The Hunter Valley and Blue Mountains

The Hunter Valley is famed for its wines and we drove past a great many vines.  On this occasion we did not stop at any of the cellar door offerings but instead enjoyed the undulating countryside.  Stopping off at Lake St Claire for a brew, we had the place to ourselves.  The idea was to camp by the lake, but the persistence of the mosquito population quickly changed that plan and so we motored on to a place named Broke which was free from the little critters.  

 

We took the Putty Road next day.  Mike had driven this before and thought it a good route.  Starting out with distant views of a vast coal mine, the start doesn’t look too promising.  However, the scenery quickly changed to winding roads climbing the mountains, then through deep valleys with cattle grazing on the hillsides.  The Yengo National Park showed its best to our left whilst the Wollemi National Park competed for our attention to the right. 

The Wollemi pine was thought extinct but in 1994 a few specimens were discovered somewhere in the park, the actual place remains a secret.  It has now been propagated in many parks throughout Australia and overseas.  There’s even a plantation of them in the UK, at the Marks Hall Arboretum near to where we used to live.

Stopping off at the Grey Gum cafe, a haunt for motor cyclists, Mike enjoyed quite the largest slice of apple pie he’d ever eaten whilst by comparison, Kim’s delicate passion fruit fancy looked positively puny.

Overnight camping at Lake Lyall was beautiful.  Our visitor was a very tame one legged duck who enjoyed sharing our morning tea and biscuits.

Turning west into the Blue Mountains we stopped off at Bilpin, an afrea that grows apples and peaches.  Then on again to towns of Katoomba and Leura.  A pleasant downhill stroll followed the Leura Cascade to where it suddenly dropped over the edge and fell for a couple of hundred metres to the valley below.  The views were magnificent.

The Blue Mountains are so named because from a distance they do actually take on a bluish tinge.  We took in several of the noted viewing spots but undoubtedly the best was Sublime Point, a rock precipice that provides a 270 degree vista, including the famous ‘Three Sisters’ rocks.

Then we spotted some clouds.

Within a few minutes the weather changed from a warm, balmy day into a torrential downpour.  We made it back to Vin Rouge just in time, abandoned any thoughts of camping in the mountains and took a fast drive to Sydney, to stay with friend Peter and Katherine, who welcomed us with G&Ts and dinner.  Bliss!