Blue Mountains and Sydney by day

We took the Grayline tour to the Blue mountains. They get their name from the hue the hills have as a result of the oils given off from teh Eucalypts in the heat. We stopped en route to see a wildlife refuge and pet and photograph KOalas, Wallabees, and see Wombats, Crocs, and a myriad of birds. After viewing the 3 sisters rock monoliths, we went to a scenic stop for lunch, a ride on the steepest railway (52deg) on earth followed by a walk through the forest floor back to a Gondola ride up to the facility. It was a very hot day and the coach's A/C was not working well. After a stop at the Olympic Village, we abandoned Dave and hte coach in favor of a river ferry ride ($11 for two) back to Sydney. It was a great way to finish a very nice day.

Today we toured 'THE Rocks", an old area of town htat has been revitalized with shops, cafes and hotels. Afterwards, we took a harbor ferry to Darling Harbor for lunch and a bit of Shopping, followed by a monorail ride to Queen victoria building and a return trip to the Sydney tower for OZwalk which we missed the first visit. Sydney harbor is as beautiful as advertized with great modes of transport over and around it.

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