Merciless alarm clock awoke my much-cherished sleep. I reluctantly rose in a far away and exotic utopia where the sky was baby blue with fluffy white clouds, that seemed to be playing peek a boo with the yellow sun. I opened the window at Fairmont Resort Blue Mountains overseeing a horse barn and lush greenery. As fresh windy cool and crispy air blew through my face, I felt a peaceful feeling overtaking me and my spirit seemed to soar from within me circling boldly over the mountain crest.
Words could never do justice to the beauty. Silence, perhaps could. I stood there quietly and stared at the wondrous view until I realized, it was a day to enjoy a bushwalk through the valleys of the Blue Mountains. Soon after the vibrant rays have begun to warm the day, with the guidance of Tim Tranter, the forest ranger, we departed for an eco-tour.
A World Heritage Area
It is truly incredible to think that a city the size of Sydney has the extraordinary one million hectare Blue Mountains just a couple of hours away. It is part of a World Heritage, a listed area of amazing values – geographic, botanic and cultural with six aboriginal groups having a connection to the country of the area.
The forests of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area have been described as a natural laboratory for the evolution of eucalypts where more than 90 different eucalypt species are found here. They grow in a great variety of communities, from tall closed forests, through open forests and woodlands, to the stunted mallee shrublands on the plateaus. The site, comprised of eight protected areas, is noted for its representation of the evolutionary adaptation and diversification of the eucalypts in post-Gondwana isolation on the Australian continent.
A Majestic Wentworth Falls
The first few kilometres of bushwalk were rather manageable. Tim showed us around as we were walking past some of the Australian native plants. Although they all looked green and the same to our sights, we did not notice that there were actually Eucalyptus Trees. Tim attempted to pluck a piece or two leaves for us to appreciate the smell. In Malaysia, Eucalyptus oil is no stranger. The Eucalyptus Tree is an evergreen tree native to Australia that is often thought of as the main food source of koala bears.
While we took pleasure in its amazing nutritional support for wildlife, along the way we constantly greeted the other hikers who were as enthusiastic. We embraced in the friendliness as we moved on. Taking slack stairs, we plunged deep into the Valley of Waters. Indeed, the Valley of Waters Walk was one of Australian best historic walks in the Blue Mountains World Heritage area giving access to waterfalls, lavish rainforests of the Kedumba Valley as well as deep gorges and canyons.
We carried on with more steps to the west of Wentworth Falls, Princess Rock was a great fenced lookout. There were extensive views into the Jamison Valley below. The lookout had a tremendous view of Wentworth Falls, cascading over the cliffs opposite. Within Blue Mountains National park, it was one of the most majestic waterfalls on the plateau. Wentworth Falls living up to its name, it was where Jamison Creek dropped over the amazing sandstone escarpments and plunges 300m high and valleys 800m deep.
The hypnotic rhythm of the effortlessly streaming falls was enough for us to get lost in. It was calming, we found our thoughts drifting as we watched the twinkling crystals flow by. Wentworth Falls picnic area was a great base to explore the lush world along with a range of spectacular walking tracks. Thoughtful Tim prepared some beef and turkey sandwiches as well as refreshing fruits juice for us as we indulged in a picnic party in the woods. Munching on a yummy sandwich, gulping down thirst-quenching guava juice, glimpsing such perfection we began to dwell on the enigma that completed an ideal getaway. This was the true bliss.
Breathtaking Lookouts
This short but steep walk from Wentworth Falls picnic area was well worth the effort. We carefully followed the level path past Jamison and Wentworth lookouts before descending around 200 steps to the cliff-edge Fletchers Lookout. Taking some slack stairs, the track then led us to Empress Lookout with exceptional views. Perched on a sandstone overhanging above the Valley of Waters creek, there was a view down to a part of the Empress Falls and into the canyon.
The views were filtered through adjoining wilds. We quickly took out a camera and could not stop catching more pictures. Everywhere we looked, there was water from the gentle splashing of creeks to the dull roar of flowing waterfalls. The rolling humongous mountains were the impeccable place to escape from the bustle and hustle of cities. There was no disturbance, despite the brutal winds occasionally tried to kill us with our minimal clothing.
The rugged and rough mountains made us feel as if we were in the sky. The hike up to the top was the most motivating thing we had ever experienced. While listening to the running streams, we walked curiously through an enchanting range of environments along basalt cliffs and past babbling brooks. Upon our arrival at Lyrebird Lookout, we looked forward to catching a sight of lyrebird. Fenced and signposted lookout on the Overcliff Walk, south of the Conservation Hut, this lookout hosted a great view of Sublime Point and Mount Solitary.
A welcome gap in the trees revealed the stunning views. We could not resist ourselves from immersing in the ancient Gondwana where the calls of lyrebirds or cries of whip birds and kookaburras may be heard echoing up and down the valleys.
In every walk with Nature one receives far more than he seeks.” – John Muir
The woods sheltered us from the rest of the world. For one moment, the manifold workloads were left far behind. We were on our own with nobody else in sight, just nature and only nature. We walked the remaining track to the end of Falls Rd, Wentworth Falls and were ready to say goodbye to this momentous tour in Blue Mountains National Park, then back to Sydney.
Four hour of bushwalk in the midst of Wentworth Falls was pretty rewarding, albeit there was minor uphill that was about to catch our breaths away. After all, I was gladdened by the thought that the images of astounding forests and magnificent mountains were stamped in my mind, a reminder of my experience that undeniably neither time nor age could obliterate.
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