Day 7 - Blue Mountains

Inner Pilot
Dec 16, 2010
2 min read

Updated: Dec 11, 2024

Blue Mountains

The Blue Mountains are a sandstone plateau rising to just over 1000 meters. They get their name because of the blue hue of the atmosphere, primarily caused by gum tree oils in the air. This geology separates the coastal areas of Sydney with the inland plains of the Bathurst region. Some of the reading I’ve done culturally compares the inland areas of today to Midwest America from a few decades ago. I can see that.

Lithgow Workers Club

Lithgow is a town of about 12,000 and located just as you descend the inland side of the Blue Mountains. I stopped at a “workers club” and was all smiles when I peeked inside. It was a huge complex with many different spaces, including two food serving areas (buffet style), scattered dining areas, a room for “pokies” (what they call slot machines – big over here), pool table areas, etc… I had a great steak and all you can eat fixings. Notice the theme "Hollywood Faces" in the picture.

Doing the Kangaroo Mozzy

I saw my first kangaroos of the trip, which seem to come out in the evening and mozzy around the fields in herds. (I saw this last year too.)

Old Grave Yard with Weather-etched Tomb Stones

My favorite find was an old grave yard with weather-etched tomb stones leaning

randomly.

My Wicked Rear View

In Bathurst I did a U-turn on a green arrow and got a $201 ticket out of it (apparently, you can only do that when there’s a sign that says you can). That makes $488 in tickets on this trip (the u-turn plus $201 & $86 parking tickets in Sydney). I’m ready to change my wicked ways!

I heard an announcer on the radio describe Jesus and his disciples as “Jesus and his mates” (it was a biblical fable for Christmas). I’ve read and experienced Australia as an egalitarian society, and the description of god and man on the same level really speaks to this unpretentious attitude.

Goulburn has a very tall stone structure on an overlooking hilltop. I asked someone about it and was told it’s a lighthouse. She said, ‘which is odd, because there’s no water around here’, as was my simultaneous thought.

They say “arvo” for "afternoon", pronounced like "ah-vo" (their typically silent r).