After the bustle of cosmopolitan Sydney, I headed for the Blue Mountains, so named for the blue tinged haze shimmering in the valleys as the sun reflects off oil droplets from the eucalyptus trees. This was a relatively short bus journey of 90 minutes. Approaching the mountains I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from a cluster of rock formations lined with a few trees. However once I arrived at the spectacular mountains, I was taken back by the beautiful scenery and fresh air by the lungful.
We started our journey in Katoomba and almost immediately we set off down an endless, dusty and rocky path, eroding it as we walked, step by step. Eventually we came to a clearing. I was suddenly hit by the intense smell of the eucalyptus oil that lingers in the air like stagnant smoke. Then I caught a glimpse of a great mechanical device which ventures across the steep valley to the plateau, hundreds of metres away. The cable car sways from side to side in a hypnotic fashion, as if it were trying to put you into a deep trance.
My mother being a chronic sufferer of vertigo was less than keen on the idea of being suspended 300m above the picturesque valley, with her life hanging in the balance, all for the sake of some 6x4 photos.
The 3 sisters, a famous rock formation, were however on a grand enough scale to be seen without the aid of a cable car. The aboriginal legend behind their occurrence has it, that 3 sisters of the Katoomba tribe had fallen in love with 3 brothers of the Nepeen tribe. Their tribal laws forbade them to marry; this then led to tribal battle. As the 3 sisters were in danger a witchdoctor took it upon himself to protect them, so he turned them into stone to keep from harm. He had intended to turn them back but he himself was killed in battle. It was only he who could return the sisters to their former beauty, so they remain in their rock cocoons as a reminder of the battle.
Sadly, after a matter of what seemed minutes, I had to leave Katoomba. This was a tranquil and charming little village with countless arty-crafty shops selling a variety of didgeridoo’s camouflaged by intricate aboriginal art. After a few minutes drive we stopped off for a last glance at the mountains and a tea break, with a difference. Our tour guide, a typical Aussie, told us how to make ‘real’ tea. We first picked the tea leaves and put them in a billy can, teapot to us Brits, then pinched a few eucalyptus leaves of a near by tree and added them to sweeten the tea. He then placed it on a fire. I stood watching in amazement, half expecting him to whip out a quaint little sieve, and for us all to drink with our little fingers pointing upwards. As you may have guessed, this wasn’t quite how they did it in the mountains. Once all the ingredients were in the billy can our guide began to talk us through the process of ‘swinging the billy’ in a classic Australian drawl.
“Right then first we grab the billy and start the swinging motion, watch yourself it’s hot! Now we swing it right ‘round, that should settle the leaves to the bottom. And that’s what we call swinging the billy!! Now for you Brits there’s milk over there, why’d you wanna spoil a perfectly good cuppa tea, is beyond me!”
Back to the restless city, it takes a while for your senses to adjust to the dazzling lights and the constant buzz, occasionally interrupted by sirens and car horns. Although I'm glad to be back in Sydney a part of me will miss the peace and serenity that was the Blue Mountains.
