See mountain, get cuddles.
Please note: cuddles not included in tour.
It’s a sparkling, new year, and if you are anything like me you probably have spent your last clams on the fabulous party week between Christmas and New Year’s.
Anywoo, there is a new deal for Visa Bureau Platinum Card holders for a day trip out to the Blue Mountains with Adventure Tours Australia. They offer a few one-day tours already as part of the exclusive programme, including tours of the Hunter Valley and the Tablelands, but they have just added the Blue Mountains tour ... *deep breath* ... at 50% off!
You may be enjoying the Sydney summer and just chilling on Bondi beach, but the Blue Mountains is well worth getting off the sand.
The mountain range juts up behind Sydney, and is practically vertical in parts, with gorges and waterfalls carving through the sandstone and secluded valleys below.
Early European settlers thought it was impassable (although the Aboriginals did know of passes through the range) but that rich, farming land lay behind it. China could have laid behind the mountains for all anyone knew, but at least the seemingly impassable mountains kept the convicts from escaping ... that often.
The Blue Mountains get their “blue” haze from the oil given off from the eucalyptus trees (that’s eucalyptus oil brainiac), and still today there are valleys and gorges in the ranges that are almost pristine. A living dinosaur was discovered in 1994 in a remote gorge in the area by a national park field officer: the Wollemia or colloquially dubbed Wollemi pine.
The oldest fossil of this tree has been dated to 200 million years ago, and that one gorge is the sole known place it’s been found in the wild. It’s a living fossil!
Of course now we propagate them, and give mini Wollemi pines as gifts to countries and dignitaries. You can even buy them in special garden centres. But hay, who knows what else lies in those hills.
On the Adventure Tours Australia trip you will take in a 2-3 hour loop walk near the famous Wentworth Falls to see waterfalls, lookout points and walk through hanging swamps and under rock ledges before a pretty decent lunch (which is included).
After lunch is the historic Furber Stairs into Jamison Valley, through lush rainforest and the Katoomba Falls to view the incredible Three Sisters rock formations. From the bottom of the Jamison Valley is the Scenic Railway (fare included), the steepest railway in the world and ride up to the valley rim.
It will be a big day out, and with the 50% deal for Visa Bureau Platinum Card members the clams will go further.
Check out the offer in full, and read about all the other single-day trips on the Adventure Tours Australia single-day tours page on the Platinum Card site.
- Don't forget that you can send in your working holiday stories by via email, with photos or edited video attached and the word “Australia” in the subject box, to and win prizes!
©Visa Bureau 2003-2013
Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.
