This article is about the lovely mountain range just west of Sydney named the Blue Mountains.It is named that because when you look into the distance the mountains all appear to be blue. A lot of suggestions have surfaced over the years for the reason why they are blue with some saying its an optical illusion to gum tree haze slipping out of the trees ,however the most sensible solution was put forth by Professor Harry Messel of Sydney University who said that it was in fact an optical illusion called Rayleigh Scattering, called that by Lord Rayleigh who first investigated it. He theorized that rays of light when mixed with scattered particles of water dust and air molecules in various directions cause the effect.I know nothing when it comes to the cause and effect of things ,so we will take his word for it.

It is also about a mountain range that although beautiful in every respect, it also can be quite dangerous,with very deep ravines,high cliff faces, sheer drops and rugged terrain.

It is full of brooks,cascades and running streams that make their way through the undergrowth,bubbling and swirling along only to eventually burst out into the misty mountain air ,only to plummet down on to rocks and boulders below.

It is ideal for tourists ,however a word of caution. These mountains have a lot of paths and tracks through the vine and moss covered ground and you can get completly lost like an english tourist did only a few weeks ago. You should carry a mobile with you or even better you can buy a location device that if you get lost ,you can not only send an alarm ,but give them your exact position.

Jenolan Caves lies roughly thirty two kilometres south of Katoomba and is accessible by road all the way. The road to the caves has a very narrow, winding conclusion,  the cliff sides always dropping rocks caused by soil erosion, onto the road. Buses do go there, but only travel at certain times of the day and no cars or any other vehicles are allowed to travel at these times.

The caves were first used by the public in 1838 then called The Fish River Caves later named The Jenolan Caves in 1884.

Transport in the early days consisted of Cobb and Co coach lines that would rattle their way over rough terrain, so rough in fact, travellers would pay extra to ride up with the driver,while the remaining passengers bounced and somersaulted around inside. When descending the narrow bends down to the caves, travellers were very scared. Here is a good account of how it was was described by a traveller who wrote his memoirs of the trip.

I was really scared as we raced down the mountain, curve after curve took my breath away ,  the coach tipping and swaying around corners that only showed the back two horses of the team .

In the early 1900s, Harry Peckman ran a daily service to Jenolan caves from the back of the Carrington Hotel and he used to stop at the most beautiful scenic places and quote his bush poems over a boiling billy of tea and damper and jam.That would have been really something.

The caves themselves are really beautiful, eleven in all and there are guides to take you on excursions to all cave sites with accommodation at caves house being quite reasonable. I have stayed at one of the cottages and found them very well equipped . 

Katoomba is nearly at the top of the range and it was here that the early Australians use to come for their annual holidays because it wasn't very far from Sydney. It has beautiful scenic spots scattered around the area such as the Three Sisters ,Scenic Railway, Scenic Cable cars and waterfalls galore. Because I love history, this is the area that if you wanted to do it tough, you could walk or go by horse across Megalong Valley to Jenolan Caves. You start off at katoomba, went west to explorers tree just out side Katoomba to a path known as The Six Foot Track. This track descended down the side of the mountain into Nellies Glen. This glen as you start into it was like an arch of complete undercover allowing only a hand full of rays from the sun to filter through and is very dark and lovely. However ,this track is also very narrow and the novice can become quite lost and disorientated . Another great place to visit when at Katoomba is the Leuralla Toy Museum. They have toys here that were first sold over a hundred years ago and the museum is in a two story house that was once owned by Doctor Evatt and his family. Doctor Evatt was a member of parliment some years ago.

There are heaps of accommodation in this area and if you visit the web ,you will find that there are a lot of guest houses and hotels that will accommodate the fussiest person.

The Zig Zag Railway was built between 1866 and 1869 to transport freight by rail from the west to Sydney. It was a very complex piece of engineering with three viaducts built to take the trains to Lithgow. The line zig zagged , back and forth ,ending up at the bottom points where it proceeded on to Lithgow.

In 1972, a group of railway enthusiasts formed a group, to build the railway back up and buy carriages and engines. This created quite a problem because N.S.W. GOVERNMENT RAILWAYS would not sell them any rolling stock so all equipment was bought from the Queensland railway system. Today, the group runs privately with the proceeds going back into the project to keep the line running.

The project is a great tourist destination for the blue mountains and is very ,very popular with travellers from overseas.

To get there, you follow the railway line from Mount Victoria north ,across to Bell, then on to Clarence N.S.W. where the train starts.