By admin Lindsay, Katz and I had planned a day trip to the Blue Mountains during our late December 2019 visit to Sydney months in advance. While the raging wildfires threatened to cancel our hiking day in the national park, areas of the park remained open and we decided to move forward with a slightly-tweaked version of our original plan. We still enjoyed trekking through the rugged mountains and caves, but I’ll admit that some of the views were less-than-impressive due to the smoky conditions. Guess I’ll just have to go back one day.
Getting to the Blue Mountains… and Getting Around
To keep things simple, we booked a private Airbnb Experience with Matt, our personal guide, driver, and human stepladder (seriously– just wait). A giant, lumbering Maori who enjoyed photography, Matt was friendly and laidback. We took the train from Sydney Central to Wentworth Falls (nearly two hours each way), where Matt met us in his SUV.
Next, we discussed our plan for the day. We had kept the schedule pretty flexible since we weren’t sure what would happen with the fires. Matt assessed our fitness levels and comfort with hiking, and decided to show us a trail that he rarely took guests on. “There is a section of the hike where I’ll have to help you climb up and over. Then I’ll need to leave you for part of the trail because I won’t be able to get up,” he told us, “But you can handle it on your own. I’ll walk back and drive to meet you at the end of the trail.” Okay…
Matt took us to the Fairy Bower Reserve, where we began our trek by descending down a wooded trail covered in dry, crackly leaves. “See how dry it is?” Matt pointed out. “You can understand how quickly all of this can go up in flames.”
This trail was not for those with a fear of heights. Once we reached the cave, we found ourselves squeezed tight against a sheer rock wall on the right while trying not to look down at the steep drop below us to the left.
Then it was time for Matt to give us one last boost and send us on our way, for better or worse. We reached another steep rock climb, this time without a ladder. Matt stooped down and motioned for us to climb on his back so he could hoist us up to the top of the rock, one by one. I felt bad stepping on him, but he assured us it didn’t bother him.
Matt told us to continue along the trail and he’d meet us at the road with the car. Easier said than done, as the trail wasn’t marked at all. This wasn’t New Zealand hiking anymore (all the NZ trails were so well-marked, it was almost to the point of being excessive). Of course, we found ourselves on a path that gradually narrowed and became increasingly perilous as the available ground area for our feet shrank. Eventually, we realized that our “path” was going to disappear into the rock, so we had to turn around, retrace our steps, and find the correct trail above.
From there on out, the hike (or “walk” as the Aussies call it) was actually pretty straightforward. After a steady incline, we found ourselves at a viewpoint, where we stopped for a snack and photo opp– of the smoke, that is.
After our break, we easily found Matt and headed for the quaint town of Katoomba for lunch. Thankfully, Katz was smart enough to snag us a bottle of wine to enjoy at the BYOB restaurant, and to toast to our survival. That hike had easily been the most adventurous of our entire trip.
Our Own Private Waterfall & Swimming Hole
However, our hiking day wasn’t over yet. After lunch, Matt took us to another trailhead that he claimed only the locals knew about. Sounded cool to me. The trail was closed off with dangerous-looking warning signs due to the proximity of the fire, but Matt told us not to worry. He’d wait near the top of the trail and would yell down to us if we needed to escape the area. Okay… time for more risk-taking!
We walked down about fifteen minutes, and Katz wondered aloud if every hike in Australia started with a descent, then ended with an ascent. We only got to experience a sample size of two trails, but I thought he had a good point.
Matt had told us to bring our swimsuits, which we took turns changing into behind a rock. Lindsay and I looked dubiously at the water (she hated cold water and I was nervous about what mysterious creatures could be in the water). Meanwhile Katz jumped right in, literally.
Eventually, a couple Aussie women arrived, and we decided we had enjoyed enough of the pool, so we left them to swim in peace (they were A LOT more fearless than Lindsay or I).
Fortunately, we made it to Matt without any fire emergencies, and he drove us back to the train station. We thanked him for keeping us safe and giving us a shot of adrenaline, and waved goodbye as we headed back to Sydney for our penultimate night in town. Next up? New Year’s Eve, which you can read about here.
