We had a week before catching a train from Sydney across to Perth so decided to visit the Blue Mountains and escape from the coast for a while. Unfortunately our trip coincided with heavy rain, which persisted for much of our visit but which, in combination with the altitude of our accommodation in the mountains, meant the weather was almost as bad as an English summer. The scenery, however, was stunning. On our flight down into Sydney there were some great views as we arrived

The national park is only about 90 mins drive from central Sydney so choosing the right place to stay is critical to avoiding hordes of tourists on day trips out from the city. Luckily we did. The main resorts in the park are Katoomba, Leura and Wentworth Falls but they are busy and very touristy. Far better is Blackheath as this has direct access to a number of the best views and walks in the whole park. Our hotel was in walking distance of Evans Point from where routes go along the cliffs or down into the “Grand Canyon” some 800 metres below, accessed by some very steep tracks.

The bird species to look out for are the fabulously named Gang-gang cockatoo and the equally evocatively named Superb lyrebird, the latter being far easier to see, being the largest song bird in Australia

Our accommodation was well designed when it came to the weather, with a wood burner ready to go. It was situated on the same site as the original ecolodge we’d wanted to stay in. However, when using the website in the guidebook we found it’d been destroyed in bushfires some years back and replaced by 4 lodges staffed by the nicest people you could ever want to meet although they were somewhat bemused when we just turned up and asked if they had any rooms free. Clearly most people plan ahead and book online. The weather cleared and we set off on the Cliff Top Track Trail, a trail advertised as being 6km return and taking perhaps a couple of hours return and with no indication of gradient. Unfortunately the cliffs, although quite level, had been significantly bisected by rivers in the distant past, so the track descended and then climbed up again, twice, adding an unanticipated vertical element to the walk and increasingly frosty exchanges with my walking companion.

At the halfway point, at Govett’s Leap, Helen decided she’d rather take her chances of getting a bus back and managed to wangle both a lift and a glass of champagne from a tour guide who’d come out from Sydney with a bunch of Americans. Andy walked back, just to prove a point of some sort.

The area is stunning and well worth visiting especially if you can get down to the bottom of the canyon in Grose Valley, the centre of the national park and which only exists in such a pristine state today because a group of walkers clubed together in the 1930s and bought the lease, saving it from logging.

On day 2 we went down Megalong Valley which contains some tracts of rain forest, a lovely cafe famous for scones, so we had apple pie (also famed) complete with cream and ice cream. Delicious! There were a lot of varied and beautiful views, ending at the 6 mile track, one of the original trading routes across NSW

The weather was not improving by day 3 so we headed off to the coast in search of sun, stopping off briefly at the tourist hotspots of Katoomba and Leura. The girl at our accommodation had told us how to get to a viewpoint without having to pay and we caught very brief glimpses of the 3 sisters before the cloud rolled in.

Our coastal stay was at the resort of Wollongong which was quite interesting from a historical perspective, with a museum describing the growth of the town from a logging and coal port to a tourist destination. Many of the places we’ve visited across Australia have had museums and enthusiastic historical societies, despite their history being quite brief in European terms. Another feature of aussie towns is often the botanical garden and Wollongong didn’t disappoint with a comprehensive display of different plant types and a plaque commemorating the Stolen Generation

Behind the town was a viewpoint, better visited on a clear day. It was time to move on..