The Blue Mountains of Australia…… the dividing range between the coast and the interior. For twenty years during the penal colony days, no convict made an escape over them. As a matter of fact, the convicts thought “China and the Indies” were on the other side. This massive escarpment is actually the beginning of a 1,000 mile inland plateau which has been carved with fissures, steep valleys and cliffs by eons of erosion. They earned the name “Blue Mountains” because of the blue haze that hangs above them. The blue haze on the mountains reminded me very much of the Blue Ridge Parkway area of North Carolina near where I live in the U.S.A. and were just as hauntingly beautiful.
Driving northeast into the Blue Mountain National Forest, we decided to visit the Jenolan Caves. These caves are the oldest open caves in the world and are filled with dazzling limestone creations and underground rivers. There are lots of tours to accommodate different levels of walking abilities when you are finished touring the caverns you can stop by the café and order lunch.
Beware; you’ll be eating under the sharp eye of the colorful parrots that perch expectantly on the railings coveting your food. FEEDING THE PARROTS IS FROWNED UPON! It’s not good for them. But naturally, Jim who simply can’t follow directions snuck French-fries to them (believe me I didn’t condone this in any way!).
And as usual we ran across the resident Kangaroo!
One of the most iconic rock formations in the Blue Mountain Nation Forest is the crop of three rock formations called the “The Three Sisters”. They stand 3000 feet above sea level and according to Aboriginal legend were originally human:
“The Aboriginal dream-time legend has it that three sisters, 'Meehni', 'Wimlah' and Gunnedoo' lived in the Jamison Valley as members of the Katoomba tribe.These beautiful young ladies had fallen in love with three brothers from the Nepean tribe, yet tribal law forbade them to marry.
The brothers were not happy to accept this law and so decided to use force to capture the three sisters causing a major tribal battle.
As the lives of the three sisters were seriously in danger, a witchdoctor from the Katoomba tribe took it upon himself to turn the three sisters into stone to protect them from any harm. While he had intended to reverse the spell when the battle was over, the witchdoctor himself was killed. As only he could reverse the spell to return the ladies to their former beauty, the sisters remain in their magnificent rock formation as a reminder of this battle.”
“The Aboriginal dream-time legend has it that three sisters, 'Meehni', 'Wimlah' and Gunnedoo' lived in the Jamison Valley as members of the Katoomba tribe.These beautiful young ladies had fallen in love with three brothers from the Nepean tribe, yet tribal law forbade them to marry.
The brothers were not happy to accept this law and so decided to use force to capture the three sisters causing a major tribal battle.
As the lives of the three sisters were seriously in danger, a witchdoctor from the Katoomba tribe took it upon himself to turn the three sisters into stone to protect them from any harm. While he had intended to reverse the spell when the battle was over, the witchdoctor himself was killed. As only he could reverse the spell to return the ladies to their former beauty, the sisters remain in their magnificent rock formation as a reminder of this battle.”
We also ran across “Hartley” a preserved historic village from the 19th century. It was originally a judicial and administrative center for New South Whales’ towns as settlers and explorers moved inland looking for greater opportunity. The courthouse was very busy during that time dealing with a constant stream of robbers, thieves and convicts.
We decided to stay overnight at the Hydro Majestic Hotel Blue Mountains (what a name!). The hotel is currently under renovation and boy did it desperately need it!
The beautiful, shabby, historic hotel was opened in 1904 as Australia’s first health retreat. The historical record says, “The inner workings of the resort were all thoroughly modern and included a steam-driven generator imported from Germany. In fact the Hydro Majestic had working electricity four days before the city of Sydney”
Many famous and notable Australians stayed at the resort including Australia’s first prime minister Sir Edmund Barton (he actually died there), Author of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a handful of opera singers and the first Australian to ever win a gold medal (in Paris, 1900), all presumably taking in the “health benefits” of the retreat.
Many famous and notable Australians stayed at the resort including Australia’s first prime minister Sir Edmund Barton (he actually died there), Author of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a handful of opera singers and the first Australian to ever win a gold medal (in Paris, 1900), all presumably taking in the “health benefits” of the retreat.
The halls would have been hung with valuable art, there were tennis courts, a swimming pool, and spa facilities and in the evening, they would gather in the grand Casino Ballroom (no gambling though) and on the wide terraces with stunning vistas of the Cliffs and Valleys of the Blue Mountains.
The center lobby had a huge fireplace which was crackling, warm and cozy on that chilly evening. In fact, there was also a large Christmas tree in the lobby! In July! That’s when we found out that Australians have a tradition of celebrating “Christmas in July” in order to revel during the cold “wintery” months of their year. Christmas twice a year? I’ll bet the kids love that idea!
Even though the weather was cool, the terrace is where we gravitated for drinks before dinner and lazed there for quite some time, Jim smoking a cigar and the rest of us just enjoying the view.
Our rooms were definitely worn out Victorian luxury, especially the bathrooms which looked straight out of the turn of the century, but we loved even this tarnished ambiance. I’m glad this amazing hotel is being renovated because even in need of a lot of TLC, I could see it was a special place. I hope they are able to retain its historic feel! If you would like to read more about their redevelopment vision, go to The Hydro Majestic Hotel website.
Our rooms were definitely worn out Victorian luxury, especially the bathrooms which looked straight out of the turn of the century, but we loved even this tarnished ambiance. I’m glad this amazing hotel is being renovated because even in need of a lot of TLC, I could see it was a special place. I hope they are able to retain its historic feel! If you would like to read more about their redevelopment vision, go to The Hydro Majestic Hotel website.
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