Blue Mountain Day
Got a late start since Kathy is still fighting her cold. Went to a place by the Three Sisters Lookout called Scenic World. They have converted an old coal mine lift into a ride that takes you down to the valley floor so you can walk in the rain forest. They bring you back up by means of a cable car, not unlike the gondola at Squaw Valley. You start off in inclined seats that quickly become normal as the ride becomes steeper and you drop several hundred meters. The walk among the ferns and trees if very peaceful when you get away from the groups of school children and chinese tourists. Unfortunately there was no rain in the rain forest today. Scenic World is a tour bus magnet. We counted over a dozen of them in the parking lot when we left.
We continued along the Great Western Highway to Lithgow to see an old steam train. The Zig-Zag Train is a narrow gauge Australian style train. Note the bumper and chain couplers and side opening passenger cars. The engine they were using today is a 4-6-4 coal fired switcher called ‘Storming Norman’. Here you see it ready to pull the 3 PM train out of the station. Back to the motel to get Kathy some rest before tomorrows flight to Melbourne.
Wednesday, April 5, 2006