As I stood atop of the valley, I could not help but think about how lucky I was to be standing there, staring in awe of views before me, 17,000 kilometres away from my home.
Most tourists see Sydney as a vibrant city, home to the Opera House, the Harbour Bridge and Bondi Beach. But little do they know, Sydney is much more than that.
Australia is known for 'The Outback', and even being in Sydney the Outback is at your fingertips.
Only a short train journey North of central Sydney, is the suburban town of Berowra, where I found myself in the wilderness. Even the names of train stations along the way there hinted at adventure, Mount Kolah, Mount Ku-ring-gai, to name a few.
Along with friends, I set off on a trail along the Great Sydney Bush walk, which runs through Berowra. We threaded deeper and deeper into this jungle like forest, with no route planned. It was a valley of hidden wonders, something I had never experienced before.
The bush, the Outback, the real Australia. The views were breathtaking. Valleys of forest that continued on forever, green trees taller than imaginable. It was hard to believe that something so beautiful and tranquil lay so close to a hectic city like Sydney.
This vast landscape is home to more animals than imaginable. Among the rustling of leaves and twigs under our feet, laughs of Kookabura mixed with the calls of hundreds of other birds echoing in the trees could be heard.
My feet ached from all the walking (probably more so because I was wearing very inappropriate footwear for a hike), but I was eager to see more. The winter sun began to set, disappearing behind the tall trees that surrounded us, turning the sky a tropical orange.
With that, my Australian friend, Sam, expressed his concerns about being in the bush at night, as we hastily climbed up the steep valley, back to suburbia.
The following day arrived and I was back in the city, packed with busy commuters going about their frantic lives. It is only at moments like this that you really appreciate the peace and quiet of the wilderness.
Looking back, I would have liked explore more of this vast landscape that stretches on for over 240 Kilometres. Many people even take on the whole trail, camping out in the wilderness at the end of each day.
Don't get me wrong, I loved doing all the typical touristy things in Sydney, but this is something that not many tourists get to experience, as not many know that this spine-tingling landscape lies so close such a busy city.
