Blue Mountains and the Worlds Deadliest Snake

Brace yourselves guys, this could be a long one…

We were a bit concerned when we woke up that our trip into the Blue Mountains would be spoilt by the heavy fog still lingering around Katoomba. Fortunately after a couple of hours it was completely clear. We’d heard that the Blue Mountains was one of the best National Park close to Sydney and so we were quite excited about viewing them. We weren’t disappointed. After a short walk from the hostel we arrived at Echo’s point, one of the many fantastic viewing points overlooking the park.

So how do I describe it. There is little to compare it to in the UK, and as you will probably have noticed from the photos below it covers a vast area. The park is primarily made up of rainforest with many mountainous outcrops which break up the luscious greeny-blue scenery. When we arrived we were shocked by how beautiful it was and were really happy we had made the decision to stop off here on our way around New South Wales.


Blue Mountains National Park from Echo Point.




Katoomba falls.

The Blue Mountains national park is a conservation area so tourists aren’t allowed to venture on their own and must stick to the paths which circumnavigate either the cliff top or the cliff bottom. As the difference in heights between these paths is somewhere in the region of 250-300m it can mean a lot of climbing and descending. Fortunately for people not as fit as ourselves there is a cable-car and the worlds steepest railway which can take you from top to bottom in just a few minutes. We wanted to experience them, but, perhaps stupidly, we were also keen to walk down and then up some of the more adventurous paths. It meant for some great photos but really tired legs!


Worlds steepest railway!

All through the day me and Andrea were competing to win our own wildlife spotting competition. The loser has to buy sweets! By the time of our final ascent we were neck and neck, with Andrea spotting a small lizard in the bushes and myself spotting a White Exotic Bird (Parakeet?) near the cable car (a soft point as the cable car owners had left seeds out to entice them). On our final ascent back to Katoomba Andrea hit the jackpot. On one of the viewing points near the top of the cliff she spotted a small black snake bathing on the cliff top. I was keen to take a photo of it as I had never seen a snake in the wild before, and below you can see it. Later on we found out it was actually the Tiger Snake, the worlds deadliest snake, which if it bites you can kill you in a couple of hours. Perhaps next time I won’t get so close!!


Lizard in the bush.


Tiger Snake!

So that was our time in Katoomba. We would definitely recommend it to others if they were passing through. Unfortunately, the photos don’t really do it justice, but we hope you appreciate them anyway. We’re heading to Dubbo tomorrow, which is a four hour trip. Primarily famous for its zoo, which we are looking forward to. I’m sure there will be more photos coming your way.

Thanks for reading ;)