Bushwalking in the Blue Mountains

native birds. At the end of the trail was the Scenic Railway. This would take us back to the top (thank God, because I wasn't about the climb back up the 1,000 stairs). Coal miners used the railway to get to the bottom of the valley to mine coal in the many shafts in the area. The Scenic Railway is the world's steepest incline railway. 415 meters (1,361 feet) long, it goes straight up the side of the valley wall at a 52-degree incline. Sitting in it. you look straight down as it whisks you backwards up the cliff. Scary, but fun.

Next we took the Scenic Skyway across the valley; the only gondola ride in Australia. It swings more than 200 meters (650 feet) above the ground below, over the top of Katoomba Falls. Looking down on the waterfall, there were dozens of wild cockatoos, white with the yellow feathers sticking up on top of their heads. It could have been the scene from a tropical jungle movie, like Tarzan.

Homeward bound, we stopped in Leura for lunch. There was a garden festival on, which sounded like fun. But once there we weren't in the mood to deal with the crowds and spend money on crafts and trinkets we didn't need. Hopping the next train to Sydney, glad our trip to the Blue Mountains was relaxing, yet adventurous. A good first trip beyond Sydney.

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