Tired of the busy city and hectic work schedules, we decided to take a break and go somewhere out of the city for a few days. We realised we were probably too late to go anywhere drastic and instead chose to spend some time in the Blue Mountains. With a direct train and $2.60 travel all day on a Sunday, the journey was cheap and even on the way back the fare was under $6! Try doing a two hour journey for that price in the U.K! With travel sorted we went online and found a cute little holiday cottage for $110 pp for two nights. We booked with Whispering Pines Cottages and chose Apple Blossom cottage for it's location to walks. It was perfect for the six of us for a few nights. It also had an electric fire which was lovely to put on when the weather turned and it got chilly! On Sunday morning, armed with food and a few clothes for the couple of days we boarded the train to Wentworth Falls in the heart of the Blue Mountains. The cottage was a 20 minute walk from the station but led us to a really quiet street close to the lookout points, waterfalls and walks. The little village gave me serious flashbacks to Massachusetts and the small villages of New England. After setting our things down we headed out on our first hike. The first day was the best weather wise and we were treated to breath-taking views of the Blue Mountains. We chose to not hug the ridge though, and headed down the mountains to Empress Falls. The hike was steep at times but the waterfall at the end was worth the hike! We spent about an hour here paddling, taking photos and just enjoying the scenery. It was beautifully quiet as well, with hardly anyone joining us for the time we were there. After our hike we felt we deserved a relaxed evening in. The boys generously cooked for us as we updated our Instagram's with all the photos of the day. We put the fire on, had warm showers and chilled for the evening, drinking cider and wine. From this glorious first day, the weather then turned on us. We woke up to grey skies and lots of fog. Still, we chose to take the short trip to Katoomba to visit the Three Sisters. We met up with some friends in this small town who came up for the day and had some hot chocolate to warm up! Armed with my hoodie, a coat and a raincoat, we walked down to the Three Sister lookout. Because of the fog however, we could see NOTHING. The fog had closed up all the mountains so we looked out onto white nothingness. It's still a pretty cool experience looking out at nothing but also a shame, knowing how spectacular the views are on a clear day. Nevertheless, we walked along the ridge and made our way to Katoomba Falls which we could luckily see! By this point, people were cold and wet so we headed back to the town to stock up on mince pies and mulled wine for a warm and Christmassy evening. Getting back to the cottage, we all warmed up, and I had the first bath since I left home. It was heavenly! With the fire on, we had a cute family meal of Spaghetti and followed it with mince pies, mulled wine and Monopoly. This turned out to be one of the most dramatic games of Monopoly I had ever been a part of and very nearly ruined friendships. Deciding to call off the game before it got nasty we turned to drinking games. The next morning I got up a little earlier than the others and went for a walk back to Wentworth Falls lookouts. This time I turned left and saw the falls that the town is named after, as well as much clearer views of the mountains. It was lovely to walk with no other noises apart from the birds and wind once again. I got back to the cottage for some veggie sausages and we started to pack up and clear away.
Going back down to the city again was bittersweet. Although I was looking forward to getting back to work and seeing my roommate again, I was sad to go back to the madness and fast-pace of the city. The Blue Mountains were a lovely change from Sydney and I would recommend giving it a visit when you visit New South Wales. It recharged my batteries and I'm back and ready for another few weeks of hard work and Christmas!
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Hi! I'm Holly, a twenty something traveller from the UK. Over the years I've been lucky enough to live and travel in many countries. I've studied in America and working holidayed in Australia and New Zealand! I currently live in South Korea. Learn more about me below!
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