May 25

  The gang started the day off with yet another hardy breakfast of cereal and toast provided by the hostel. As we started the morning off, Dave our lively tour guide spent 2 hours’ worth of bus ride giving us all sorts of fascinating little tidbits and facts about Australia and the city of Sydney (typical of any tour guide). He showed us all sorts of very old buildings, and spent some time discussing Banjo Paterson, who wrote one of Australia’s most famous folk songs “Waltzing Matilda.”

   As we arrived at the Featherdale Wildlife Path, you could feel everyone’s excitement. We took no time as we bolted to the entrance. Some students took the chilly weather better than others. As we entered, we quickly took to feeding the wallabies and kangaroos! We enjoyed looking and interacting with many of the indigenous creatures to Australia. Some of the wallabies were able to roam free and would come right up to us and eat from our hands as we petted them! The park was home to many different birds, wallabies, kangaroos, koalas, and reptiles. Such beautiful indigenous creatures to Australia! Some of the gang even got the opportunity to catch some sun with a kangaroo! Reluctant to leave without bringing home a joey (a young kangaroo), we boarded the bus to make our way up to the city of Katoomba, home of the Blue Mountains. 

   

   As we got closer to arriving we could begin to see the hills and valleys that made up the beautiful terrain. When we finally arrived at the edge, it was absolutely breathtaking. The blue haze created by the eucalyptus trees cascaded over the dense vegetation covering the deep valleys and hills like a light blue blanket. It looked like something right out of a movie. As we gazed over the edge in awe, Dave reminded us to breathe in the fresh eucalyptus air. He explained to us that the air surrounding the Blue Mountains is actually very healthy, containing a lot of eucalyptus vapors. The eucalyptus trees actually create the blue haze that give the mountains their name. The oils from the eucalyptus (or “gum” to the Aussies) rise into the air and create a beautiful blue haze. Before we went down into the belly of the beast, we stopped off for lunch. Some went to the famous Yellow Deli, others went to Vee’s Café (where I tried my first kangaroo burger, ironically after interacting with kangaroos). We then took a sky car across the valley, and Dave proceeded to lead us down through the forestry. Dave had clearly done this a time or two, as he guided from one place to the next with no hesitation. We took a rail car down to the forest and back up, getting stunning views along the way. As we made our way through the forest, the only wildlife life we viewed was a lyrebird. We walked along path through the incredible trees and plant life deep in the heart of the Blue Mountain range.  As we made our way back up, we could see the Three Sisters, which are 3 large peeks right next to each other. Be sure to ask us about the legend of the Three Sisters when we get back! 

   Our long and spectacular journey through the Blue Mountains came to an end and we made our back to Sydney. But not before Dave taught us to throw a boomerang! As well he made sure we heard the Australian national anthem, and Banjo Paterson’s song “Waltzing Matilda,” which is still stuck in my head. He then saw us off onto our first ferry ride back to Sydney. As we approached, we could see the skyline lit up with all sorts of magnificent colors. We made it back just in time for burgers on the rooftop of the hostel, and others went for pancakes! Truly a wonderful end to a wonderful day!