Koalas, Caves & Cockatoos
Trip Start
Sep 23, 2009
1
47
85
Trip End
Apr 23, 2010
Where I stayed
Margaret & John's
Blaxland, New South Wales, Australia
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
The following day we went to Featherdale, a nearby wildlife park to see all the cute Aussie creatures such as koalas, wombats, kangaroos that I had been whittling about since my arrival in Australia. We had the obligatory koala snap and then strolled around the huge array of animals and pretty birds. I particularly liked the kangaroos that were trying to raid the coffee shop, unfortunately for them they were apprehended and dragged back out.
The sightseeing continued and when Margaret drove us to Echo Point to see the Three Sisters, we took the vertical train to the bottom of the mountainside which is quite literally what it says, for some reason that surprised us, as we nearly dropped all our things as it hurtled downwards. After a walk in the rain forest we took the cable car back to the top then on the way we stopped at a stunning look out point called Govetts Leap.
Midweek we took a tour around the amazing Jenolan caves, after walking around one of the larger caves we then picked the Temple of Baal cave to take a tour around and the crystalline formations inside the damp dark cave were spectacular parts inside looked like angel's wings. We took some amusement from one of the tourists in the group who was questioning the tour guide over various cave facts for the tour guide to reply and for only him to tell him that he was wrong, the guide took it in good humour while the rest of us were thinking shut up. In the evening we went out for a lovely dinner in the nearby Lapstone Hotel. At the end of the week we paid a visit to the Botanical gardens but the temperatures which had been on the rise during the week and had now risen to the forties and it sapped most of our energy and the walk around the great gardens pretty much wiped us out. Back at the house we took refuge in the air conditioning and later that day John's grandson who is in a band came over for dinner and Margaret cooked a huge feast for us all.
Amongst the sightseeing we had a couple of days relaxing, it was fab to be staying at Margaret's and John's lovely home rather than in a hotel as when you are continually on the move you never fully relax. So when it wasn't too hot we sat in the garden, looking at the pretty birds or trying to find the resident possum, and caught up on our blogging and photos as well as trying to plan parts of the trip ahead.
John and Margaret really did spoil us, driving us to places, being our tour guides and Margaret cooking us delicious dinners including of course a proper Australian barbie.
Comments
Great posting Allie! That vertical train sounds frighteningly amazing! Great photos too by the way!