Blue Mountains

My first trip with my new car took me into the area west (inland) of Sydney known as the Blue Mountains. It wasn't my first trip there, but my first trip alone and with as much time as I wanted. This weekend is a long weekend in NSW; today (25 April) is Anzac Day, the day where Australia and New Zealand commemorate their war heroes from the battle of Gallipoli (Turkey) in World War I. Reminds me a bit of defending Germany at the Hindukush. Anyway, because it's a Sunday the government gave us the Monday off, bless them!

So I hopped in my car and went westwards, rejoicing to get out of the city and into the peaceful quiet nature! Only -- a few hundred thousand Sydneysiders had the same idea. The road all the way to Katoomba was jammed and Katoomba itself was swarming with hordes of people -- mostly the loud and insensitive ones.

I mean -- look at these amazing views! The endless canopy of trees in front of you. The tranquility once you get away from the street. Those soft slopes, vertical cliffs, magic creeks and waterfalls. A network of well-maintained hiking tracks that connects all these points. And then you meet people on the way back -- obviously city folk that have arrived just 10 minutes ago -- making loud and stupid chatter and asking you -- I'm not kidding -- whether there was anything else to see. It's hopeless...

Anyway, the Blue Mountains are not what you would probably expect. They are at 1000 metres altitude, so it is a good climb up coming on the road from Sydney -- but you don't get to see any "mountains". Once you get to Katoomba you reach the edge from where it goes down, not up. The landscape is a kind of high plateau that has been partially eroded, like a canyon land.

Can you see the face in this rock?