MOUNTAIN BLUES

This autumn, leave Sydney behind and head to the Blue Mountains for an idyllic wilderness escape

WORDS CAROL WEST
PHOTOGRAPHY ROBERT MUIR

Just 90 minutes’ drive from Sydney, amid a million hectares of valleys and expansive plateaux, the Blue Mountains shimmer in a violet haze created by sunlight bouncing off fine droplets of oil dispersed from its vast eucalypt forests.

It’s 6.30am and Tim Tranter from Tread Lightly Ecotours is driving us into the national park, where we nibble pumpkin and orange juice scones and rendezvous with the ‘roos grazing in tall grasslands. Tread Lightly’s treks range from easy to “what the heck am I doing here?”, but the most popular is the spectacular Valley of the Waters. As Tranter interprets the natural world around us, we navigate past two 450m waterfalls that slide over sheer rock faces before tumbling into the cool green fernery below.

On the edge of the Blue Mountains National Park, we clamber up to the Conservation Hut Café overlooking the Jamison Valley.

Sitting on the verandah, the combination of clean air, exercise and spectacular views sharpens our appetite for some cliff-edge eating before we tackle the Giant Staircase at Echo Point in Katoomba. The climb leads us to the stony-faced Three Sisters, a rocky outcrop which tells the Aboriginal Gundungurra Dreaming legend of forbidden love and tribal war.

Hiking the Blue Mountains’
Grand Canyon with
Tread Lightly EcotoursAfter a day of vigorous hiking we head for the comfort of The Edge Cinema. Ensconced in our seats, we explore the mighty Blue Mountains via a feature film projected onto a six-storey-high screen, which takes us on a journey over mist-filled valleys and into plummeting waterfalls until we’re on the edge of our seats.

But with its sprinkling of charming country villages like Katoomba, Leura and Blackheath, the Blue Mountains offers much more than wilderness hikes and spectacular vistas. Stone churches and wooden cottages have been transformed into cafés, gourmet food stores and boutiques, perfect for leisurely days of browsing and buying.

Katoomba’s art deco main street is filled with antique shops, stores and eateries. Producing hand-made chocolates since 1916, The Paragon café-restaurant and chocolatierie has seen a galaxy of famous faces through its doors, from Bob Dylan to Barry Humphries.

Take a tour of the Norman Lindsay
Gallery& MuseumChef Stéphane Stanisic runs Bacchus, a tapas bar that dishes up wafer-thin woodfired pizzas and Mediterranean fare to cool French grooves. Mr Pickwick’s is a labyrinth of books, comics, sheet music, vintage clothing and household paraphernalia. We decide on a big night out and head for Darley’s Restaurant at Lilianfels Resort where chef Hugh Whitehouse creates magical meals at eye-watering prices.

Artisan bakers are scattered throughout the Blue Mountains’ villages and the yeasty aroma of organic sourdough lures us through the door of Conditorei Patisserie Schwarz, where baker Nicholas Schwarz uses a 500-year-old mother culture to produce his hearty breads. Nearby, Teas & Tisanes showcases 90 teas from classic blacks to aromatics along with gifts from Posh Pendants, modern ceramic necklaces strung on fine ribbons by two local designers and wrapped in silver lamé bags.

chocolates from Cafe Josophan’sLeura’s alluring main street is lined with galleries, cafés, arts, crafts and homeware shops, selling everything from candles to musical memorabilia and hard-to-find CDs.

If chocolate is your vice, then don’t miss Café Josophan’s where owner and chief chocolatier Jodie Van Der Velden uses only the finest quality Belgian and French couverture chocolate. Sliding a satin ribbon off the glossy white box, soft centres are infused with Tahitian vanilla bean, fresh mint leaves and even Mayan chilli chocolate while the hot chocolate is to die for! However if tea’s your thing, head for Bygone Beautys where Maurice Cooper and Ronald Hooper have managed to squeeze a collection of 3,000 teapots into their tearooms.

It’s been a long day trekking and exploring, so we consider chilling out in the award-winning Yindi Day Spa where only chemical-free, 100% bio-dynamic skin care products are applied. Instead, I opt for an instant facelift with a Carita facial at Lilianfels Resort & Spa before indulging in a classic afternoon tea in their English-style gardens.

Driving to Blackheath, we visit the Victory Theatre, an art deco antique centre where stalls sell glamorous glassware, jewellery and vintage clothing – all great gear for an area populated by musicians, sculptors, writers, poets and artists. Its most famous son is the late Norman Lindsay whose gallery and museum, set in beautiful gardens, displays some of his controversial art and sculpture.

But to get the best overview of this spectacular wilderness, just stand on the glass floor of Scenic World’s skyway cable car suspended 270m above this Jurassic rainforest home to the Wollemi pine. You’ll be walking on air!

Tim Tranter, of Tread Lightly Ecotours, doesn’t just trek responsibly through the Blue Mountains, he’s just as conscientious about his coffee. “The Red Door serves Morgan’s coffee, roasted in the Blue Mountains but sourced from Fair Trade coffee growers. Their double ristretto latte with home-made scones and strawberry jam is unbeatable,” says Tranter. For pad Thai noodles or a green curry, he heads for Chork Dee, which means good luck in Thai!

Amanda Hersey, owner of the Yindi Day Spa loves all things Greek. She even dresses her therapists Grecian style. “The Greek Taverna is a great spot to gather and share meze, Greek-Cypriot style tapas. The wooden doors concertina onto the street and it has a real cosmopolitan atmosphere,” says Hersey. She rates Triselies as a great late night venue that “kicks ass” featuring international and local jazz, indie and hip hop bands; along with the Baroque Bar at The Carrington.

FIND IT:

Tread Lightly Eco Tours
tel: +61 (2) 4788 1229

Conservation Hut Café
Fletcher St, Wentworth Falls, tel: +61 (2) 4757 3827

The Edge Cinema
225 Great Western Hwy, Katoomba, tel: +61 (2) 4782 8900

The Red Door
134 The Mall, Leura, tel: +61 (2) 4784 1328

Chork Dee
216 Katoomba St, Katooma, tel: +61 (2) 4782 1913

The Paragon
65 Katoomba St, Katoomba, tel: +61 (2) 4782 2928

Bacchus
92 Bathurst Rd, Katoomba, tel: +61 (2) 4782 3965

Mr Pickwick’s
86 Katoomba St, Katoomba, tel: +61 (2) 4782 7598

Darley’s Restaurant
Lilianfels Resort & Spa Lilianfels Ave, Echo Point, Katoomba, tel: +61 (2) 4780 1200

Conditorei Patisserie Schwarz
Station St, Wentworth Falls, tel: +61 (2) 4757 3300

Teas & Tisanes Emporium
38 Station St, Wentworth Falls, tel: +61 (2) 4757 3725

Café Josophan’s
187A The Mall, Leura, tel: +61 (2) 4784 3833

Bygone Beautys
cnr Grose and Megalong sts, Leura, tel: +61 (2) 4784 3117

Yindi Day Spa
The Carrington, 15–47 Katoomba St, Katoomba, tel: +61 (2) 4782 1111

Norman Lindsay Gallery & Museum
14 Norman Lindsay Crescent, Faulconbridge, tel: +61 (2) 4751 1067

Scenic World
cnr Violet Street and Cliff Drv, Katoomba, tel: +61 (2) 4782 2699

Greek Taverna
110 Bathurst Rd, Katoomba, tel: +61 (2) 4782 1217

Triselies
287 Bathurst Rd, Katoomba, tel: +61 (2) 4782 1217

Baroque Bar
The Carrington, 15–47 Katoomba St, Katoomba, tel: +61 (2) 4782 1111