In The Blue Mountains

The Three Sisters — The rock formation known as the “Three Sisters,” as seen from Echo Point, in Katoomba in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales. From the front porch of the home in which we’re spending the night, we see the Three Sisters from the other side. (Wikimedia Commons public domain image)

Elder Robert Dudfield kindly took us to the airport in Melbourne very early this morning; he himself was heading up to Cairns a bit later, for the kickoff there of the Church’s 2018 “Light the World” campaign.

We were picked up at the Sydney airport by Keith Thompson, who then generously drove us up to stay at a house that he and his wife own in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales. Because he needed to return to Sydney in order to deliver a presentation, his wife Anita assumed responsibility for us, showing us some of the sights in this very pleasant area.

Medlow Bath's pride and joy — A 1920s poster advertising the Hydro-Majestic Hotel in Medlow Bath, New South Wales (Wikimedia Commons public domain image)

We ate lunch at the restored Hydro-Majestic Hotel, which is situated on a cliff overlooking the very striking Megalong Valley.

A waterfall at Katoomba — Katoomba Falls (Wikimedia Commons)

Afterwards, we spent some time at Scenic World, in Katoomba. It is a beautiful spot on the edge of the Jamison Valley, offering some really wonderful views. In the evening, my wife and I enjoyed a Thai restaurant with the Thompsons, followed by ice cream and pleasant conversation at their home.

Scenic World aerial tram — The aerial tramway at Scenic World, in Katoomba (Wikimedia Commons public domain photograph)

This area was once honeycombed with active coal mines. Now, it’s geared to tourism — but in a nicely rather low-key way. The towns of Katoomba and Leura are quaint, with lovely houses, and quiet. The home in which we’re spending tonight is downright serene. It’s on a small road with essentially no traffic, and with a view from the patio in the front (and from the bedroom in which I’m typing) across the valley. I can see the Three Sisters, the iconic local rock formation, from the bedroom.

This visit to Australia has been rather unlike my previous ones, in the sense that it’s given me an opportunity to see rural areas of the continent away from the cities. I had done a little bit of that in the past, notably going inland many years ago from Perth, in Western Australia, to speak at a small Latter-day Saint branch there and once going inland from Brisbane to Toowoomba in order to participate in a presentation at, if I recall correctly, the University of Southern Queensland. This time, though, I’ve been to some new places that I had never seen before, including Cairns and Port Douglas, the rainforest inland from Cairns, the Yarra Valley, and the Blue Mountains. It has given me quite a new perspective on Australia.

Posted from Leura, New South Wales, Australia

In the Blue Mountains