The Anti-Mainstream Spot in Blue Mountains

Have you ever heard of Blue Mountains? The mountain range in New South Wales. Have you ever been there? If you have, which part did you explore? If you haven’t, maybe you can read this article to find out where to go next.

I didn’t know anything about Blue Mountains when I first came to Sydney while some of the people I knew had put it in their to-go list before coming to the state. Nobody recommended it to me either. I just happened to know it on Google when I was looking for a place to hike.

It came some results and the one that got my attention was Wentworth Falls. And so the journey began.

How To Get There

Since I didn’t have a car, I went to Platform 1 in Central Station. You might want to ask the clerk to make sure where the platform is because they changed the platform suddenly when I was in the toilet. It was supposed to be platform 8. So I needed to run to platform 1 to catch the train. Not bad for a warm-up tho.

After about 2 hours, I arrived at Wentworth Falls Station. The chilly air welcomed me as I got off the train. It was a good day. The summer sky was clear, the sun was bright.

I tapped my Opal card to get out of the station and was surprised to find out that it only charged me $3 to get there from Central. For backpackers, every cent counts.

From Wentworth Falls Station I walked to the Wentworth Falls led by Google Maps. But I found out that the signs were pretty clear. So while paying attention to the phone, I relied on the signs as well.

It was quite far, to be honest. I walked for almost 3 km. At first I wasn’t sure I took the right way. Because I passed through residential area. But what to say? Google Maps led the way.

Finally There!

After a long walk, I finally reached the threshold. Again. Uncertainty hit me. In Indonesia, almost every touristic place is crowded. We can see people head to the same direction. But I saw nobody in the Blue Mountains area.

I walked towards the walking tracks anyway. I thought it’d be a long walk but after around 100 km, I found a lookout and some people taking photos. Finally – people.

Nothing much I could see and do at the lookout point so I continued walking through the walking tracks. Each step got more exciting. It was my first time being in Australia’s National Park, so every sight amazed me as it’s totally different from what I usually saw in my home country, Indonesia.

Jamison Lookout

From Jamison Lookout, I walked along the track to wherever it led me.

Not long after, I saw 2 small falls.

I figured that those falls were connected to the main falls which was Wentworth Falls.

To see Wentworth Falls wholly, I got to walk further. And there I arrived at The National Pass – my favorite! It’s a walking track that’s chipped into the side of the cliff. I could see the spectacular view of the region.

Wentworth Falls

The Way Down

The track was actually long. I could’ve walked down to see Wentworth Falls from the bottom of the cliff. But it was late already and I couldn’t see the end of the track because it was so narrow and steep.

So I decided to stop at the end of the straight track, took some photos and videos, and went back to the picnic area to have a late lunch. I brought a portable stove and cooked a simple meal. It was a nice day!

Surprisingly after having that light hike to Wentworth Falls, my friend told me that he had just been to Blue Mountains as well. I thought he went to the same spot. But he said he tried the scenic railway – the steepest cable-driven funicular railway in the world. The historic Katoomba Scenic Railway has the steepest incline of 52 degrees. I was like, oh wow, interesting! But a ticket must be purchased to ride the railway. It’s around AU$35/adult.

Quite pricey for me but I’ll probably try if I get the chance to. Someday.

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