The Blue Mountains are a couple of hours west of Sydney. I somehow picked the weekend that there were track repairs on the railways, so it took me a bit longer to get to Katoomba, but it was good to leave the city and watch the towns go past.

Katoomba is a relaxed, new-age kind of town in the mountains. I stayed at the wonderful YHA, which had great facilities and nice people, and spent a day mooching around, taking the famous scenic railway (steepest incline in the world) into the valley and the skyway back up to the top. I walked down to the Three Sisters (Aboriginal legend has it that they are the three daughters of a witch doctor who were turned into stone by an evil bunyip) and watched the sunset.

The next day, I took the 8.25 bus to Neates Glen and walked through the Grand Canyon. The path went deep into the valley and through gum trees, rainforest and under waterfalls, before climbing steeply up to incredible views. I followed the path around the cliffs and over waterfalls and admired the fantastic scenery. The blue haze actually comes from eucalyptus trees, and is the reason the Blue Mountains got their name. I took the train from Blackheath to Katoomba, and then back to the city through another dramatic hailstorm.