Friday 10 June 2016

Aussie East Coast: Cairns


The Adventure of a Lifetime!


Dates of Travel:

4 - 8 April: Melbourne
8 - 11 April: Sydney
11 - 17 April: Brisbane
17 - 22 April: Cairns
22 - 30 April: Gold Coast


Doing the Aussie East Coast!
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Cairns

Spaceship Campervan

Our home for the next 6 days

We rented another Spaceship in Cairns after our wonderful experience in New Zealand. Check out this link on some tips and why I choose the Spaceship Campervan in New Zealand!

Rainforestation Nature Park


Address: 1030 Kennedy Hwy, Kuranda QLD 4881, Australia 
Tel: +61 7 4093 9033 
Opening Hours: 9 am - 4 pm 
Tickets: Big Nature Package (includes Koala & Wildlife Park, Pamagirri Aboriginal Experience and Army Duck Rainforest Tour) - Adult - $47, Child - $23.50 


Explore Australia's World Heritage-listed tropical rainforest at the Rainforestation Nature Park in Kuranda. The park is set on 100 acres (40 hectares) of pristine rainforest within five minutes of Kuranda village, accessible from Cairns by road or by the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway or the Kuranda Scenic Railway.

Learning how to throw a boomerang 

This is the Pamagirri Aboriginal Experience! Get an insight into the world's longest-living culture, that of the Australian Aborigines. Hear the Dreamtime stories, watch a corroboree (traditional dance) performance and learn how to throw a boomerang or play the didgeridoo.

Army Duck!!

There’s no better way to see the rainforest than in an Army Duck. This all-terrain, amphibious World War II Army Duck will have you driving down dirt tracks and cruising the waterways. As you traverse part of the property on your unforgettable 45-minute rainforest tour, the knowledgeable guide will point out and explain the native flora and fauna. If you're lucky, he will point out humongous spiders and cute turtles to you!


Take a walk with the keepers along the boardwalks at the Koala and Wildlife Park for a close-up view of Australia's unique native animals. See crocodiles, wallabies and the shy cassowary foraging for food. You can have your picture taken holding a cuddly koala or even a small crocodile at an additional cost!


Great Barrier Reef



The Great Barrier Reef, off the coast of Queensland in northeastern Australia, is the largest living thing on Earth, and even visible from outer space. The 2,300km-long ecosystem comprises thousands of reefs and hundreds of islands made of over 600 types of hard and soft coral. It's home to countless species of colourful fish, molluscs and starfish, plus turtles, dolphins and sharks.


We booked a total of 3 dives. All snorkelers and divers will have to board the same boat and they will seat you differently for different briefings.

at the reef
The entire journey out was rather choppy and many people felt sick. G included. There's an indoor air conditioned and an outdoor area. Naturally, once the waves start hitting, the waves will be choppy and everyone sitting in the air conditioned area had to move outdoors.

lunch!

Buffet lunch was provided and it was scrumptious! I went all out with coffee, pasta, ham etc, and since G was quite sick he couldn't finish his food. So I helped! *pig icon*

duving gear

It was quite different diving in Australia and South East Asia as you had to gear on and off yourself (naturally, please do not expect too much) and in SEA, there's boatmen who will help you gear on and off! They will even wear your flippers for you. It was also perhaps due to the shear number of divers.

so beautiful
It was such an amazing experience! We got to see turtles, stingrays, nemos, super giant clams as big as my body, and tons of cute fishes and sea cucumbers! There was a total of 3 dive sites with each dive lasting from 45 mins to 1 hour!

last photo before we dock


Milla Milla Falls

Address: Millaa Falls Rd, Millaa Millaa QLD 4886, Australia


road to milla milla
 Millaa Millaa Falls is a heritage-listed plunge waterfall at Theresa Creek Road, Millaa Millaa, Tablelands Region, Queensland, Australia. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 5 December 2005.

beautiful scenery! 
 We went to Milla Milla Falls and it started raining. We decided that since we intended to swim and get wet anyway, a little rain will not stop us! What we did not expect is the cold from the falls and the wind! It was so cold we decided to go have lunch at the near by town first and wait for the rain to stop.

milla milla falls

 So we had a wonderful lunch of scones and tea and headed back to the falls once the rain stopped. However, to our disappointment, it started raining as soon as we arrived! We decided to just brave the cold and go for it since we were tired of waiting.

us and milla milla falls
It was beautiful, despite the cold. G actually swam to the falls itself and i just stood with the water up to my knees cos it was too cold, half the time screaming at him to be careful or he might get cramps.

Platypus Park


The Australian Platypus Park is home to a thriving platypus population. These wonderful creatures can be found in a spring fed pond surrounded by lush tropical vegetation.

still raining!
It was still raining when we visited. Because it was still raining, sometimes we were unsure if the ripples in the water were from the rain or Platypus. Nonetheless, the park boasts of it's 99% viewing success rate and indeed we managed to catch a glimpse of the animals!

Platypus pons


Gallo Dairyland


Address: Atherton Malanda Rd & E Barron Rd, East Barron QLD 4883, Australia
Phone: +61 7 4095 2388
Website: http://gallodairyland.com.au/
Hours: 9:30AM – 4:30PM


Gallo Dairyland
Gallo Dairyland is a family owned and operated business. Today the farm spreads across 1000 acres of rich red volcanic soil growing sugarcane and milking on average 350 cows twice a day. It is a licensed cafe, animal farm, cheese factory, chocolate factory, and dairy farm!

Chocolates!
 We decided to stop for lunch in their cafe and had 2 coffees, a cheese platter and some seafood platter. The cheese platter was generous and it came with lots of crackers and fruit!

cheese platter
 They also have free roaming animals like turkey and chickens!

Turkey
You get to pet and feed the calfs and they will lick you in return!

animal nursery

my new cow friend



Curtain Fig Tree

trail around the curtain fig tree

The fig tree is from the strangler fig species Fichus virens. The curtain effect results from one tree leaning against another tree on a 45-degree angle. The strangler vine then grew along the oblique angle of the leaning tree, dangling 15 metres to the ground to create the curtain affect



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Aussie East Coast Series:

Gold Coast

Wednesday 8 June 2016

Aussie East Coast: Brisbane


The Adventure of a Lifetime!


Dates of Travel:

4 - 8 April: Melbourne
8 - 11 April: Sydney
11 - 17 April: Brisbane
17 - 22 April: Cairns
22 - 30 April: Gold Coast


Doing the Aussie East Coast!
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Brisbane

Transport/Go Card




First thing you should do when you arrive in Brisbane is to get a go Card! There is a refundable $10 deposit for every returned card and with the card you'd pay cheaper rates as compared to paying a single paper ticket fare.

One thing you need to take note of is that you're only able to refund it in Brisbane and should you travel to Gold Coast, you're unable to do the refund there.

You can also head to https://translink.com.au/ to find out more information about the go Card or even calculate the fares and distances before you actually travel.

South Bank



South Bank is Brisbane’s premier lifestyle and cultural destination. Located on the southern banks of the Brisbane River, its 17 hectares of lush parklands, world-class eateries, stunning river views and hundreds of delightful events all year round make it the perfect place to relax and unwind.


Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary



Address: 708 Jesmond Road, Fig Tree Pocket, Queensland 4069
Website: www.koala.net/
Tickets: Adult - $36, Student - $24, Child - $22


Recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is the world's first and largest koala sanctuary, with over 85 years of experience and 130 koalas. In 2015 Lone Pine was inducted into the Trip Advisor Hall of Fame for five consecutive years of excellence.


Interact with 100 species of Australian animals, with hands-on experiences and presentations. Hand-feed kangaroos and wild lorikeets, or get cuddly with a beautiful koala. Lone Pine is also home to two platypus.

Roo food goes at $2 per packet to feed free roaming Kangaroos!

There are a lot of shows around the zoo and in the main auditorium, so you don't really have to walk around the zoo much and you get to see all sorts of animals! I paid A$20 for a cuddling session with a very cute Koala. That includes a photo and 3 postcards! There's also dog herding and sheep shearing too!

Brisbane Free Walking Tour



Website: http://www.visitbrisbane.com.au
Email: visit@brisbanemarketing.com.au
Tel: 07 3006 6290
Days: Monday to Friday
Time: 12 noon

Explore the city with a free guided walk that takes you to some of the outstanding sites such as Brisbane Arcade, City Hall, Treasury Casino, Queens Gardens, Old State Library, the Botanic Gardens, Old Government House, Brisbane Club and the only statue of Queen Victoria.

Tours start from the Brisbane Visitor Information and Booking Centre which is located in the heart of the city. Drop by the visitor centre or call to make a booking as places are limited.


My guide was this sweet elderly lady named Judith. For sure, this walking tour is not as exciting as compared to Sydney's Free Walking Tour as Judith is rather elderly so she does not have the same spunk and enthusiasm. It was still interesting and very knowledgeable nonetheless!


The tour brings you to all the historic and iconic buildings in Brisbane!


The tour finally ends off at the Botanical Gardens! It's actually located next to QUT (University) so I felt like it was a nice touch for the students and they can go into the gardens to relax between their classes. The Botanical Gardens is quite small actually, but there's this massive fig tree that is absolutely humongous!

Mount Coot-tha



Address: Sir Samuel Griffith Drive, Mt Coot-tha Lookout, Mount Coot-tha, Queensland 4066
Website: http://www.visitbrisbane.com.au


Brisbane Lookout Mount Coot-tha provides a remarkable vantage point to view Brisbane and beyond. Set amongst beautifully manicured gardens and nestled in the natural bushland of Brisbane Forest Park, is the Summit Restaurant and Bar, Function Centre, Kuta Cafe, Gift Shop and Observation Deck. Interpretive facilities pointing out well-known Brisbane landmarks are located on the observation deck. On a clear day, you can take in striking views of Brisbane City and right out to Moreton Bay.



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Aussie East Coast Series:

Brisbane
Gold Coast

Tuesday 7 June 2016

Aussie East Coast: Sydney


The Adventure of a Lifetime!


Dates of Travel:

4 - 8 April: Melbourne
8 - 11 April: Sydney
11 - 17 April: Brisbane
17 - 22 April: Cairns
22 - 30 April: Gold Coast


Doing the Aussie East Coast!
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Sydney

Opal Card

opal card

One of the first things you should do before you arrive in Sydney is plan your destinations! Where do you want to go? When do you want to go? Planning which day to go where is detrimental to saving on transportation! Once you have all those in mind, try to figure out how much Opal Credits you want to purchase and try to maximize each day. You need to have a plan in mind because as far as I am aware, Opal does not really do any refunds, and if they do, you need to fill up a tedious form and the remaining credits will be refunded back to an Australian bank account (which will be inapplicable for tourists). I have listed a few pros and cons found on TripAdvisor and it exactly reflects my same sentiments. I have highlighted several important ones if you're running short of time.

Advantages:

  • Individual fares are less than paper tickets; off peak discounts apply for trains. Also many buses accept Opal card only when travelling at peak time. 
  • Maximum adult fare of $15 per day or $60 per week (Mon-Sun Opal travel week) 
  • Sunday maximum of $2.50 per person (no family requirement) for unlimited travel 
  • Can be used at airport; $12.60 gate fee deducted (this is not included in any of the caps) Child fares are half of the above except for airport gate fee which is $10.60 for children. 
  • Pay as you go system; for most users the maximum of $60 per week probably won't be reached, resulting in less overall cost. 
  • No need for any knowledge of the particular distance bands that make up the bus and train systems 
  • Avoids queues at ferries and train stations (ferries on weekends can have long queues) 
  • Weekly Travel Reward:  After 8 journeys in one week (Mon - Sun travel week), the rest of your travel is free.  (A journey consists of multiple trips taken within an hour of each other.)   This may result in substantially less cost depending on usage pattern.

Disadvantage:

  • Cards can only be topped up at news agencies/shops (and online) - Look for the 'Opal' flag outside the shop 
  • Card holder needs to keep an eye on balance and top-up when required Balance can only be incremented in $10 units - meaning it may be difficult to load the exact amount required 
  • Few facilities for top-ups at train stations (eftpos only top-up machines now available at some major stations). In 2016 year 350 top up machines will be added to rail stations and ferry wharves. 
  • Refunds on unused balances are only obtainable by cheque by post (and you need an Australian bank account) 
  • All children must have an Opal card - benefit of purchasing only one child fare no longer applies 
  • Weekly benefits only follow a Monday-Sunday travel week, meaning maximum fare for seven days encompassing a weekend could be somewhat higher than $60, for example if ferry or long distance train transport was used extensively. (In a contrived absolute worst case; $15 Thu-Sat, $2.50 Sun, $15 Mon-Wed, or $92.50 total.)

Maximizing and Using the Opal Card:
For me, I thought I will be fine just paying for single fares and using the paper tickets as I will be in Sydney for only 4 days. I got it only on the second half of my second day, which I really regretted immensely. As one of the advantages I listed above, the daily maximum cap using the Opal card is $15. On the second morning, I took a train and a bus to Bondi Beach and back which cost me roughly $12.20. After putting my stuff down in the hostel, I took a train for one stop into CBD for the free walking tour and that was $4. If I had gotten the Opal Card, I had hit my daily cap. The rest of the public transportation I took (including ferries, light rail, buses and trains) will be free for the day.

I was quite pissed at myself for not doing enough research then. After the walking tour (and recommended by the guide) I wanted to take the ferry to Manly Beach to watch the sunset over the habour and back and I still had to take the train back to my hostel. That was when I decided to purchase the Opal Card from any newsagent as the paper ticket to get on the ferry is $8.50, but if you use the Opal Card the fare will be $7.50. Two ways and I would have hit the daily cap, thus my train back home will be free. I still saved, but I could have saved more.

On the third day, which was a Sunday, I visited the Blue Mountains. If you use the Opal Card, one way fare is $8.60 from Central Station, round trip on the Blue Mountain Line will already hit your $15 daily max cap if you visit on a Monday-Saturday. But since I visited on a Sunday, my daily max cap is at $2.50 and so my round trip (which is 2 hours long each way) journey to visit Blue Mountains is just only $2.50! If I didn't purchase an Opal Card, I would have paid about $18+ for a paper ticket for both ways.

You can also use the trip planner to better calculate your fare on the NSW Transport website: http://tp.transportnsw.info/nsw

Getting into the City/Central Station


Getting into the city is easy! There are trains to bring you straight to Central Station in about 15-20 mins! From Central Station, you can just change about any trains to bring you to your destination. Because Central Station is very vast and they have about 25 platforms, connects to buses and light rail; it can be a little intimidating trying to navigate around this huge station! I had a local sim card with data access, so I just trusted my handy-dandy Google Maps to tell me which platform I needed to go and I didn't have to stand in front of the boards to figure out which platform to haul my ass onto. Of course, there are friendly staff available for you to ask questions.

When I arrived, my friend came to pick me up and we decided that it was still early (about 4pm), there will be no traffic and we decided to take a taxi to my hostel instead of the train as the 2 person fare on the train is roughly be the same price as the taxi fare. The taxi fare to my hostel in Central was about $33.

Bounce Sydney Hostel


Address: 28 Chalmers St, Surry Hills NSW 2010, Australia
Tel: +61 2 9281 2222
Website: http://www.bouncehostel.com.au/

I am not going to do a long review of the hostel I stayed in because I don't have much photos. However, I really DO recommend staying here! There's a good reason why I decided to stay in a hotel within walking proximity to Central Station. I knew I wanted to be located near the city and where I have easy access to the trains going to airport and Blue Mountains. Despite it being a little overpriced for my budget, I felt that every penny was well spent!

This was also my first solo trip and staying in a hostel full of random strangers, of course I was nervous. It's a good thing as they have all female dorms available! They also have a 24 hour front desk and a good system in terms of security and bedding allocation. Despite it having the same rules of first-in-first-choice-of-bed, it was well organized and they will give you a tag to clip it to your bedpost so you knew which beds were taken and which were available. Also, you're issued with a card which you need to use to access areas like stairwells, your dorm room and female toilets!



They also had lockers for all occupants, but you had to bring your own lock, which was fine as I had locks for my backpack. The lockers were huge and deep. I could fit my entire backpack lying down and even had space for a small travel bag. There was a shelf inside the locker so you could take some of your items out from your bag for easy access. The plus point was that there's power sockets inside the lockers! You could be charging your camera/phone/laptop and leave it charging while you went out!

Did I mention they had conditioning too?

Free Walking Tour

find the guide in the green shirt!
Time: 10:30am and 2:30pm everyday 
Duration: 2½-3 hours 
Meeting Location: Town Hall Square. George St between Sydney Town Hall and St Andrew’s Cathedral. 
Website: http://www.imfree.com.au/sydney/


From the Town Hall we will explored Sydney’s beginnings and development from it’s early days as a convict colony right up to the major developments that have made Sydney the world city that it is today. The guide also covered things to see and do in Sydney especially those that are free. He even told us about the daily max cap on the Opal card and recommended us to take the ferry across to Manly Beach at sunset!


Even though it is a walking tour, it is easy to follow and the pace is very good. The guide is very entertaining and I enjoyed it so much that I told my boyfriend to join the tour when he arrived in Melbourne. We walked around the CBD area, to the Rum Hospital, cathedrals, parliment house, even to where the Hilton bombing and the Sydney Cafe Heist took place at Australia Square, very near to where the ANZAC memorial stood place.

art installation
The tour ended at Circular Quay where you can view the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge in the distance. The tour ended and the guide said that because the tour is free, the only way they get paid is through tips. No one is obliged to tip him and tips is any amount is welcome! I wanted to tip $10 but I only had a $20 note. It was worth it anyway because a normal city tour like the one I did would have cost me over $30 or more! Plus the guide was waaaaaaay knowledgeable as he was born and raised in Sydney.

Sydney Opera House

Bondi Beach

beautiful beach

Getting to Bondi Beach:
  • From Central Station, take the T4 Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line train from Platform 24 towards Bondi Junction. 
  • Follow signs from the train station to the bus terminal.
  • Purchase a pre-paid ticket from one of the newsagent there or from the ticketing machine if you do not have an Opal Card. It will cost about $2.10 if I recall correctly. You are not allowed to purchase a ticket from the driver. If you're at the beach already, just proceed to any convinience store or newsagent to purchase a one way ticket back to Bondi Junction. Take note that if you're using a pre-purchased ticket, it is not the same as the Opal Card. I did the silly mistake of trying to tap it, but closer to the driver, there's a machine where you have to insert your ticket in, the machine will eat it, read it and stamp on it and it will come back out. Remember to collect your ticket back!
  • Take either 333 or 380 to Bondi Beach. The bus journey will take about 15 mins. 


Bondi Beach is actually smaller than what I had expected. It is just a small crescent shape piece of beautiful sand. It is surrounded by cafes and eateries facing the beach and flanked by neighborhood suburbs on both sides. It was seriously one of the best days of my life visiting Bondi Beach. The weather was an awesome 20C and the sun was shining so brightly. There are lots of hot eye candy surfer dudes and babes to look out for and the view is spectacular. 


I didn't spend too much time at Bondi Beach as I was rushing back to the city to join a free walking tour!

Ferry/Circular Quay

After the tour I was walking around Circular Quay having ice cream and admiring the harbour bridge and opera house. I just decided to heed the guide's advice, got an Opal card and jumped onto a ferry heading towards Manly Beach!

To find out more about the cost of the ferry or Opal Card, please scroll up.

sky scrappers around Circular Quay
Because I made the decision quite late, I was on board at sunset and as the ferry sailed away, I had this amazing view of the Sydney Habour Bridge and Sydney Opera House against the orangy-red glow of the sunset!

sunset!
Every minute that passed, the sky changes its colour and intensity. The ferry took about 30 mins to get to Manly and by then it was too dark to go to the beach or walk around as most of the shops were closed. Perhaps you can try going a little earlier to enjoy Manly Beach and try to catch the ferry back to Circular Quay at sunset.

opera house and harbour bridge!

Darling Habour or Circular Quay/Sydney Habour?
If you're making the decision between visiting Circular Quay or Darling Habour and have only time for one, I suggest you visit Circular Quay/Sydney Habour instead. The vibe is much more happening as compared to Darling Habour. Darling Habour was rather dead when I visited on the Sunday evening that I was there. Nothing much to see or do there and even the shopping mall was so quiet. I had to take the light rail tram from Central Station and the stop looked like it was in the middle of some construction site behind the mall. The view is not that fantastic and there's no view of the Habour Bridge or the Opera House.

Blue Mountains

Getting to Blue Mountains:
  • Get to Central Station 
  • Take the Blue Mountain Line on Platform 7
  • Alight at Katoomba Station
  • Journey takes 2 hours, so try to get on the carriage with a washroom
  • To get the most out of a one-day trip to the Blue Mountains, catch one of the following trains, the earlier the better.  
    • Monday to Friday: 06:52, 07:23, 08:18, 09:18, 10:18, 11:18  
    • Saturday, Sunday & Public Holidays: 07:22, 08:18, 09:18, 09:48, 10:18, 11:18
  • For the proper timings, please refer to the timetable here
I arrived at Blue Mountains around 10am, had breakfast at a nearby cafe with scrumptious food of sauteed mushrooms, tomatoes, eggs, toast and a cup of coffee! 


Blue Mountain Explorer Bus
I decided to purchase a Blue Mountain Explorer Bus ticket for the day as I wasn't sure on how to get around the Blue Mountains myself. The Explorer Bus goes to all the popular spots on Blue Mountains and the route is quite good! The ticket is a wristband and the booklet itself.

For more information on the Explorer Bus: http://www.explorerbus.com.au/

explorer bus ticket and booklet

I bought the ticket online as I didn't want to carry too much cash to Australia. I just exchanged the online ticket at the Explorer Bus booth just outside Katoomba Station. Went opposite to the little cafe for breakfast and caught the 3rd bus for the day.

explorer bus
The timing for the bus is about every 30mins and stops at all the important stops.

Blue Mountain Explorer Bus Timetable

Scenic World
One of the first stops I stopped at was at Scenic World! For a view you can't get anywhere else, take a trip on Scenic World's three exciting rides. Marvel at the birds-eye views of the 3 Sisters and Katoomba Falls on the Skyway and Cableway, then ride the world's steepest railway down into the rainforest in the floor of the Jamison Valley.

Bear in mind that all tour groups will head to Scenic World and the lines for the rides are excruciating long with noisy tourists from the Mainland. If you know what I mean. Got a headache after a while and although I wanted to go on the rides again for a second go, I didn't. I just made a beeline for the bus stop and didn't look back once I was done with all the rides. The rest of the Blue Mountains was alright, hardly any annoying, loud-mouthed tourists to give me another headache.

For more information and pricing enquirers, please visit the Scenic World Website:  http://www.scenicworld.com.au/

Scenic Railway

Scenic Railway
Take a seat on the Scenic Railway – the steepest railway in the world. While the Indiana Jones music plays, the train drops down smoothly through a natural tunnel in the rock and shoot out amid Jurassic Park-like rainforest to the bottom of the valley.

waiting in line for the Scenic Railway

The steepest incline railway in the world takes you safely and comfortably down into the depths of the Jamison Valley in just over two minutes. Originally built to haul coal from mines at the base of the cliffs, the Scenic Railway was converted to carry tourists in 1945. 

select your ride

The new bright red Swiss train comes with seats that you tilt forwards or backwards for a more exciting or relaxing ride.  When you get off, walk right and you'll find some interesting mine relics and historical displays about the coal mining days.



Scenic Skyway
 The glass bottomed Skyway floats 270 metres above the floor of the Jamison Valley, offering amazing views of the Three Sisters, Mount Solitary and Katoomba Falls. Part of the cabin floor is made of electro-glass which becomes completely clear as you cross, giving a dizzying view of the rainforest right below your feet. If you don't feel that adventurous, seating and solid flooring is also available.

Scenic Skyway

Scenic Walkway 
Beginning at the bottom of the Scenic Railway, this 2.4km-long wooden boardwalk leads through beautiful Jurassic rainforest to the Valley station of the Cableway. You can spend anything from 10 minutes to an hour walking between the two.

Scenic Walkway


Scenic Cableway
This fully enclosed and wheelchair-accessible cable car glides over forest, descending gently to the valley floor with yet more fantastic views of the Three Sisters, Orphan Rock and Katoomba Falls.

Scenic Cableway

Scenic World to Echo Point Bushwalk


This easy bushwalk along the famous Prince Henry Cliff Walk is a great way for casual walkers to experience the beauty of the Blue Mountains bushland. Pretty much level from start to finish, it takes you to a series of great lookouts, ending at the legendary Three Sisters themselves.

amazing backdrop

I did follow the trail for a short while to enjoy the view and the breeze, but I did not follow this trail to Echo Point as I wasn't really done with Scenic World yet.


Honeymoon Lookout
Hop off the Explorer Bus at Honeymoon Lookout, and after a short scamper down some steps you'll reach the Prince Henry Cliff Walk. Turn right on the track to head towards the Three Sisters. Along the way you can breathe in the view from a number of less-visited lookouts, and you'll easily have time to stop at all of them in the 1 hour we've allowed for the walk. The trail is roughly 1km long.


When you meet the track coming down from Echo Point, turn left and go down the first few steps of the Giant Stairway. Cross the ravine over cute little Honeymoon Bridge and you'll be standing right on the first of the Three Sisters.



Echo Point/Three Sisters Peak




As you emerge from the trees and walk out toward the edge of Echo Point, the Blue Mountains most epic view opens before you. Spend a few minutes soaking up the postcard view of the Three Sisters, Mount Solitary and the Jamison Valley – and see for yourself exactly how the Blue Mountains get their name.

amazing view
Leura Cascades  
This is another great (and easy) bushwalk, this time down alongside the bubbling stream that tumbles down the whitewater staircase of Leura Cascades. This is a Give yourself an hour to enjoy this beautiful and popular picnic spot.

Leura Cascades

Leura Village  
Before you jump on the train back to Sydney, treat yourself to the very Blue Mountains ritual of a Devonshire Tea in one of Leura’s great cafes. Suitably recharged with jam and cream, browse the many elegant shops for some unique locally-made gifts.

Leura Station


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Aussie East Coast Series:

Sydney
Gold Coast