Backpacking in Australia: Exploring Leura and The Everglades

Leura is another of the villages in the Blue Mountains. It has a train station of its own, a main street and is a main entry area into the Jamison Valley region of the Blue Mountains. Its hardly well known, but it was one of those on the list whilst staying in Katoomba. Katoomba is the Read more about Backpacking in Australia: Exploring Leura and The Everglades[…]

Backpacking in Australia: Cronulla and not meeting Jarvis Cocker in Sydney

Cronulla was another of the famous beaches in and around the Sydney area. It wasn’t on my list of must sees, but we decided to do it anyway. My current pub job normally means I have two full days off (or one over Christmas and New Year!), and so at the start of December I Read more about Backpacking in Australia: Cronulla and not meeting Jarvis Cocker in Sydney[…]

Leura Cascades, Bridal Veil Falls, Lyre Bird Dell, Pool of Siloam, Golden Stairs

The village of Leura is the next stop down from Katoomba, our base while trekking the Blue Mountains. We visited Leura twice, once just to walk around the town and a dubious area called “the everglades”, and on this occasion we did the treks round Leura, which included a few waterfalls, many hikes and some Read more about Leura Cascades, Bridal Veil Falls, Lyre Bird Dell, Pool of Siloam, Golden Stairs[…]

Backpacking in Australia: First Impressions of Sydney

Sydney itself is the place most people end up in Australia at some point. Yes its big and great and yes it has some amazing things to see, but don’t get caught in the “rut” of Sydney. There’s more to Australia than the city of Sydney. Although for the benefits of this post, I’ll outline Read more about Backpacking in Australia: First Impressions of Sydney[…]

Sweet Home Parramatta

Ask me a year ago if I knew where Parramatta was and I’d not have had a clue. That’s why life is so unpredictable, and now I’m living in a city called Parramatta, in New South Wales, Australia!! Parramatta doesn’t even appear on most maps of Australia. It’s hardly part of Sydney, though some class Read more about Sweet Home Parramatta[…]

Backpacking in Australia: The Golden Stairs, Blue Mountains

The Golden Stairs get the honour of being in my first blog post of this new decade. The Golden Stairs were first mentioned by Martine to Dan and I in the pub one night in Katoomba. It sounded interesting, and the very next day we walked past the entrance/bottom part of The Golden Stairs, on route Read more about Backpacking in Australia: The Golden Stairs, Blue Mountains[…]

Backpacking in Australia: Touring Katoomba, Three Sisters, Echo Point

Katoomba itself is a bit special. Situated 3,336 feet above sea level, it appears to be the largest settlement in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales. I’d never heard of it until I arrived in Australia. It was mentioned in passing a few times as part of Blue Mountains trips which were organised by our Read more about Backpacking in Australia: Touring Katoomba, Three Sisters, Echo Point[…]

The World’s Steepest Railway Line, Katoomba, Australia

If you were asked where the world’s steepest railway line was, you’d probably think it was in some mountain range in America, or even mid Europe. You’d be wrong. It’s in Katoomba, a small village in the Blue Mountains, in New South Wales. Right here in Australia. It only has two stops, two stations: the Read more about The World’s Steepest Railway Line, Katoomba, Australia[…]