Nelsonian - I never finished my TR from our trip down under about 3 years ago, but I did do the first bit which was our visit to Port Douglas and the Atherton Tablelands, which you might find interesting - or not!

Northie- we drove to Canberra yesterday. Left the Blue Mts in pouring rain and arrived to sunshine in Canberra. We will arrive in Sydney on Saturday.

Into the Blue

We arrived at the Sydney airport after ~an hour flight on Tiger Air. Our 2 checked bags arrived at the baggage carousel at the exact same moment we did. (Note that Tiger Air rigorously enforces baggage limits. They do allow you to average out the weight of baggage for passengers flying together.)

Imagine our dismay when we arrived at an unstaffed Europcar counter with a note with vague directions to their office somewhere in the parking garage. (This was to be our 4th and final rental car.) Once we found the office we were in our car and quickly were on our way to the Blue Mts. Or so we thought. Leaving Sydney was easier said than done. We had to thread our way thru a series of traffic clogged streets. Perhaps Siri had not selected the best route. Eventually we got on the Great Western Highway and we were on our way and arrived in Wentworth Falls at Moments Mountain Retreat shortly after 6pm.

Our room had a porch with a lovely view of the Blue Mts. After spending a week in an immense apartment we couldn't help but feel cramped in our new quarters for the next 3 nights. It was a Sunday night and not much was opened in the little town. We ended up going to Canton Palace for an indifferent meal. The meal was especially disappointing after having so many Asian meals that were exceptional.

We awoke to a beautiful day, blue skies, white puffy clouds and sunshine. We ran some errands in town and on our way back to Moments we saw a sign for the Conservation Hut which we had heard about. We decided to go take a look following the signs to it. Imagine our surprise when our BnB suddenly appeared and the Hut was 100m on.

We started our series of hikes at the Wentworth Falls parking lot. Many of the tracks were linked together such that you could finish one and continue onto another or switch which track you were doing. Signage was very good and we spent the morning hiking the area. There had been 10 days of rain prior to our sunny day so the trails were muddy and puddled. It was the only time I wished I had brought my hiking boots.

By now it was lunchtime and we drove to the nearby village, Leura, where we had a stroll down the delightful Leura Mall and sat on a bench munching on a snack which we bought at the local deli. Takeaway prices are a touch less than eat in.

After our snack we drove to Sublime Pt where we caught our first distant glimpse of the famous Three Sisters. It was indeed sublime. Back in the car we drove the few minutes into the heart of Katoomba at Echo Point. Parking at Echo Point was paid parking and was $4 an hour, coin only. The information center was in the corner of a large gift shop. The one staff person was very helpful and provided maps and indicated where Leura Falls round walk was and the Cliff Drive. Leura Cascades was to be our next destination.

Echo Point has a fantastic views of the Jameson Valley and the Three Sisters as well as a trail that takes you to the rock formation. The Lookout point was moderately crowded.

Back in our car, we began to drive along Cliff Drive between Echo Pt and Leura Cascades. There were a couple nice lookouts, but by and large the view was blocked by houses and dense foliage. The track to Leura Cascades was lovely.

That evening for sunset we drove 10 minutes to Flat Rock recently renamed Lincoln Rock, for sunset. Flat rock is definitely worth seeking out-it was a wonderful sunset view. Our fellow spectators were fascinating in and off themselves.

After Flat Rock sundown we returned to Leura for an outstanding dinner at Silks. GT had a duck fiesta starting with a terrine of duck and pork and followed by duck confit. YT had Moroccan spiced lamb and dessert of a carmelized banana pastry.

In the morning we walked the 100 m to the Conservation Hut where we proceeded to follow a series of tracks that took us to Victoria Lookout, Empress Falls and along the Overcliff-undercliff track. The views were spectacular and we saw the the hanging swamp on the Overcliff track. The hanging swamp retains water which slowly releases into the often parched Blue Mts.

By lunchtime we were "natured" out and felt the need for something other than another hike. We had read about the Norman Lindsay Gallery and museum and decided to give it a visit. It was a nice 30 minute ride on the Great Western Hwy in the direction of Sydney. Admission was ~ $15. Lindsay was a renown artist, printmaker, etcher, sculpture, writer and illustrator. He had a pronounced fondness for the female form, frequently in mythological settings. The grounds were no admission and contained many of his sculptures. The house that he lived in for 57 years was now the Gallery and museum. It contained 3-4 rooms of his paintings and etchings as well as some boats he painted. As we were leaving the staff asked if we wanted a tour of his painting studio and and etching/printmaking studio. Of course, we said yes and went off with a docent. The docent provided much history and some gossip of Norman's life. In addition to all of this, Nirman wrote and illustrated children's books. The Magic Pudding was a classic of Australian children's literature, and it was made into a movie. All in all it was a educational afternoon as neither of us were previously familiar with Norman Lindsay.

We returned to our room and then decided in the early evening to do the drive of the other portion of the Cliff Drive. It had some very nice lookouts, including Eagle Hawk, Landslide and the truly superb Cahil lookout. We preferred this portion of the drive as the lookouts were superior and you had better views as you drove along.

Then it was back to Leura for a very good meal at Leura Garage. We had an interesting conversation about US politics with a former govt minister and his 2 companions. We had a lengthy discussion about compulsory voting of which they were highly supportive.

After dinner I wanted to go back to the Echo Pt because I had read that they light up the Three Sisters. We arrived, drove into the parking lot at the lookout. It was deserted and we saw no evidence of lights. Disappointed we returned to our room and packed up. Later that night I was curious about the lights. Turns out they are supposed to be on every night until 11 pm. I read that you have to leave the parking lot & have to walk up to the edge to see the effects of the lights. Oh well, chalk that up to missing out due to laziness.

We woke up to pouring rain. Our timing couldn't have been better. We had one picture perfect day and another very nice day, and had been happy hikers.

Once again we felt that we were leaving having not seen all that we could have seen. But it was on to Canberra and sunshine.

I'm so glad you enjoyed the Conservation Hut's walks & Silks!

Did you take any of the cable car or other rides st Scenic World?

How you have a great time in Canberra. The Portrait Gallery is wonderful ( IMNVHO)

For a casual lunch - th Pork Barrel cafe opposite the old Parliament House.

Dinner: Aubergine, Courgette or Ottomman

There are some good wineries around Murambateman ( spelling?). Can't look it up - posting on my iPhone.

Just for fun - stop off at Berkelouws Antiquarian book shop on the way back from Canberra. Before Berrima turn off, on the main road I think. It's like a barn, sitting more or less alone in a paddock. Brilliant place.

Your report reminds me that I really need to get back to the mountains. So often lately I just race through on my way to Bathurst

Northie- thanks for the suggestions. Too late for your dining suggestions as we leave today. We did have 2 excellent meals though. We'll keep an eye out for the bookstore. Any restaurant suggestions for Sydney? We'd love that. Thanks

Marge- the mountains are always such a great escape.

You experienced the Blue Mountains the right way, by staying overnight. Even though we've visited the Blue Mountains in each of the 3 times we were in Sydney (as day trips), we had not had the opportunity to visit a viewpoint and linger or just wander around as you did.

Several Sydney restaurants come to mind. Is there something in particular you are seeking?

Hi TP- enjoying the springlike DC weather? We have the time now to leisurely explore since we retired. It is nice. In terms of restaurants in Sydney we have pretty eclectic food tastes. We have had great Pan Asian food & Asian fusion this trip so that would be nice to have. Seafood and Italian are always good for us. Basically anything unique to Sydney and that we can't get in DC would be worth going to. In Melbourne we esp loved Chin Chin and Supernormal.

Northie- we didnt get to Scenic World. We planned to, but never made it. Seems to happen a lot...too much to see and do and never enough time.

The weather in DC has been schizophrenic to say the least, in the 30s earlier this week, near 70 last two days, and forecast for flurries today. It's been so wild that even the cherry blossoms don't know what to do. They were supposed to peak next week, then it's this week, and now it's the week after. The few trees by my apartment are in full bloom.

I very much enjoyed Fratelli Fresh for Italian; I only went to the location in Melbourne but there are a few outlets in Sydney. Icebergs on Bondi Beach also has very good Italian, although you will probably need reservations for dinner. Bel & Brio is another good Italian in one of the new buildings in Barangaroo South. The best seafood I had in Sydney, and I would say one of the top among the places I've traveled, is Golden Century, a Cantonese-style restaurant in Chinatown.

I tried Fratelli Fresh, Bridge Street, with some Malaysian visitors a month or so back, and it was abysmal! The service was appalling but the food was worse. Some was just about inedible and we sent it back. The revised means were no better.

I was surprised as FF generally has a good reputation. With those standards, I can't see that branch surviving.

I'm sorry, Bokhara, I keep referring to your posts as from Northie.

<b>36 Hours in Canberra </b>

As usual we took the slow route. Our route took us through the Blue Mountains towns of Kootomba and Blackheath before we drove into the dry Tablelands that took us through Oberon and Taralga. The route became greener as we approached Canberra, Australia's once maligned capital.

Our studio apt at Abode Narrabundah was modern, efficient and had a washing machine--what more could we ask for? It's 10-15 minutes drive to town was an easy ride on the wide, tree lined, empty streets.

Our dinner that night at Lanterne Rooms was superb. After dinner we drove around the downtown and the parliament area. Streets were virtually empty. The next day we were off to the National Gallery of Australia. What a treat! The second floor had an extensive and excellent collection of contemporary Aboriginal art. The main floor had an equally excellent collection of Australian art interspersed with European and North American artists such as Matisse, Mucha, Magritte and Gris. We spent the better part of the day at the NGA. After lunch at the cafe we wandered around the outstanding sculpture garden. NGA was free for us, but costly for the car in the paid parking lot.

We drove around in search of various modernist architectural structures. The Australian Academy of Science, Shine Dome aka as the Martian Embassy, stood out for its googie architecture. We also checked out the futuristic Telstra Tower. The drive up offered some good views of Canberra. We decided to forego a visit to the Botanicsl Gardens.

That evening we had another superb meal at Eighty Six. The next morning we took off for destinations unknown.

We recommend Canberra for it's a lovely architecturally, interesting city with many museums and excellent food. We regret that because of our short stay we didn't see any of the many other museums or the Parliment building.

Glad you enjoyed your time in Canberra. It often gets overlooked but I agree that you could easily spend a few days there.

TP, Canberra could definitely handle lots more tourists. It was fairly empty everywhere.

<b>On the Slow Road to Sydney</b>

Last week I knew we would have one night free before getting to our apt rental in Sydney. I posted asking for suggested destinations within 2 hours of Sydney. I got some great responses. We debated which one to choose and which route to take. We decided to stay in Berry and go by way of the Southern Highlands.

We left Canberra on the highway to Goulburn, reknown for the statue of a giant merino sheep, the type of roadside attraction that appeals to us. We took photos, of course, of its ovine largeness. We also bought an excellent apple turnover at Trappers bakery across the road from the statue.

Shortly thereafter we turned off the Hume highway onto the Highland Way. This turned out to be a fortuitous choice as it took us thru scenic greenlands and charming, small villages such as Tallong, Wingello, Penrose, Bundanoon, Exeter and ending in Sutton Forest. By this point we had become charmed by the area and decided to spend our night in the Southern Highlands. It was a beautiful Friday and finding accommodations in Moss Vale or Bowral proved difficult. Bowral was bumper to bumper traffic. We decided to go to the Information Center in Mittagong to see what was available. We managed to find a Best Western in beautiful downtown Mittagong. This was not exactly what I was hoping for, but it was a bed in a crowded area.

Once we acquired a room we decided to do some further exploring and headed towards Fitzroy Falls in Morton National Park and Kangaroo Valley. The drive was fun and scenic on a curving mountain road. We arrived at the park in no time and paid the parking fee. The walk to the falls was short. The Falls were nothing short of breathtaking dropping 80 meters (~260 ft) into a lush green Kangaroo valley. These were easily the most spectacular Falls we visited in our close to 7 week adventure in Australia.(Thanks, counterClifton!)

From Fitzroy Falls we drove to Berry. The drive if anything was more precipitous and curvy than the road to Fitzroy falls. We saw a small road on our GPS and decided to take it. After many curves both sideways and up and down we finally arrive at Berry which was teeming with people. It's a small town and it really seemed overrun with visitors which was too bad. After a stroll around the Main Street we moved on to Greenwell Point in search of oysters GT had read about.

Greenwell Pt is in the Shoalhaven region and at the end of a long, Flat drive. Unfortunately we arrived after the oyster sheds had closed at 4. We were starving. We backtracked and went to the Greenwell PT Bowling & Sports Club. It advertises itself as "the club that's got the million dollar views." It had nice views but we were there for the food. It had 2 fine dining establishments, a bistro and Chinese take away. We had quite the experience for 2 American city slackers. First they asked for ID and then made copies of our drivers license. We opted for the bistro half and its VFW Hall ambience. We arrived about 10 minutes before the 5 pm opening. We took a table with its million dollar view and waited for the snack bar cum bistro to officially fire up the deep fryer, fill the "tomato sauce" (aka ketchup) bottles and open the counter. At the stroke of 5:00, GT approached the counter to order. We ordered salt and pepper calamari and crumbed squid; the difference between the two being that squid is cut into rings while the calamari is cut lengthwise. It was a difference without a distinction in a meal that was also without distinction. We ate, paid and fled. We drove back to Mittagong on a slightly different route, stalked for much of the curvy drive by a monster truck.

The next morning we had a great breakfast in Mittagong at the Shaggy Cow which seemed to be a local hangout since everyone knew each other. We stopped in at the Information Center to pick up maps. A most helpful woman provided us with more suggestions than we could possibly do. And then we were off to Sydney via the splendid south coast. Along the way we stopped at several beautiful overlooks including the fantastic Bald Hill. There we watched hang gliders fly about. It was beautiful.

We threaded our way to the airport, turned our car in and took a taxi to our studio apt on Castlereagh St. where we were to,spend the last week of this wonderful trip.

We were round the corner in Elizabeth Street . Try Macchiato restaurant . Love Canberra and am glad you did.

The Southern Highlands sounds lovely; I'm adding it to my list for my next Sydney visit. How far is it from central Sydney? Do you know if the area is serviced by public transit?

TP, yes it was lovely and I bet as the leaves turn it's really nice. Since we had a car I am not the best person to answer about public transportation, but I did see train stations. I bet you can get to Bowral which is larger and other of the larger towns. Driving Mittagong to Sydney could easily be done in less than 2 hours if you went directly which we didn't. Perhaps one of the Sydneysiders can answer better.

Thanks yestravel. Australia has not left my mind since my return. I'm thinking about going back next year, possibly including some of the South Island of New Zealand.

Easy but infrequent trains to Mittagong and Bowral leave from Central.

Thanks for following along, all. We begin our long journey home this morning, GT promises to finish up this TR with our week in Sydney once we settle back in at home. Sydneysiders, stay dry☔️,

Safe travels to you both. I look forward to your impressions of my favorite city. Oh, and I hope that you packed some warm weather gear; we've had a week of cold and wind here in DC.