On to Jervis Bay

After leaving our B&B in Leura, we stopped off at a great spot called Euroka Clearing which Libby guaranteed would have Kangaroos – it did and we took loads of photos!

Ironically we drove through Kangaroo Valley, which didn’t produce one Kangaroo!!

We arrived at Jervis Bay around 5pm and immediately went down to Hyams Beach for some relaxation and to take in the last rays of the day – bliss!!

This is the cottage we stayed in. It was so peaceful. There were lots of lorakeets and rozellas squawking and flying around. They were quite timid to start with, but Dean soon had them eating out of his hands - literally!!

The next day was mum’s birthday and dad surprised her by taking her on a dolphin watching cruise. We all went along – didn’t want to be left out!!

There were loads of dolphins dotted around the Bay, frolicking and jumping about. As you can imagine though, a bit hard to take good photos of them!!

We finished the day off by going for a Thai meal in Huskisson and almost blowing mum’s head off with a ‘hot’ chilli prawn dish – sorry mum!
Sooner than you expect, Friday came around and it was time to head back to Sydney. On the way we called at Booderee National Park and we spotted these two fighting over a piece of bread. As expected, big bully Kookaburra won in the end!!

We stopped at the blowhole at Kiama on the way up the coast, but unfortunately the tide was out, so no show there! But it still had a lovely coastline to view.

Blue Mountains

We set off on our adventure into the wild! I’d booked 2 nights in a B&B in Leura, a very pretty village in the Blue Mountains. A gorgeous retreat away from it all and a good base to explore the sights. Two nights obviously isn’t long enough in the Blueys, but we crammed as much in as we could. We went to Wentworth Falls first which has impressive lookouts across the valleys and a great walk which takes you along the top of the waterfall before descending on a very narrow path that hugs the cliff side – not good for those suffering from vertigo. The next day was a biggey – the walk into the Grand Canyon. The trek takes around 3 ½ hours (the guide book says) and we did it in 3 ¾, which is good going to say mum and dad aren’t used to that kind of hiking and also allowing for all those photo breaks! It was a hot day too, making it even more tiring.
But it is an immensely rewarding trek! You gradually descend through the tall, ghostly gum trees and the surroundings becoming greener and more tropical until you get to the bottom. Then you’re clambering over the rocks and fallen trees dotted all over the river that runs through the bottom of the canyon.

Here is a picture of dad, the intrepid explorer with the camera that was never very far from his side - hence all the great photos! After we crawled out the other end gasping for air and water, we decided we should see some more of the Blueys.

We called at Hargraves Lookout, recommended by our B&B hosts Libby and Robert. It was a very prominent headland that jutted out into the landscape with great views of soft rolling hills on one side and the more rugged mountains on the other. Then just to finish us all off completely, we went to the Three Sisters. There is a lookout from the visitors centre across to the Three Sisters, which is pretty spectacular.

We walked down to the first ‘Sister’ which had very steep and scary steps descending to an overhang that you could take shelter under. It was great to get back for a well earned shower and aperitif!!

This is the B&B, 'White Gables', that we stayed in. The next day we had to say goodbye and leave lovely Leura to head for Jervis Bay – what a hard holiday! See next post!