Eighth day in a land down under

 

Echo Point on the second morning of 2024

The weather on the second day of the new year hinted at clearer possibilities compared to the previous day. So promising, in fact, that instead of hopping into the car and heading directly downtown to pick up some morning grub, my daughter and I drove instead first to Echo Point. At 0700 hours there were a lot fewer people compared to the previous afternoon:

Still, it being just after 7 a.m. might also explain why Amber was looking a bit less than enthused:

Gazing in the direction of the Three Sisters:

It wasn't very long, however, before the mist began obscuring the valley floor below. At least we were in the right place at the right time, which is more than can be said for these unlucky folks:

Downtown Katoomba early on a Tuesday morning. For breakfast we picked up some organic sweet treats from Hominy Bakery, and took them back to our room at the 3 Explorers Motel:

The previous evening Amber and I had gone after dark on the Katoomba Falls Reserve Night-lit Walk. The following morning my wife announced she wanted to have a look as well, so after check-out the three of us drove over to the reserve:

What must be one of the world's shortest gondola rides (720 meters/2362 feet) was already operating:

A crackle of cockatoos in flight:

Katoomba Falls:

The mist eventually caught up with us here, as well. I'm guessing the folks who forked over the Aussie dollars for the Scenic Skyway weren't seeing much from 270 meters/886 feet up:

Leaving the reserve, we stopped for a mid-morning sweet fix at the Blue Mountains Chocolate Company:

For me, it was the scenery evoking Twin Peaks (and revealing my age) that will be the highlight of our short jaunt to the Blue Mountains. For my wife, it was the opportunity to do some browsing in the shops of central Katoomba that she will probably most recall. Though she might choose to suppress the memory of her husband discovering his inner Trotsky at a haberdashery (I ended purchasing a lighter colored version of this socialist cap):

I came close to purchasing a cricket bat in an antique shop, but not this one. The asking price was AU$695 (US$460). Another customer said the cost was reasonable as the bat was signed, but by whom I had no idea:

For lunch we found an empty table at Station Bar & Woodfired Pizza:

The pizza I had was topped with kangaroo meat. Australia's iconic marsupial outnumbers Australians, so no guilt was felt:

While the girls continued their window shopping at another antique shop, I spent time in Mr. Pickwick's Fine Old Books. Despite the many Aussie-themed tomes on the shelves, I couldn't locate a copy of The Fatal Shore by Robert Hughes. Guess I'll have to purchase a new copy from Amazon, and thus ensure the author continues to receive royalties:

Eventually, the time came to leave Katoomba and the Blue Mountains, and head to the coast, and our evening's accommodation, the Bay House Motel in Bateau Bay. It turned out there wasn't much open in the way of dining-in in Bateau Bay, so we ended up getting some food to go:

Pay phones still exist in Australia because the government pays Telstra, Australia's largest mobile network, to do so. The calls are free:

Dining al fresco at the motel:

After sunset we crossed the street to the Blue Lagoon Beach Resort, which has public access to the beach. But only until 1700 hours...:

 

Shu-E ain't afraid of no ghosts:

Ending this entry with "Harbour Town", "a celebration of hedonistic Sydney nights"* from the Sydney synthpop band Icehouse:

*All Sydney-related musical selections come courtesy of Lonely Planet's Sydney guide