IT WAS NICE TO SLEEP IN A BED that wasn’t rocking after nearly three weeks afloat. Chiltern, our final AirBnB in Australia, is a charming cottage surrounded by lush gardens in the beautiful Blue Mountains of New South Wales. It’s spacious and a little bit funky with both A/C and a fireplace, good WiFi and Netflix and is only 20 km from Katoomba at the heart of Blue Mountains National Park.
AirBnB "Chiltern," Hazelbrook in the Blue Mountains
Award-winning Garden
"Giverney" in the Blue Mountains
At least two conflicting Aboriginal legends explain the Three Sisters’ origin. Each ends with a shaman turning Meenhi, Wimlah and Gunnedoo into stone. We had to imagine the “Three Sisters” when we visited in 2004. At 3000 feet where the weather can be fickle, thick fog blanketed the valley and rain obscured the famous rock formation. It was a much nicer experience on Sunday morning.
Blue Mountains National Park from Echo Point
Morning Fog, Blue Mountains NP
The sun was breaking through the clouds and burning off the fog which still covered much of the valley. The views from Echo Point were both amazing and vertigo inducing and I’m sure many people are thankful for the strong safety railings. We took the obligatory photos of da Sistahs and eventually we found our way to Cliff Walk Trail where—you guessed it—a rare bird had been reported.
Lewin's Honeyeater
Satin Bowerbird
Superb Lyrebird Trailside Sculpture
Ain't Nothin' like the Real Thing—Our first Superb Lyrebird of the trip
Rock Warblers are found only in this area at this elevation on this kind of rock. Well, we didn’t see them but we did see a Satin Bowerbird, a Lewin’s Honeyeater and our first Lyrebird of the trip before the joggers, hikers and Sunday day-trippers crowded the trail. In, I imagine, a moment of whimsy the Park has installed some wonderful sculptures along the trail—in case you don’t get to see the real thing. Perhaps Rock Warblers, like the Three Sisters are only a legend.
