December 27 (Sunday)

We decided to go to Blue Mountain on Sunday to take advantage of the Opal AUD 2.50 Sunday cap. Otherwise, you’d quickly reach the AUD 15 daily cap, since a one-way train ride costs more than AUD 15 already! We were praying really hard that the day wouldn’t be foggy as you wouldn’t be able to see anything if it was! Thank goodness, the weather cooperated that day

Blue Mountain

Normally, it’s pretty easy to get to Blue Mountain as there’s a train that goes straight from Central Station to Katoomba (~2 hours train ride). However, during the period we were there, the train tracks from Central to Blacktown was being repaired, so we had to take a bus from Central to Blacktown, then ride the train from there. All in all, a minor inconvenience that added ~1 hour to our entire journey (~30mins one-way). Make sure to go to the train platform toilet once you disembark, as we didn’t see another one until the Echo Point toilet

Once we got to Katoomba, we had to decide whether we’d get a Hop on, Hop off bus ticket (there’s one for AUD 40 and another one for AUD 25) or just walk the whole way. It was really cold at this time (~9:30am), so we were worried whether:

• Could we could walk in this weather? We were only wearing thin jackets…
• Could we walk the entire thing from Katoomba town to the trails? Blogs we’ve read indicated that this was doable, but they were mostly written by fit Americans/Europeans

In the end, our cheapskate side won so we grabbed a map from the bus ticket office and off we went! In case you were wondering, we survived and believe we made the right choice!

The walk from Katoomba station to Katoomba falls took us ~45 minutes. Other blogs indicated that they were able to walk this within ~20 to 30 minutes, which I certainly believe as people kept overtaking us along the way and everything was pretty much downhill

From here, we started on the Prince Henry Cliff Walk which had a series of lookout points where you could see the Three Sisters, as well as major areas of interest like Echo Point and Leura Cascades

By the time we got to Echo Point (~11:30am), the sun was shining and we were taking off our jackets! The view of the Three Sisters was great, with barely any fog left – and we sat down and dug into the bread, pastries, and juices that would serve as our mini-lunch for the day, tiding us over till we got to Leura Village (ETA 3:30pm). PRO TIP: Make sure to go to the toilet here as well, as you won’t find another one until Leura Village

After filling our tummies, we continued on the cliff walk, met a few fellow bush hikers, and was astounded by the beauty of nature. I highly recommend Leura Cascades and Gordon Falls. It’s beautiful – made especially so by the rainbow that could be found over the Gordon Falls.

In total, it took us roughly ~3 hours from Echo Point to Leura Village. When in doubt, always check the signs. The entire walk has loads of signage indicating which path you should take to go where. Also, when in doubt, stick right as you’re supposed to be hugging the cliff. Once you exit the Cliff Walk, go through the Leura Park for a shortcut to Leura Village!

Definitely a day to remember. If you’ve only got one out-of-town trip to take, do Blue Mountain! You can do Hunter Valley next time

Lunch at Loaves and Dishes

We got to Leura Village at 3:30pm and were famished! So we quickly sat down to eat at Loaves and Dishes – and boy did everything taste so good! No idea if it was because the food was just that good, or it was our hungry tummies talking

Afterwards, we dropped by Café Bon Ton for desserts, where we tried their Apple Frangipani, as well as their Raspberry and Pear cake

Afterwards, we meandered around and checked out the cutesy stores there, bought some ice cream, as well as some artisan chocolate. The Rocky Road chocolate is to die for, with actual big white marshmallows embedded into the chocolate! NOTE: Leura Village closes at 5:00PM

Dinner at 80 Proof

Along George Street

By the time we got back to Central, it was pretty late (~9:00pm) so we decided to just eat nearby. Our hotel concierge recommended 80 Proof, a pub relatively near our hotel

Food was great! We got the Turkey Wrap special, Kangaroo burger, Beef cheek and mushroom pie, and Chicken schnitzel. Proof that the food was yum yum amazing is the fact that I can still clearly remember everything we ordered and how it tasted 3 days later!

Another thing I realized Aussies cook really well is fries – so addicting, especially when paired with Hunt’s barbeque sauce (which I tried to find at their supermarket, as I wanted to bring it home – alas it was not meant to be – which is probably what’s best for my big tummy)

For more details, feel free to click the links below to read specific parts of our 6-day Sydney journey:

• Tips and tricks to enjoy a family trip to Sydney
• Day 1: Airport + Hotel and supermarket + The Rocks Tour
• Day 2: Taronga Zoo + Manly Beach + Golden Century dinner
• Day 3: City Tour + Fish Market + Paddy’s Market + Darling Harbor
• Day 4: Blue Mountain + Leura Village
• Day 5: Opera House + Rocks Market + Australian Heritage Hotel
• Day 6: Bronte to Bondi Coastal Walk + Watson’s Bay + Harbor Bridge + Luna Park

OTHER SYDNEY BLOGS

• Eating my way through Sydney – top picks!
• Best nature trails and areas in Sydney – my top picks!
• Events to catch in Sydney – my top picks!
• My experience skydiving with Sydney Skydivers

MELBOURNE BLOGS

• What to see and do when in Melbourne
• Eating my way through Melbourne – top picks!
• Day trips from Melbourne (Great Ocean Road, Brighton Houses, St Kilda)
• Great Ocean Road Tour experience