It may not be obvious at first glance, but Blue Mountains is full of waterfalls – I think I will be able to show you at least 40 of them and I’m sure there are more. Most of them are relatively small, some require rainy days to demonstrate its’ beauty, but if you are a true waterfall fan, size shouldn’t matter, right? Read more…
If you happened to be in Katoomba or Leura region of the Blue Mountains on the wet and rainy day – don’t miss Leura Cascades, if you are lucky, they will be filled with water and present a truly nice view.
What I like about Sydney’s Blue Mountains is that among all famous and heavily promoted tourist places you can always find a quiet and serene spot, where you can enjoy the view without being crowded by hundreds of people. Read more…
If somebody asked me what is my favourite place in Blue Mountains, I would definitely think about this spot. This gem is located just 7 kilometers from Blackheath and getting there involves some dirt road driving, walking and hiking. All of this combined with great views makes this location a perfect place to experience Blue Mountains.
“Only an angel could land on it!” exclaimed one of the explorers after looking at this magnificent 450m high monolith in 1916. A bit later, thanks to that phrase, this rock was named as Angel’s Landing and today, located in the middle of the Zion Canyon in southern Utah, this mountain features one of the best hikes of the region. Read more…
St. Mary’s Peak is the highest mountain in the Flinders Ranges National Park and the second highest peak in South Australia. This 1171 metre peak is located on the North-East edge of the Wilpena Pound and offers breathtaking 360-degree views of the Flinders Ranges, Wilpena Pound and surrounding plains.
Alligator Gorge is a few meters wide canyon that cuts through the old quartzite rocks in the northern part of the Mount Remarkable National Park in South Australia.
Very well known to everybody, Katoomba is one of the major tourist attractions in the Blue Mountains and Sydney area. Mountains, cliffs, lookouts, waterfalls, skyways and tourist trails – all of these are located just next to each other and suitable for all kinds of visitors. As all of this is well described in travel guides and photographed millions of times, everybody would think that nothing can surprise in that area.
Marked only on topographic maps – Palona Cave is located in the middle of the Royal National Park – the first Australian National Park established in 1879.
Primarily, this park is famous by its coastal views, Australian bush, rainforests, and activities available for Sydney locals and turists – bushwalks, bike riding, camping, kayaking and etc.
To get to the cave, drive to the Lady Carrington Drive and Sir Bertram Stevens Drive intersection, and park your car near the large set of stone gates - that will be at the beginnig of the Forrest Path Track.
Follow this track for approximately 1800 meters until you reach the sign “Limestone Cave 1.6km” – you will see the back of this sign on your left. You will need to take a right turn here and walk 800 meters to the cave.
At first, this small cave looks like hundreds of other caves of this type – just a big rock platform hanging above you, but because of the limestone, it has stalactites and stalagmites like in real caves.
If you look carefully, you will find some stalactites and stalagmites joined into columns of differents sizes and shapes, forming some very interesting sculpures like
- banana (above)
- ribs (above)
- frozen waterfall made of limestone (below)
Those “ribs” separate a small space from the rest of the cave, creating a place that we called a bedroom, and probably, it had been used by aboriginals as a bedroom some long time ago.
While you’re there, don’t miss a small but nice waterfall – Palona Falls, it is only 20 meteres from the cave, just follow the track a little bit further.
Additional Information:
- Bushwalking notes for “Lady Carrington Drive to Palona Cave”
- Official page of the Royal National Park
- images on flickr
Bald Rock National Park is located in the New South Wales Northern Tablelands next to the Queensland border, approximately 750 km from Sydney and 250 km from Brisbane. Park entrance is in 30 kilometres north-east of Tenterfield, follow Mount Lindesay Road to get to the car park and camping area. Read more…
