Blue Mountains Part 1

After our great time in the Hunter Valley it was time for us to pack up and say goodbye to our lovely villa and head to the mountains.

On arrival at our new home away from home which was a nice little country style cottage and within walking distance to the shops we decided to take the kids over to Scenic World to prepare them for the next day. I'm sorry that I didn't take any pics of our Blue Mountains house :(

The Three Sisters. I never get sick of the view !!

The new cable way that brings you out of the valley.

I am so glad that we took the kids over to Scenic World that afternoon. When the kids saw what we would be doing the next day C was in tears !!! and when we went outside to see the cable way E was just as upset. They were both adamant that they would not be coming back to go on anything !!! C is not the best with heights and I think the E was getting nervous because of C's reaction.

So all night we talked to the kids and told them all about the history of the place and how many times Sandy and I had both been on it and that both Grandmas had also been on it and you know what Grandma and Nan are like !!! By the next morning there were no more tears but there were still some nerves which we said was ok as we were feeling the same !!! So off we went.

I would love to say a HUGE thank you to the photographer on the day. He could see that the kids were scared as C was crying a little and hugging my arm so hard that I thought she was going to cut off my circulation and the expression on E's face said everything !!! He was so kind and reassuring for the kids. He told them that they could run faster than the train and that the worse bit was the start. He was fantastic. So off we went down the side of the mountain. As we went over the edge E gave out a little yelp and C's grip got tighter but once we were over the edge C relaxed and we assured her that the worst was over. By the end both kids were happy and relaxed and so were mum and dad !!!

A very happy and triumphant E !!! So brave.

Checking out the steep slope that we had just come down !!

I think the kids were happy that they didn't come down on this one !!

The entrance to the coal mine that they built the railway for.

This was a lovely spot. Imagine having a wedding here !!

There are now many boardwalk tracks at the bottom so you can have a great look around and we stopped to have a little morning tea. The above picture was taken at the end of one of the tracks. Imagine having a wedding there. I would love to see all the guests dressed to the nines climbing onto the scenic railway and walking to this setting. I am sure most of my guests wouldn't come !!!

I love this pic. Sandy was looking into a hollow tree.

It was cool watching the spider spin its web.

The new way to get out of the valley. Just as steep !!

Again the nerves kicked in for all of us for the return journey. The car holds 84 people at once and we were squished in !! E decided to sit on the floor so she couldn't see out the windows and C stayed VERY close to me !!!

The view was beautiful.

On the way back up the guide talks you through some interesting things about the place and what we are going past but the most important part is when we are close to the top. The car goes through a support section. The guide tells everyone that it is coming up and that the car will swing a little bit. What she doesn't tell you is just how much it swings !!! When you come through it you feel like you are about to plummet back to where you have just come from. Everyone in the car went whoa when we passed through !!! I wish I had a video camera to film it all !!!

The next attraction was the Skyway. The last time we were there is was an older carriage that only went out to the middle and back again and I NEVER went on it. Now it is new and modern and goes all the way across and all the way back. C and I were the only ones to go on it as E refused point blank to get on it. Poor Sandy missed out :(

So after our massive adventure at Scenic World during the morning we drove to Leura for lunch and then back to the Three Sisters for another adventure for the afternoon.

Of course there will be another post for the second half of the day as there are again a million pictures. You all know what I'm like !!!