From our extremely rustic frost‑bite farm stay, we pointed the Trailblazer toward Lithgow. On the map we’d picked what looked like a cute little national‑park stroll… which turned out to be Secret Creek Sanctuary — a private setup breeding endangered critters. Semi‑interesting, slightly backyard, and featuring two emus who were far too friendly with each other. We gave them space. A bloke moved in immediately to film the action. Takes all sorts.
From there we kicked off our Blue Mountains run.
Caravan park: $95 a night for a powered ensuite site. After the minus‑7.8 icebox experience, we weren’t arguing. Booked two nights, then hit the National Park info centre.
Holy moly — 100+ walks. No chance of doing them all, so we picked a couple of the big names. Warm‑up was a short lookout walk near the centre. Appetite officially whetted.
Next morning: cold, misty, almost raining. Perfect weather to question our life choices… but we went for the Grand Canyon Walk anyway. Supposedly 2.8 km. Reality: closer to 8 km once you add the in‑and‑out, the creek sections, and the “ooh look at that” detours.
The track drops you down into a lush canyon, following a creek under towering cliffs and dripping ferns. Calling it spectacular is an understatement. It’s one of those places where you keep saying “wow” until you run out of adjectives.
We met two young ladies from Canberra and ended up playing tag with them the whole way. They were convinced we’d be slow — but the old tortoises became the young hares on the climb out. Great canyon mates, great reminder not to assume anything.
Next day: worse weather. Foggy rain, visibility about three metres. Decided to drive to Katoomba anyway to see if we could glimpse the Three Sisters.
Even in pea‑soup fog, the place was pumping. Parked 2 km away and walked along another cracking ridge track. Couldn’t see down — which actually helped with my new height phobia. Ever since the cataract surgery (one long‑distance eye, one close‑up eye), my brain’s depth perception has gone rogue. Dr Google/AI says it’s a known side effect. My brain now screams: RUN AWAY FROM THE EDGE. Makes sense to me.
When we reached the Sisters, we could just make out their shapes. Then — magic — the clouds parted for about 15 minutes. Enough time to get a proper view and understand why they’re so famous.
Walked back in improving conditions… until the fog swallowed us again.
Back to the park, warmed up, and got ready for the drive off the range
