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348 Katoomba, Katoomba, 2780, Australia
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Mystical light
Butterfly walk
Fresh Toasted Breat with Fresh Peanut Butter
View just a little way below the lookout
One of my favourites anywhere is at the carpark at Blackheath, just a little way down the road from Katoomba. When I visited in October 2010 I noticed the Butterfly Walk, a small access lane that had been beautified by the addition of several murals, some of which I share with you here.
The lane runs off the western side of the CBD in Katoomba Street.
Wow. These are amazing. Three rocks sticking out of the top of a mountain, which were named the three sisiters. Legend has it that an aborignal man turned his three daughters into stone and this is where they came to lay.
There is a bridge that takes you onto the mountain which is quite scary in its self. The view from here is spectacular. A great view of the blue mist from the mountains.
The Edge Cinema.
This cinema boasts a 6 storey high giant screen. The main attraction of this cinema is a 38 minute documentary 'The Edge' telling one of the great stories of humankind - the story of discovery and coming to terms with the ancient, complex and fragile world we live in.
Feature Films are also played in this venue for those looking for a Hollywood hit.
Tickets for 'The Edge' cost AUD$14.50 pp
Feature films cost AUD$12.50 pp
And it rolled in to such an extent that in 2001 the Hammon family built a cable car to a point lower than the Scenic Railway and constructed an informative and user friendly boardwalk in the rainforest.
At many points along the route it lists flora and key facts about same. The 2.2km raised boardwalk also has a Rainforest Room, Miners Hut and several storm shelters. This is the place to take your children and is also good for wheelchairs. Trivia-wise, it's the longest elevated boardwalk in Australia.
An alternative route to the bottom is the Gruber Stairs. Many people choose to either go to the bottom in one of the two rides and walk up or the reverse, an option seemingly easier.
Having been caught out once I should warn people that I was once told (on a long climb in N.Z.) that it's "heart up, knees down", meaning that you may huff and puff while ascending but your legs may suffer more going down.
Here (pic 2) we see Rosemarie trying to con her gym instructor by posing uphill when in fact we took the downhill route on the Gruber Steps.
I push on until I come to the turn off to the left indicating the Grand Canyon walk but ahead of me there’s another. I decide to take it.
Veils of droplets descend in delicate crystal showers from fern roots desperately clinging to niches in the sheer sandstone walls. The blipping sound of the water into the pools beneath is interspersed by the gleeful croaks of frogs happy to see the water once again returning more regularly to the ponds they call home. Lichen clings to other sites and fungi occasionally makes an appearance on some long ago fallen tree.
A massive log jam on one side is a reminder of what force nature can unleash when unrestrained yet the soft moss carpeting the rocks seems to belie any such maelstrom. Here and there the brightness of the sky penetrates this eerie world, lighting walls that man has ne’r touched and dancing on the ripples below the numerous cascades.
Amazingly, probably only 1-2 kilometres away, as per the flying crow, Katoomba Airport is located yet down here it might as well be on another planet. The only flying thing you can hear is the occasional bird call bouncing around the sandstone walls.
Too soon my time is up and I turn around and head back, retracing my steps all the way to the motorhome with one or two stops on the way out. It’s not until I’m almost at the carpark again that the first of the weekend bushwalkers put in an appearance. I’m grateful to have had the 2 ½ hours down there to myself and vow to repeat the dose some time in the future.
This walk is one of the more popular in the Blue Mountains
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Address: 348 Katoomba, Katoomba, 2780, Australia
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