The man helping us at Hertz was SO NICE….we got into the interesting conversation about us driving on the RIGHT side of the road where as he says they drive on the "correct" side of the road. I said that they actually drive on the left side of the road. He said his Grandpa told him it was due to our use of Guns in the days of horse travel this is what I found on the Internet:
"All available evidence seems to indicate that the RIGHT-HAND travel predominated in Colonial America from the time of the earliest settlement. The ox-team, the horseback rider, the handler of the lead horse, and even the pedestrian all traveled to the right. A Travelers with hand guns carried their weapons in the hollows of their left arms and traveled to the right, the better to be ready if an oncoming stranger proved dangerous"
He was great, gave us awesome directions. Told us to stop in the lovely town of Leura. He even gave us the name of a wonderful restaurant to have a lentil burger called the Red Door Cafe. We did stop in Leura and we did eat at Red Door cafe it was excellent.
It was getting late so after we checked into our room at the classic Lilanfels Resort and Spa, with a bottle of champagne from our travel agent as a congrats on our 20th wedding anniversary, we took a short drive then walk in Wentworth Falls.
We decide to stay local and casual for dinner…..and we had dinner at Unique Patisserie. Yes, a patisserie that has Malaysian food, Thai food, Chinese food…..
 |
Our room with our anniversary bottle of champagne     |
 |
| Wentworth Falls |
The Greater Blue Mountains Heritage Area is one of several World Heritage sites in Australia, along with the Great Barrier Reef and the Tasmanian Wilderness. It covers 10,300 square kilometers of ancient sandstone plateaus, escapements and gorges, dominated be temperate eucalyptus forests.
Diverse ecosystems and communities of plants and animals coexist within the landscape, dating back millions of years.
The presence of Aboriginal culture is revealed through hand stencils, rock engraving and toolmaking sites throughout the region. With a narrow network of historic walking tracks, staircases and lookouts perched along the edges of the ancient ridges and reaching down to the valley floor, the Blue Mountains includes an incredible diversity of features representing Australia's natural and cultural heritage.
The Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area is hoke to the Darug, Gundungurra, Wanaruah, Wiradjuri, Darkinjung and Dharawal peoples. Their presence is ancient and enduring, with close ties to the land maintained through their stories, and a heritage of hundreds of rock art and occupation sites throughout the Mountains.
As Europeans settled in the area, tourism and mining introduced people from all over the world, changing the way Aboriginal peoples lived in their traditional lands. Their story is one of endurance, where negotiation of landscape brought both fortune and loss.
So many interesting people…check out this link about Dot Butler known as the "Barefoot bushwalker"
One of th best hikes is the National Pass at Wentworth Falls.
WHY BLUE?
What causes the blue haze that has given the Mountains their name? In sunlight, distant objects always look a bit blue, but here the effect is increased by fine droplets of eucalyptus oil from the trees, dispersed in the atmosphere. Haze is said to result when the sunlight illuminates floating particles of dust, water droplets and air molecules that combine with the fine mist of oils.
UNIQUE DIVERSITY
With almost 100 eucalyptus species, as well as, plant and animal communities thriving in the undergrowth and atop cliffs in the dry heath, the area is a magnificent natural phenomenon, and one that is still changing and evolving.
OPEN-AIR TREATMENT
At the begining of the 20th century, the clean mountain air was thought to help those sufferingg from respiratory problems like tuberculosis. Sufferers spent weeks, sometimes months, in the purpose-built hospitals, rest homes and sanatoria. They not only had to deal with painful illness, but were also shunned because of its contagious nature. The Mountains offered respite durling thier dark, uncertain days.
The Mountains have inspired people for generations, drawing artist and writers to the dramatic landscape, and ancient plateaus. The remotness and isolation of the area made it an ideal place for retreat and creativity, and a large artistic, literary and musical community exists here, with many more still making the move up the Mountains for a new lifestyle.
No comments:
Post a Comment