Day 5 Australia Adventure (Sydney Blue Mountains)

Off to the Blue Mountains for a full day itinerary planned by Jono. 

He suggested we take the route with tolls to arrive sooner. Google Maps said to turn right, I turned left (dang it, there's that left thing again). Ended up going across the Sydney Harbour Bridge...twice!!! Got stuck in the CBD traffic. Our trek took an extra hour and we still had to pay tolls. You gotta laugh. The motorways in Sydney are nothing like the freeway system in America. Speeds are variable between 40km/hr and 110km/hr. They change often. One moment you think you're on a freeway and the next you're in a school zone or stopping for a traffic signal. Traffic is heavy and parking scarce. It's not uncommon to have to leave your lane, drive around parked cars, and return to your lane just before you exit. Roundabouts are everywhere. 

Went to Scenic World and rode the Scenic Railway, The world's steepest incline passenger railway. Alecia liked the Railway so much, we decided to ride it again and snagged the front seat. An Asian gal, from San Francisco, invited herself to join us. She was so much fun! Both times, we adjusted the incline of our seat for maximum thrill factor. Upon arriving at the bottom, the doors wouldn't open. A precarious position when you're in the front near the cliff's edge. After 10 mins of readjusting, they pulled us back to the top of the train ride to see if the doors would release up there. Another 10 mins at the top, doors still wouldn't budge, so the maintenance crew pried the doors open. 

Next, we rode the Skyway glass floor tram across the Jamison Valley, and the cableway, which is the steepest and largest aerial cable car in the Southern Hemisphere. 

Trunkey Creek: Chorizo, Salami, Peppi, & Mozzarella on thin crust. The sauce was...AMAZING!

Drove to Leura to dine at Leura Garage, which closed permanently January 25, 2023. To give you an idea of dining prices, Leura Garage would be comparable to Wenatchee's McGlinn's. The pizza was about the size of an American medium pizza with no option for a smaller or larger version. The cost was $27, tax included, no tipping. The American dollar is strong here so our credit card takes the conversion into effect and we estimate we were probably charged around $20. The card reader, to pay for our meal, at the register stopped working. Ran across the street and withdrew some Aussie cash from the ATM to pay for the meal while Alecia stayed behind so they didn't worry we would dine and ditch. 

Drove back to Mosman across Anzac Bridge (commonly referred to by the locals as Madonna's Bra Bridge) and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which you can climb (a variety of ways) if you're feeling adventurous checkout Bridgeclimb Sydney.

Picked up by Jonathan Moody and Emily Hoffman for a night out at Barrel Bar and Dining which has since permanently closed We dined on typical Aussie Cuisine: Spicy Chicken Wings

Salmon Belly Confit, BBQ Spanner Crab, Broccolini, Flank Steak with Oyster Mushrooms, Pork Belly with Red Cabbage

Chips with Aioli

The food was exquisite and the company superb. What a great way to cap off the day. While we have thoroughly enjoyed all the sights and sounds Sydney offers, the best part of our trip has been spending it with great mates who are local. Tomorrow we are off to Cairns (pronounced cans) and Port Douglas. Catch you on the flip side.