Visit To The Blue Mountains-Part Three

F Family cabin built in 1887
Oberon, NSW train station now a museum

As I said, we took the long way,stopping at Oberon, and we were thankful for our decision. Oberon taught us a lot about Australian development. Mrs Laurie McMahon, a descendant of pioneers, runs the museum which is dedicated to life in Oberon in yesteryear's. Winter comes with a vengeance to Oberon, at 2000 feet above sea level and exposed to open plains. We were treated to a tour and viewed collected artifacts from the rough days of early settlement, through the advent of the railroad, radio days and up up present times. The farm cabin was in use for almost 100 years and is the real ting. No heat, no plumbing, no electricity even up to the end. It is decked out almost as though you had stopped by at the turn of the century. The railroad doesn't go anywhere. It was built in the early 20s to bring out copper from a local mine. Just as it was completed the copper ran out. And there is an 18 hole golf course that has a unique was of keeping the grass trimmed. Grazing kangaroos. No kidding.

I know this is really out of the way for most tourists, but for the adventurous, give it a try. Or read about it in my book, Our Summer in Australia and New Zealand.

VISIT TO THE BLUE MOUNTAINS-PART TWO

Reading room. HYDRO MAJESTIC HOTEL

Near Katoomba, we found the Hydro Majestic Hotel, a massive resort built by Mark Foy in 1904. This is where prosperous Australians "summered" as was popular during that Golden Era. It had a casino, hugh ballroom, pool room, tea rooms for the ladies. therapeutic baths, and looking across the reading room the glass enclosed men's cigar room. There were cottages across the rail line for maids, chauffeurs, valets and governesses...a place they called Siberia.
During WWII it was converted to a convalescent hospital for American serviceman injured in the battle of the Coral Sea. You must stop by and take a walk through, and time permitting some lunch on the terrace overlooking the mountains.
Leaving the Majestic, rather than take to main road to our overnight destination, we drove a circuitous route of 40 miles through open country to Oberon, not something the average traveler would do. We were glad we did. There is more in my book Our Summer in Australia and New Zealand.

OUR GOLF IN AUSTRALIA

Golf was once in the middle of the outback. A $2 sand greens course.

Number 12 at Moore Park a muni with Sydney in the background

Our golfing experience was different from the United States. If you were a casual tourist and golfing as part of a package or a round or two over a several week vacation you might not notice. But over our thirty rounds of golf in Australia, plus another ten in New Zealand, one difference was that we always walked. Not that you couldn't rent a cart, but the culture did not promote riding. That was fine with us. The second big difference was the cost. The culture of golf in Australia is to make it affordable for everyone. Certainly at select clubs and courses one could spend $200-300 a round. But at Moore Park, a respectable municipal course within the Sydney limits and only a fifteen minute drive from our home in the suburb Coogee, the rate was $26 plus $5 for a pull cart if you did not have your own. At another muni., Kogarah, the cost was $23 and included a beer at the clubhouse after the round. At Moore Park a member has no initiation fee, annual dues are $2700 and as a member you only pay $5 a round. Unlimited golf. Part of the reason for golf's affordability is that the government contributes out of public recreation funds. Also there are slot machines at most clubhouses that also defray costs. Australians like to gamble, and "Pokey" machines are ubiquitous at golf courses. Not overdone, and often set aside, but they are there. One of our favorite courses in the Sydney vicinity was St. Michael's, that had 9 holes alongside the ocean...a mini Pebble Beach. Finally, golf is everywhere in Australia. Way out in the middle of the outback there is a now abandoned 9 hole sand greens golf course that cost $2 to play. The town closed down when the trains changed to just refueling on their way across country. Go golf Australia, its everywhere and you won't find better companions.

Visit to the Blue Mountains-Part 1.

Elysee gazing over the vast Blue Mountains.




The Three Sisters, Blue Mountains NSW Aust.

Our first excursion from Sydney during a three month stay was a three day exploration of the nearby Blue Mountains. These mountains, about a 2 1/2 hour drive west of our summer home near Sydney, offer numerous panoramic vistas, an interesting history, and presented a marked contrast to modern day Sydney.

The Blue Mountains are part of a two-thousand mile chain that sweeps along the east coast of Australia called the Great Dividing Range. So named because it divided the early settlements on Australia's east coast from the vast interior.West of Sydney they rise to an elevation of 3,000 feet. They are very rugged, oftentimes having shear drops of 500 feet or more, and in the late 18th and early 19th century provided a formidable barrier to westward expansion.

Several expeditions had been formed, all failing to find a suitable route through these mountains, until 1813, twenty-five years after the arrival of the First Fleet, Australia first convict settlement. The three adventurers Blaxland, Lawson, and Wentworth reported their finding to Governor Macquarie and by 1815 a road had been blazed and westward expansion began. Beyond the Blue Mountains the land opens to a vast level plain, fertile fields and an outlet for future expansion and development.

Elysee and I left Coogee about 9am on a Tuesday and followed the same pathway as the three explorers, now called the Great Western Highway, heading for Leura/Katoomba, the location of the Three Sisters and our first overnight stop.

HARBOR BRIDGE

A view of the Opera House and Sydney harbor from near the top of the bridge



Sydney Harbor Bridge, also named the Coat Hanger and the Iron Lung

Since 1998 anyone in good health and there have been many 90 year olds, can climb the iconic Sydney Harbor Bridge. Yes, 1439 steeps steps up to the summit at 440 feet above the harbor. What a great expedience. You are suited up, given a safety lecture and when your groups time comes tethered to a cable to begin your climb. A group of about twenty leaves around every 20 minutes, and I hasten to add it is very safe. Over one-million people have made the climb, including a 100 year old women. The views from the top are unparalleled. Begun in 1924 and called a "giant coat hanger by Sydneysiders, since it also kept so many steel workers busy during the great depression they named it the Iron Lung. It was to be the largest steel arch bridge in the world but by the time it was opened on March 19, 1932 the Bayonne New Jersey bridge had been completed , coming in twenty-inches longer. This will take you about a half-day altogether, you must make an appointed time in advance, and it is a DON'T MISS on my list of things to do in Australia.

SYDNEY'S FAMOUS OPERA HOUSE

The Opera House as seen from the harbor.







An unusual view if the famous Sydney Opera House taken high up on the equally famous Harbor Bridge.





After the Melbourne Olympics of 1956 Sydney found itself slipping to second place as Australia's premier metropolis. Concerned citizens decided to upgrade Sydney's cultural image by building and opera house. Using the famous American/Finnish architect Eero Saarinen to sort through the international competition, the design by Danish architect Joern Utzon was selected. Built for about 11 or 12 times over projected cost, and using a roof design never before attempted, Mr. Utzon never saw his work. But, after a decade the project was finally completed, a building of world fame and an icon of not only Sydney, but Australia. We attended a performance in the 1500 seat concert hall, dining first in the nearby district called the Rocks, at a restaurant named Rockpool, a center for Australian nouveau cuisine. This restaurant, owned by Chef Neil Perry prides itself on using only the freshest ingredients from local producers. I highly recommend it. As for the Opera House it is a must see along with the Eiffel Tower and the Tower Bridge. More than an opera venue, it is Australia's premier center for the performing arts.

OUR FIRST DAY IN AUSTRALIA

Elysee in PJs reading at 3am

Although we tried to remain awake into the late evening, following our long journey to Sidney, thinking that we would sleep longer the next full day and reset our biological clocks, we soon became walking zombies. Following an early supper at a local Italian restaurant in Coogee, we succumbed to the inevitable and went to sleep at 8pm. Naturally, not being adjusted to the time change. we awoke bright-eyed and ready for our first full day; but it was only 3am. After an hour or so, me wiring up my communications devices and Elysee writing postcards announcing our safe arrival, we returned to bed for another six hours sleep. We awoke the second time to a glorious Saturday morning, sun shining over a sparkling Tasman Sea just outside our door, and ravenously hungry. Our Australian adventure had begun.