Down Under’s Secret

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When we are talking about Australia, big cities such as Sydney, Melbourne or Perth might be the ultimate destinations. However, after spending almost a week in the down under, I found another destination people should pencil into their maps. A perfect destination for you cave-lovers, bushwalkers and of course the wilderness explorers.


Introducing Blue Mountains, another side of Australia you can visit in less than 2 hours drive from Sydney. If you are flying into Sydney, take a direct train from Sydney Airport to the Railway Station. From there, you can board the double-decker mountains train for approximately 2 hours which will spoil your eyes with the most amazing scenery along the way.  
Blue Mountains, covers an area around 1400 km2, earned its name from distinctive blue haze that surrounds it. This mystical blue comes from the eucalyptus tree, as the oil in the leaves scatters the light.
Blue Mountains’ major tourist attraction is the beautiful rock formation, with its famous aboriginal legend behind it, called “Three Sisters”. This rock formation, which is located in Katoomba, stands 3000 meters above the sea level. It is believed to originally be three sisters from the Katoomba tribe.

Three Sisters, Katoomba

An hour and 15 minutes drive from Katoomba will bring you to a perfect gateway, to another different side of Australian nature, the Jenolan Caves
Jenolan, which means “high mountain” in aboriginal language, has been the oldest discovered open caves in the world. With 250,000 visitors annually Jenolan caves provide various tours and guides equipped by commentary in 11 languages. One interesting fact, they even provide guide in Klingon language for you Star Trek lovers.

Temple of Baal, known as “The Jewel of Jenolan”

One tip before unlocking the magic of Jenolan: wear your most comfortable pair of sneakers, because the adventure will take you up and down ladders and slippery roads, tracing back the history before these amazing caves were discovered.
At last, you can ask yourself: what a 2 hour trip northwest from Sydney will get you? Blue Mountains, with its nature of Katoomba and amazing underworld of Jenolan Caves will bring you another unique memory of Australia and unquestionably another stack of photos that complete your journey to the down under.
So next time you book a flight to the Kangaroo land, noting Blue Mountains down your itinerary is definitely a smart choice.

(This article was written in 2010, when I visited Blue Mountains for the first time. Later I found out that I would come back for study, so then I travelled to Three Sisters again for million times)

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