Head for the hills

Time to release the shackles of city life and swap for the smell of canvas. Yippee! We packed the car early this morning and tidied Peg's house then hooked up the navman (who we have called Jess so it suits the male or female voice!).

First stop Katoomba in the Blue Mountains and as we drove the rain came in again... I must say I am getting a little sick of the wet :( Amber's ear has been hurting since she got home, and apparently it was hurting for most of the time in the US too, so I was a bit worried. Since it's been public holidays or weekends since she arrived, today was the first day to do something about it and, as we drove into Katoomba I saw a medical centre. Finding parking was a little more tricky but we did eventually find space for both car and trailer and the doc managed to squeeze us between two patients.

Good news... no ear infection, but we got a script for anti biotics. The doc suggested continuing on with the ear drops we picked up at the pharmacy, and if it doesn't improve in a couple of days, go for the script because it might be in deep...

By the time we arrived at Scenic World it was about 11. We checked in a the office with marketing manager Rob Weaver who arranged an explorer ticket for us.Scenic World boasts three different modes of travel spanning the chasms and steep hills. The whispy clouds were starting to clear so we started with the Skyway - a horizontal cable car with a glass bottom which loops between two cliff faces and passes Katoomba Falls. It was magnificent... especially in the remaining clouds.

We took a walk at the other side to the Cascade pools where Amber decided to take up photography and hogged my camera. She looked very professional down on her haunches!

Back on the other side, we headed for the Rail Way which is the steepest rail in NSW (?) Have to check that one in the media pack! A couple of minutes long only, it was quite a ride down to the bottom of the hill and the site of the original Katoomba Coal Mine. A facinating walk through the rainforest took us along a trail of discarded equipment and mine entrances. Then it was back up on the Cable Way with Amber given preferencial treatment with the driver in the front!

Amber's remaining jet lag took over after all this excitment and she rested while I drove the hour and a half to Oberon where we were camping at the closest caravan park to Janolan Caves. It was 5pm when we arrived and our key was in an envelope on the front door waiting us. We pitched tent and broke out the Mastermind! Then got talking to the kids next door... Emma and Reily. When I asked Emma what school she went to she said "Buderim Mountain State School!" which was a shock!

After dinner of spag bog we joined these kids and more at the nearby skate park where Amber ran, rip-sticked and laughed for a hour or so as the sun went down. It's strange having dark come after 8.30 and our bed times are out of wack, but we both snuggled under blankets in the mountain air and were asleep soon after 9.30. Oh, it's good to be camping again!!