I’m starting a new series today. Hubby was helping out on a weekend excursion to Wellington Caves a few weeks ago, and I tagged along. I will post photos from the trip over the next week or two (or more).
We had a quick stop in Lithgow on our way out west. It was good to glimpse some autumn colour away from Sydney. Different from my last visit in Lithgow, when I visited the blast furnaces.
Finally, we took a drive around the park. It was really quite extensive. When we climbed up the hill we had a great view to the Blue Mountains and the city. We were surprised to find that the suburban crawl was just below. Seems like the land that makes up the gardens were saved at just the right moment.
Some more wonderful scenes from along the Glen Alice Road.
Glen Davis is a small village deep in the heart of the valley. It was established primarily to house the employees of the nearby shale mine, but when that closed the town became a ghost of its former self.
Nothing however takes away from the location. The sandstone cliffs seem to close in the closer you get to the town. This has to be one of the most beautiful, and unique, landscapes in Australia.
Unlike the most mid Blue Mountains valleys, the Capertee Valley is entirely accessible by car – meaning that we saw some very special views.
We had showers all morning, but the mist and rain made things even more special.
Now this was completely new territory for me. The Capertee Valley sits on the western edge of the Greater Blue Mountains area, and (as the tourism literature told me) has the distinction of being the widest canyon in the world.
This was my first glimpse of the valley, from the lookout on the Castlereagh Highway.
Even from a distance, one could see the deep valleys and wonderful sandstone rock formations. It is as scenic as the more famous Jamison and Grose Valleys, I think.
We’ll end our little visit to Wenty Falls with a close-up of the cliff face. I am in awe of those crazy surveyors from the Victorian era who carved steps all the way down it.
Hidden from the view are the many waterfalls in the area. We went to a ‘new’ one this time that was really close to the lookouts, called Den Fenella Falls.
Deep shadows form in the valley as the spring sun sank. The light wasn’t yet golden, but still satisfactorily warm.
A bird’s eye view of the top of Wentworth Falls is always a must – especially after you’ve tackled all those steps up from it.
Static and Silence 