Hello from the Blue Mountains, Australia. If you haven’t heard of the Blue Mountains, don’t worry—I hadn’t either until we started planning this journey. Right now, we are having beers at the Mountain Culture Beer Company in Katoomba.
We arrived in Sydney on Wednesday evening and checked into Ovolo Woolloomooloo, a Small Luxury Hotel where I used Hilton Honors points. The hotel is located on the wharf and the building was originally Sydney’s first fish market and built in 1910. We were upgraded to a spacious two-floor suite. The hotel has a cool rock and roll vibe and the toiletries have great names.
After getting settled, we took an evening walk to the Opera House area. This is the second time both Jane and I have visited Sydney. Jane was here in 1991 during her six-month sabbatical, and I was here in 2007 for work while I was with AAAS, for the International AIDS Conference. Outside of work hours, I explored much of the city, so it’s exciting to return and see it again with Jane.
Thursday started with a relaxing morning before a scenic walk through the Royal Botanic Gardens, which led us to the iconic Sydney Opera House. From there, we took a ferry to Mosmans Bay Wharf, where we took out a boat through our membership in Freedom Boat Club.
The sea was rough that afternoon, with winds exceeding 20 mph. The boat we rented was an older model with an indoor cockpit, a weird boat to drive. It reminded me of the Pontiac minivan we bought after the girls were born. We cruised past the Opera House, went under the Harbour Bridge, and ventured east toward Manly Bay.
After our boating excursion, we returned to Circular Quay for some gelato and took a walking tour of The Rocks, Sydney’s historic district and the original settlement for British convicts in 1788. The tour was filled with stories about the convicts’ lives, and we saw the three oldest pubs in Australia.
Dinner that evening was at Le Foote, where we shared duck pâté and steak frites. The meal was delicious, and the retro soundtrack—a mix of 1950s–70s Spanish, French, and Italian music—added a delightful touch.
Friday we did another walking tour, offering an in-depth look at Sydney’s history, architecture, and green spaces. We heard how the New South Wales government withheld payment of $100,000 to the Danish architect Jorn Utzon for the Sydney Opera House resulting in less than stellar acoustics for the concert halls. We also were told that the Harbour Bridge contains six million rivets.
On our previous visits to Sydney, both Jane and I went to Bondi Beach, so this time, we decided to try Manly Beach, which neither of us had seen before. The ferry ride took 20 minutes and we enjoyed lunch at Fins & Ribs, where we both had grilled barramundi, a delicious Australian white fish.
After returning on the ferry, we headed to the Sydney Opera House to see Elf: The Musical. We arrived early to explore the building. As for the show, it was fine, but honestly, we went for the venue and not the performance (it was the only thing playing this week).
This morning, we checked out of the hotel, took an Uber to pick up a rental car near the airport (MG SUV), and drove along the Great Western Highway (not quite as “great” as it sounds). Our first stop was Wentworth Falls in the Blue Mountains National Park, followed by Echo Point Lookout to see the stunning Three Sisters rock formation. The lookout was packed with people due to the holiday weekend, but the view was absolutely worth it.
We then arrived in Katoomba and checked into the charming Metropole Guest House, full of old-world character with unique features like a library and billiards room (where Jane soundly defeated me). Dinner at Basil Nut, where he had Thai capped off the day.
We ended the evening at the Katoomba Family Hotel, which has a pub with live music. From the looks of the band, they have been performing since 1968 and I am sure they have played a few biker bars in over the last six decades. For these guys, it’s not the years, it’s the miles (actually here it’s the kilometers).
One last thought, is 20,000 steps the new 10,000? Over the past week, we’ve averaged more than 20,000 steps a day, exploring Melbourne and Sydney. It’s been an active and incredibly rewarding way to experience these amazing cities.
Traveling Walters 