Katoomba, Christmas 2024

I only had a little time off over Christmas, because, as I had only been in my new job for a few months, I didn't have a lot of annual leave banked up. Regardless, Jen and I decided to get away for a little bit, and took a road trip to Katoomba (or more accurately, Blackheath), as neither of us had been to the Blue Mountains before. We left early on Christmas Day.

The drive down was nice. We stopped for fuel and coffee in Stanthorpe, and Jen took the wheel for a little while until we stopped at Bluff Rock, just South of Tenterfield, for a sandwich and short break. Following this we continued over the highlands to Armidale where we stayed at the Deer Park Motor Inn for the night.

The Deer Park Motor Inn's main attraction is, predictably, a small herd of deer that they keep on the premises. Guests can feed the deer each afternoon, so we arranged to do this with the owner. While we were feeding the deer, he remarked that they used to have a male deer, but he died some time ago. It was okay though, the owner said, because we could still see his mounted head in the dining area. Interesting turn of events. We thought about taking part in the free continental breakfast the next morning, but ended up leaving quite early, so we never did get to see the deceased buck.

The next day we continued on via Tamworth and Musswellbrook to Blackheath. In the morning we had a bit of a rest stop at Moonbi Lookout, which has quite a nice view over the surrounding countryside.

After passing through Musswellbrook and stopping for fuel, we passed through Denman then on to the Bylong Valley Way. I had a little trepidation about this route as I had read some bad reports about potholes and creek crossings. While the road was a bit rough, it seems to have had some major renovations over the past couple of years, which was good news. The views along this route of the mountains are quite spectacular, winding over ranges approaching massive cliffs and bluffs.

We stopped for lunch at The Saffron Kitchen & Cafe in Rylstone and shared a really nice ham, cheese and mango chutney toastie. Since it was Boxing Day, the place was short-staffed, but the lady serving and cooking the meals did a great job multitasking.

We eventually left the Bylong Valley Way and made our way to Blackheath via the Great Western Freeway, the peaks of the Blue Mountains gradually nearing until we started ascending to the highest towns in NSW.

We checked into the High Mountains Motor Inn in the mid afternoon and had a bit of a rest before going for a drive to find some dinner options. I had googled a few candidates in Blackheath, but they were all shut for Boxing Day or a lengthier Christmas break, so we ended up looking further afield and driving to Katoomba. We were going to try a Vietnamese restaurant, but it was absolutely packed with a long line of people waiting for tables - which probably meant they were good - so we ended up going across the road to Three Sisters BBQ Chinese Restaurant instead. We shared a garlic beef stir fry, which hit the spot.

After dinner, since we were in Katoomba, we decided to check out the Three Sisters Lookout. Although it was quite crowded, the views were really spectacular and we waited around for the sun to set before driving back to our motel in Blackheath for a rest.

The next morning we popped down the road to Altitude Delicatessen to share a turkey & brie toasted sandwich while I imbued myself with caffeine, and then we went for a short drive to have a look at some of the lookouts at Blackheath.

Our first stop was Govett's Leap, which looks down into the massive canyon to the East of Blackheath. Nearby is Bridal Veil Falls which tumbles and impressive height into the valley below.

We stopped in at the Blue Mountains Heritage Centre, which is near Govett's Leap. The Heritage Centre has a nice little theater showing some beautiful photography of the area, and is a great place to get a bit more information about hikes and other tourist attractions.

Following Govett's Leap, we had a look at the Rhododendron Garden, which was a bit of a disappointment - probably the wrong time of year. It didn't help that there were 'beware of snakes!' signs posted everywhere, as Jen has a phobia of them!

We then took a little drive out to Anvil Rock Lookout. This also has absolutely spectacular views. While were were there, it was really blowing a gale. At one spot where I stopped, well back from the cliff, Jen was concerned I would be blown off! But I think she underestimated how overweight I am.

After our morning adventures we had a bit of a rest at the motel for a while before heading back down to Katoomba that evening to Station Bar & Woodfired Pizza, where we shared a crocodile pizza.

I was quite interested in checking out Blackheath Lookout as I had heard good things about sunset there, so after dinner we popped back up the hill and took some winding backroads until the bitumen petered out and we were making our way along a winding gravel road in the fading afternoon light. We made it to the lookout with a good half hour to spare. The area is pretty good, as it doubles as a hang glider launch point and there is an observation area with fake turf where we were able to set up and wait for the glorious sunset.

The next morning we went to the Norman Lindsay Museum and Gallery, which I had been meaning to visit for a while. The entry fee was modest, and in addition to seeing Norman's amazing artwork, we were lucky enough to be given a tour by one of the staff which gave us some really interesting insights into the life of Norman and his wife Rose. I'd highly recommend checking it out if you are ever in the area.

The following few days were spent doing a bit of road tripping and plant shopping! Some of the highlights were the Blue Mountains Botanical Gardens, Lincolns Rock, a very popular selfie spot, and Windyridge Garden at Mount Wilson, where Jen was able to buy some hydrangea to bring back for our own garden.

On the way home we decided to break the drives up differently. The first day we smashed out 8 1/2 hours to Glen Innes, passing through Mudgee and Coolah, following the Black Stump Way for a bit before turning off on to Purlewaugh Road and making our way to Tamworth, Armidale and ultimately Glen Innes for the evening.

The epic drive was good, because although we arrived at around 4pm at Glen Innes, we had a good sleep that night at the Glen Innes Motel followed by a much appreciated continental breakfast, and it was only another 4 1/2 hours to Brisbane the following day, with a short stop in Warwick to buy a massive watermelon!

Although it was short, this trip had some epic views and was a great break. I enjoy these types of road trips, and I hope we can get back to the Blue Mountains to do some further exploration, as we barely scratched the surface this time.