Out the door by 6:30 this morning, headed to Central Station to board the train for a two hour ride to Katoomba, gateway to the amazing Blue Mountains outside of Sydney. Great views (including much-hyped Three Sisters) and cool animals made this a most wonderful day.
One of my first stops was Scenic World and its three rides, including a Skyway cable car that offers a glass section of floor as you glide way above the forest floor.
Note: some had warned me of the dangerous snakes and spiders of Australia. Today I found examples of both, though neither seemed particularly threatening. The spider was quite small indeed (and other than taking its picture, I left it unmolested); the snake was, well, placed along a trail to a viewpoint: still, steel, and quite passive.
Other animals I spotted included Lyrebirds scratching through the leaves and Sulphur-Crested Cockatoos flying in for a drink of water.
Tomorrow I’m off to Yackandandah and the first of my two volunteer projects in Australia. Internet access may be a bit iffy, but I will post whenever I can.
Images & Moments 