one side and a sheer drop close to the trail on the other. They hiked this way until reaching Empress falls, where the Gensemer family hiked back up the cliff and walked to the car.
At the end of the day, friends visited and the Gensemers drove to Evans Lookout.
On the fourth day the Gensemers went on a magical walk near Mt. Victoria, and visited a sandstone cave and a shady grotto. Later in the day the family drove to the end of Hat Hill Road and visited Perrys Lookdown.
On the fifth day the family visited the Jenolan Caves and took a tour of one of the most beautiful caves in the world. On the same day, they visited the Megalong Valley.
On the last day, the family did not finish off the week with a bushwalk but a walk through the Everglades gardens. The gardens were a great way of finishing off a great vacation.
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