Blue Mountains Journal

We saw a couple of goannas crossing the road but I was a bit too slow get a photograph of them.  Then a bit later saw this echidna, again I just about missed the shot.  You can see a better one that I got recently over at Whistlers Rest .

Isn't this an cute little old house.  I wonder if anyone ever used that bath out there?

The grass grows in tufts around here.

In this country there are pagoda rock formations and native cypress trees mixed among the usual eucalypts.

It's pretty country and so green at the moment.  I don't know of the mountain in front is Nullo Mountain.  

We decided to take a Sunday afternoon drive to Nullo Mountain.  The Nullo Mountain State Forest borders on Wollemi National Park which is part of the greater Blue Mountains National Park.

And we reach the end of this series - we found a warm coffee shop for a bowl of soup before taking the ride back home.

That's the Lithgow Flash - Marjorie Jackson - winner of 4 Commonwealth Games gold medals, winner of 2 Olympic gold medals,  the first Australian women to be credited with a world record.

We've arrived. Let's go find some lunch.

That's the old blast furnace, a great spot for photography.  I posted a series on Sweet Wayfaring last year.

After the last of the tunnels we reach the outskirts of Lithgow, a small industrial city.  You can see its heritage in these worker type cottages.

The train goes through a series of ten tunnels on its descent.

That's part of the old zig-zag that was used to get trains up and down the mountain in the past.  They run steam trains for tourists on that line these days.

Bell is a little station. The train doesn't stop here unless you let the guard know in advance.  The railway and highway run through the same corridor most of the way up and down the mountains.

We get some of the wider views to the west before beginning our descent.

That's what weekday commuters usually do - either that or stare at laptops, iPads and mobile phones.  On the weekend people usually gaze out the window. There is a backdrop of cherries here but Blackheath is more known for its Rhododendron Festival held in November.

We are passing by the Hydro Majestic Hotel where people once came to take in healing waters and bracing mountain air.  It's closed for renovations at the moment. The signs say it will reopen in 2012 but I have my doubts because those signs are falling down.

The grass has become so green over the past few weeks and with the trees in fresh new leaf its a delight to the eye.  The green of the non-native deciduous trees is so different from the olive green backdrop of native eucalypts.

Weekday trains carry commuters.  Weekend trains fill with tourists from near and far.  Leura, with its crafty shops is a popular destination.

You get quite a nice view of Wentworth Falls lake from the train.  Spring blossom is in full swing in the upper mountains.  Wentworth Falls is considered the gateway to the Upper Mountains.

The traffic always banks up around Bullaburra, and is generally dreadful on long weekends, hence the choice of a train ride. I will show you something around each of the stations up the line but shooting from a moving train and window reflections made it a rather hard task.

The October long weekend was wet and cold so it seemed like a good idea to catch a nice warm train ride to Lithgow. Here we are on Lawson station, See how the new shops are progressing. Its hard to believe that a year ago our little town looked like this.

At the end of the trip as we emerged back into civilisation, i loved this mail box -- the beauty of nature preserved.

I am always thrilled to see orchids. These are spotted sun orchids the first time I have seen the spotted ones.

Hakea (I think) Here are some more flowers photographed on the drive home but I am saving up the best one for tomorrow. Grevillia Banksia Pomaderris

A little break from spring flowers to take in the scenery

I think the ones with four petals are Boronia and the ones with five petals are Eriostemon. Aren't they lovely.  

There are pea flowers of all sizes and shapes in the Australian bush.  Here are a few photographed on the way home.

Hasn't it been lovely tarrying among the tall trees.  But it is in the sandy soil where the flowers thrive.  I'll show you some of those on the way back home.

Today you get a bonus post because I have been reminded that it is City Daily Photo theme day.  It is a mystery to me why people would want to deface these magnificent trees. Also note the difference between the tree posted earlier today.  They are both smooth trunked but one has a different colour ... I think the one below is an angophora, this is a eucalypt and the ones with dark rough trunks seen in some earlier posts in this series are turpentines. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants