Australian Interlude
Categories: australia, spiritual-writings, bushwalking-hiking
Date: 18 July 2009 11:43:40
All of the walking I did in Istanbul and Georgia rekindled my love of walking, and day bushwalks [hikes] in particular. So, after letting work, and life, get to me, over the past week, I was determined to escape today. And the Blue Mountains, despite where I was headed being forecast to reach only 11C, was my destination. With thermal pants on under my hiking pants, and a thermal t-shirt, gloves and beanie packed, I was ready. I picked up a copy of Blue Mountains Best Bushwalks at the Information Centre at Glenbrook (start of Blue Mountains) -- recommended: if you will take the advice of someone who has used it for only one day -- and decided on a second walk in addition to the first I had decided on on Friday from the National Parks website: Pool of Siloam and Lyrebird Dell [1 hour; easy; Leura]; National Pass [3 hours; hard; Wentworth Falls].
Pool of Siloam and Lyrebird Dell. I extended this walk a bit by climbing up to the Golf Links lookout [I think that turned an easy into a medium in my book!] Stunning views; beautiful paths and flowers; a beautiful Pool of Siloam [though silting up with sand; if the name sounds familar see see here]; the fascinating Lyrebird Dell cave which archaeology has shown to have had a continuous history of Aboriginal settlement for 12,000 years. I saw no lyrebirds, but I did have a most wonderful walk through the bush. And a quick drink and bite to eat, as well as starting to read His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI's latest encyclical, Caritas in Veritate, by a small waterfall. Some photos [I do not always take my camera, but a colleague asked me to show him some photos of the mountains: he only having been once and on a very foggy day!]
National Pass. A wonderful and varied walk: great views, walks over water at the top of waterfalls, sheer cliffs, fern-covered areas, many waterfalls, and overhanging cliffs. Stunning. The descent to Wentworth Falls, along cliffs and down steep steps [about 210 metres], brought back memories of many trudges back up, but the sun was shining, the sky was blue, and that was a few hours away... I talked, briefly, to a group of three French people after we watched, and snapped, two cockatoos very close to the path: a nice encounter on a solitary day. The walk, which I completed slightly quicker than advertised, was superb. If you get the chance, and can handle a steep uphill slog at the end, I would say go for it -- you get to see such variety in the landscape and flora...and it truly is a most pleasant walk. The Conservation Hut at the end of the National Pass may convince you: plenty of delicious food. I treated myself to a Devonshire Tea for my efforts. Mmmm... It was then a quick walk back to the Wentworth Falls car park where I further walked off the scones [and jam and cream] by taking a quick walk to the Weeping Rock Waterfall.
A great day out: and a much-needed one for me -- I needed the downtime. With the Blue Mountains, and so many other National Parks close to me, I hope to get out and bushwalk twice a month -- if only a quick one. It was truly wondrous to experience the Australian bush again: its sounds, its smells [particularly after rain], and its unique beauty.