We basically had no plan for this trip and everyday was planned the night before, since we are lazy people and there is the whole group of us that i would need to bring myself, we decided to just book the one day tour package, which includes the Pick up service, tickets to Featherdale Park, Echo point, Three sisters, Scenic world ( all rides included) , Laura village,River cat ride back to Darling harbour, it cost $148 per person, but i managed to get a discount code during that time making it $89 per person, super worth it. PS: sorry, dont remember the tour group that i went with, but there are many that you can try, with all the group prices around the same range. The trip started early in the morning at 6.30am, picking us up at the nearest pick up spot from our hotel, Crossing through the great harbour bridge, and a hour plus bus ride to Featherdale Park, we were the first group to arrive, the park was open with koalas for you to take photos with and kangaroos roaming around freely. Featherdale park's admission tickets is like a mini booklet that gives u a chance to stamp on the characters in the book with each destination you visit. We were given about an hour to an hour and a half to walk around the park. You can also purchase feed for the animals at $1/2 at the entrance, which we didn't cause it was too early. The main attraction of this park was the photo taking with the koalas as many other park requires a fee for taking photos with the koalas. As the park was only filled with people from our tour group, we had alot of time to take photos with them, a huge plus point. However, Featherdale, in my opinion, was alot smaller in comparison to Currumbin wildlife sanctuary and Lone Pin Koala Sanctuary. We were starving so we got some chicken nuggets as snack before the next destination. Update: My visit in 2017 was a lot different, photos with koalas were no longer free and kangaroos in a confined space. " Featherdale Wildlife Park The next stop was the main point of the tour, Blue mountains. The blue mountains was named as such because the vast amount of Eucalyptus trees in the forest evict a fine mist of eucalyptus oil from their leaves when the heat from the sun shines over them. The refraction from the light causes the mists haze to look blue from a distance. I personally feel that the blue is determined by each individual. The other attraction of the blue mountain is the THREE SISTERS. There are different versions regarding the legend of the three sisters, depending on which tribe the story was from. The most famous version depicts a aboriginal Romeo and Juliet story, was that three sisters from the Katoomba tribe, fell in love with three men from the neighbouring tribe, however, marriage was forbidden between the tribes as they were enemies. The three brothers were not happy, thus war ensured. An elder in order to protect the three sisters, turn them into stones, but was killed during the war, and no one else could turn the sisters back, therefore they remained as stones. We arrived at Echo point, and the place was already flooding with tourist, the air there was so fresh and the scenery was amazing. We quickly snap some shots while there was no one rotating at the different spots. Making your way down a short walk gives a clearer view of the three sisters and a good chance to take photos. Those who would like to take a photo at the top of the three sisters could also take a walk from the echo point area, the walk way starts beside the toilets. We gave this a miss as there were too many tourist. If time allows for you, you could also purchase a ticket to catch a show performed by the aboriginal tribe residing in Katoomba, telling the legend of the three sister. " Blue Mountains As it was lunch time, we were instructed to eat at the scenic world's canteen, or have a picnic down in the forest if you packed your own lunch. The food was quite bad, and pricey, but we had no choice, since we won't told before to prepare our own meals. My advice would be to check with the agency you booked with on the route they would take, so that you would have a better idea on location you would stop at for lunch. The scenic world is about 5 minutes drive from blue mountains, with rides that provide the ultimate blue mountain experience. It provides a breathing taking view of the Three sisters, Katoomba falls, and Jamison valley. It consist of three rides, the scenic railway, the scenic cable car, and the scenic sky way. From the map provided by the guide, you can choose the route you prefer, depending on which stop they have dropped you off, we started off with the scenic railway downwards, the ride was super trilling as it is in a 52 degree angle going down, it is also the steepest railway in the world. The ride was super cool as each row could adjust the their sitting position making it less or more steep. It descends into the Jamison valley floor, giving you a chance to experience the scenic walkway. There are 2 routes in the scenic walkway depending on the distance you would like to walk, from there you could walk and experience the nature and wild life birds in the forest. Moving onto the other rides, the scenic cablecar, provides a panoramic view of the blue mountains, giving you a chance to sight the three sister, orphan rock, Mt Solitary, and the katoomba falls. The scenic sky way, glides between the cliff tops, providing a suspended view of the attraction from the top through the glass cabin. All rides goes both ways, so if you have a limited time, do plan the routes carefully so as not to miss out any of the rides. I feel that the Scenic railway was the most fun, so if you have to only get a ticket for 1 ride, this would the one, as it was the most trilling and unique. The other rides are more mild and calm in comparison. As we had extra time, we took the scenic railway in the upwards direction as well, I have to say both directions were thrilling and each had their own charm. PS: The rides might not be suitable for those with a fear of heights, but it is very much worth trying. " Scenic World Blue Mountains Australia A little drama happened while we were leaving the scenic world, as a family from the group did not appear at the designated time, the group was waiting and the guide decided to leave them before, which did not really seat well with the rest of the group, causing some arguments between the group. The mood was really down when we reach laura village and we were really tired by then, so we decided to just have a drink at the nearby cafe, after which we headed towards the wharf near the olympic park for our ride back to the city. We decided to meet for dinner with a Sasi's thai friend in a thai restaurant that becomes a club after dinner time, so no photos for that. The food was average but the crowd was very hype during the thai disco session, its located in the corner of Thai street. " Leura Village Xoxo,
Dee |
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January 2018
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