Blue Mountains

   About 60 miles west of Sydney lie the Blue Mountains (very hard not to insert Ridge in there!).  These mountains are actually a high plateau into which deep gorges have been carved over time.  They reach an elevation of about 3900 feet and are named for the haze exuded from the gum/eucalyptus trees.  We've been intending to venture up to these mountains for months and finally pulled ourselves away from the water to do it.  We had a great day exploring the gorgeous scenery and small towns.

View of the Jamison Valley near Wentworth Falls

Wentworth Falls - over 900 feet down!

Views of the Grose Valley from Govetts Leap near the town of Blackheath

Sam's photo

More from Evan's Lookout - 

The gang at Sublime Point near the town of Leura.  To Mia's left are the Three Sisters, the most famous sight in the Blue Mountains.

The Three Sisters at Echo Point in Katoomba.  According to an Aboriginal story, these three rock formations represent three girls that were turned to stone by their father to save them from a bunyip (bad guy) but he lost his wand and has yet to find it to turn them back into human girls.

Three Sisters

This day trip to the mountains felt like a bit of a warm-up for our upcoming trip to New Zealand.  Can't wait!