Travel Biography Photo Extravaganza - Part 33.

Impressed by Mangrove trees, I turn my attention to Blue Mountains N.P.

Coffs Harbour was the final area in Australia where I saw mangrove trees flourish. The very first tree I saw was in Port Douglas. It was a single tree submerged to its upper branches by a high spring tide, known Down Under as a King's Tide. A forest of mangroves covers Woody Island, the larger of the two sandbanks making up Low Isles, a coral cay popular with tourists. Unfortunately, due to Woody Island being submerged underwater during high spring tides, the forest was inaccessible to the public.

My first close-up of a mangrove tree, near enough to stand next to one, was at Arlie Beach. Shortly afterwards, I visited a boardwalk which wound its way through a riverside swamp in Brisbane. As far as I knew, there were no mangroves in the Byron Bay area, having believed that I had travelled south of its tropical boundary. Therefore, when I learned that there was a mangrove boardwalk in the Coffs Harbour area, I was both surprised and delighted.

The sight of mangroves has given me an otherworldly feel, which has enhanced my travel experience. But as I travelled further south towards Sydney, it looked as though the mangrove tree had petered out. As far as I remember, I didn't see any mangroves in the Sydney Harbour area.

Sydney was my final stop in Australia. It was also the longest, and included a night spent at an unaffiliated hostel in Katoomba, approximately 60 miles, or 100 km, inland from the city centre. After two nights spent at the YHA City Hostel, across the road from the railway station, I boarded an express train to Katoomba, the administrative town for the Blue Mountains National Park. This two-hour train journey was the only rail travel south of the Equator, along with the return journey to Sydney.

Since I realised that Sydney and its environs were the pinnacle of the entire Australian experience, photos of the city will be saved for the last section before takeoff for the Trans-Pacific flight to Los Angeles. This week, I am posting photos of the first of the two trips out of Sydney. They are in the Blue Mountains N.P. Next week, I'll post about the Palm Beach, a sandbank peninsula north of Sydney, and the filming site of the TV soap, Home and Away.

I spent two days and a night in the Blue Mountains. The forested canyon is named after the blue eucalyptus mist that hovers in the valley, giving the trees a blueish haze. The first day, I spent at the rim, with some hiking around the famous Three Sisters. The second day, I hiked along the trail that winds through the rainforest, pausing at a number of waterfalls that cascaded into the canyon floor. As for visitor numbers, there was a crowd around the Three Sisters area. But once on the hike, I was entirely alone.

The Three Sisters, taken in 1997.

 

This is where this trail differs from the Bright Angel Trail of the Grand Canyon in Arizona. On the latter, the first section between the South Rim trailhead and the 1.5-mile station was quite crowded with hikers and casual strollers. It was only after the 3-mile station that I had the Bright Angel Trail to myself. But here in New South Wales, the whole trail was mine from the start. 

And during the hike, I had a scare. Was that object further up the trail a puma? From a distance, it certainly looked like one. Or even a bear? I slowed down and carefully watched for any movement. Even a hint of movement, and Olympic champion Mo Farah's speed record would have been jeopardised!

Slowly, I approached the object. It still didn't move. It was only when I got close enough to discern that the object was a discarded log, a section of a dead tree. What a relief! This was a classic example of pareidolia, like seeing a face gazing at you from the curtain pattern during the night. 

While I was at the Blue Mountains National Park, I saw that there was a resemblance to the Grand Canyon in the sense of a valley bordered by rims. But that was as far as it got. There were also big differences. Where the Grand Canyon is a desert with the Colorado River flowing along its floor, the Blue Mountains are covered almost entirely by rainforest. Also, the Aussie version wasn't as deep as the American version. Over here, the trail didn't reach the bottom, but straddled along a cliff wall hidden under forest and interrupted by waterfalls. Yet, there is now a section called the Grand Canyon, which might include the trail I used.

The focal point for tourists is the Three Sisters. These are natural rock formations, but got their name from a legend that these rocks were once actual young women. However, when their father saw the Devil arriving to harm them, to protect his daughters, he used a manuscript to cast a spell on them, turning them into three rock pillars and himself into a bird. However, he accidentally lost the scroll after the Devil departed. It was never found, and the girls were condemned to remain rock pillars forever, while he flies around to this day in an unsuccessful search for the key to release his daughters and himself.

A legend it may be, but the story stirred my emotions. To be honest, I have found the legend more feasible to the imagination than the boring explanation from the geologist that these are of a layered rock strata that has suffered erosion.

The first day after arrival was mainly in the afternoon, as the train journey took up most of the morning. But I stayed all of the second day at the park before boarding the train for the return journey to Sydney as the night drew in.

Click here for the link to the Index for the main Biography, covering Weeks 93-96.

Photos of the Blue Mountains National Park.

General view of Blue Mountains National Park.

Details of rock formations.

Try standing on top of this one!

Rim Cliff face Detail.

A short hike to below the cliffs.

A cable car glides over the ravine.

The valley resembles the Grand Canyon.

A panoramic view under the blue haze.

The haze is from the Eucalyptus trees.

Yeah, I guess I was shutter-happy!

On the rim, I didn't travel far.

Another view of the Three Sisters.

Looking up at the rim cliff face from below.

I'm looking at the "South Rim" of the canyon.

Distant view of the Three Sisters, from below.

The blueishness of the forest stands out.

The next day, I begin the hike.

Since the trail runs along a cliff wall, it's fenced.

Looking back at the fenced-off trail.

The fence ends, but the trail continues.

The trail continues for miles...

Through the rainforest.

Yikes! A puma? A bear? No, just a log of a dead tree.

Katoomba Waterfall was near the 3-Sisters.

I pause at this fall.

Leura Falls.

Sylvia Falls.

Emperess Falls.

Wentworth Falls.

The rainforest seems endless.

Another view of Katoomba Falls.

Final view of Blue Mountains National Park.

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Next Week: Palm Beach Sandbank Peninsula.

Travel Biography Photo Extravaganza - Part 32.

Arrival and stay at Coffs Harbour.

Byron Bay is the most easterly point of the whole of Australia. While backpacking this island continent in 1997, Byron Bay, located south of Brisbane, was one of my stops. Since I arrived at Cairns, North Queensland, my direction of travel was towards the southeast. After Byron Bay, the direction took a turn as I headed towards Sydney. That direction was then southwesterly.

However, there was one more location I stopped at before reaching Sydney. That was at Coffs Harbour, a coastal town in New South Wales, which was bypassed by a majority of backpackers at the time. Unlike Byron Bay, where there was no river or harbour, the Coffs Harbour town centre was a 50-minute walk inland from the harbour itself, covering 3.5 km, or just over two miles, and following Coffs Creek as it flows to the sea.

I have no regrets about stopping at Coffs Harbour, even if the location featured low on the backpacker's map. Like all the stops along the Indo-Pacific coast, Coffs Harbour still had much to offer, especially to someone like me who has a preference for natural vegetation which cannot thrive in the UK except under glass.

Coffs Harbour is approximately 30.30 degrees south of the Equator, hence its winters tend to be similar to the British summer - mild with mixed weather patterns. Hence, while I was at the harbour, like at Seven-Mile Beach, the heavens opened and it started to rain heavily. This time, I stood under a shelter, hoping that the heavy downpour would subside similarly to how it subsides after a short while in Britain. But at Coffs Harbour, like at Byron Bay, the rain kept on pouring down relentlessly. How long I stood there, I couldn't be sure, but I wouldn't be surprised that it was for a better part of thirty minutes. But the rain didn't subside. Giving up, I made the two-mile trip back to the hostel looking and feeling like a drowned rat. How I found relief in the comforts of the YHA-affiliated hostel!

This just goes to show the difference between the photos of the rich blue sky over the red desert rock, such as Urulu, featured in all holiday travel brochures enticing the British to visit Australia, and the reality of Australia during a typical winter, especially at the coastal resorts of New South Wales. Ironically, where it's summer in the UK, it's winter Down Under. Furthermore, any UK citizen hoping to "enjoy the North Queensland's summer sunshine" after arriving in January to visit the Great Barrier Reef would be in for a disappointment. It would be in the middle of the monsoon season, with Cairns being the wettest area in the whole of Australia. I know a friend who had a similar experience.

Throughout the entire 1997 Round-the-World backpacking trip, alone in the TV room at the Coffs Harbour hostel was the only occasion where I shed a tear. This was due to receiving brutal teasing from an overweight female after I lost a snooker match in the hostel's backyard. She then won the competition outright, beating all the men, whom she had contempt for. This, after suffering a defeat at table tennis at Arlie Beach, was a reminder of how incompetent I have always been at ball games. Rather, I was much happier delving into the natural beauty of this planet, whether it be the geology of the Grand Canyon, the corals of the Great Barrier Reef, or the mangroves thriving on the Australian coast.

But I could take comfort that I'm not alone. Charles Dickens was a puny boy compared to his contemporaries and lousy at school sports. But by delving into reading, under his pen name of Boz, his writings eventually became famous worldwide.

As such, the next morning, I couldn't wait to get up out of bed, make breakfast, and then set off towards Coffs Creek. Here, a boardwalk, similar to the one at Brisbane, passed through a mangrove swamp. That same morning, on the hostel radio, the times for high tide were broadcast for the local area. Whether I would consider it fortunate or unfortunate, that is a decision for the reader. The tidal range on that day was neap, not very high or low. Hence, the mangrove stems growing from the roots weren't fully submerged. On the other hand, a high spring (or king's) tide would have also submerged the boardwalk itself by a few centimetres, making it non-navigable unless I had appropriate footwear.

The Boardwalk at Coffs Creek.

Where the boardwalk juts out onto the river, there is a fishing platform which also serves as an overlook. I stood there, taking in the beauty of the scenery. Alone, and with nobody challenging me for a ball game, any game, I was content. Directly beneath, a school of fish was crowding an area where I was, I assume, in expectation of a free feed from me as I stood above. Unfortunately, I had to disappoint them, as a first-time visitor, I came unprepared. After a while, a pelican suddenly swooped down and landed in the water directly above the fish. At that instant, all the fish fled, and the bird had to fly off with an empty stomach. The fish then gradually returned. 

Also, to note, this was not the only visit to the creek. I have walked the boardwalk at least twice, once during high tide and again during low tide. The pics below are from the two visits mixed.

The river emptied into the sea a short distance north of the harbour, interrupting a strip of sand into two beaches. North of the estuary, the longer of the two beaches was named Park Beach, which ended at a stubby tongue known as McCauley's Headland. South of the estuary, the short sand strip was North Wall Beach. Offshore, Muttonbird Island was a natural rocky islet turned into a nature reserve. A breakwater joined Muttonbird Island to the mainland, thus forming the harbour. Hence, the harbour wasn't at the river mouth as many others are. At the south of the harbour, a headland, Corambirra Point, parallels Muttonbird Island.

Also in the vicinity of Coffs Harbour, a banana plantation gave partial access to the public. This was the first time I actually saw bananas grow and be harvested, all in their green, immature form.

Click here for the Index to the main Biography covering Coffs Harbour, Weeks 88-92.

Photos of Coffs Harbour, town, creek, and coast.

Coffs Harbour Town Centre.

Harbour Drive, Coffs Town Centre.

Traveller's Palm.

Mangrove root stems are exposed at low tide.

The boardwalk winds its way through the swamp.

The walkway is prone to submergence at extreme high tides.

The boardwalk veers onto the river.

The walk continues on.

Swamp details.

Mangroves at high neap tide.

Mangroves fascinated me!

Mangrove-lined Coffs Creek.

How the creek looks at low neap tide.

Ducks flourish in the river.

The riverbank at neap high tide.

A school of fish expecting a free feed?

Until a pelican swoops in and the fish flee!

One of Aussie's loveliest walks.

A view across the creek.

Calm river reflections, facing upstream.

Coffs Creek empties into the ocean.

Looking north towards McCauleys Headland.

Muttonbird Island as seen from North Wall Beach.

Corambirra Point as seen from Muttonbird Island.

Coffs Harbour as seen from Muttonbird Island.

The Great Divide Range backs the Harbour.

The Ocean crashes against the Eastern Side Lookout.

A banana plantation in the Coffs Harbour vicinity.

The bananas grow within special bags.

A close-up of the unripe banana fruit.

Dressed appropriately for the Aussie winter.

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Next Week: As we approach Sydney, I will visit the Blue Mountains National Park.