Friday

Today we checked out of our rooms bright and early before going off to get the bus for our tour to the Jenolan Caves. Legend has it that they were discovered by a convict who lived in them for a number of years before being apprehended by local police who as a result discovered the first of these cave systems. It was an hour or so drive out into the mountains and it was absolutely stunning scenery, we even stopped in a little colonial town called Hartley for a quick photo op. We also drove along a very high up ridge looking down into the valleys and then down through a winding canyon towards the caves. We managed to see lots of kangaroos on the way, plus at one stage the coach driver (an excellent and glam lady who didn't seem like the trucker type) had to slam on the brakes as there was a giant wombat asleep in the road. He awoke and trundled off eventually.

Got to the caves, which were instantly impressive, especially as today was very bright and sunny so all the contrasting colours in the area were very vivid. First of all, we went on a self guided tour of Nettles Cave and The Devils Coach House - two open 'twilight' caves. We got to use those funny telephone things - much hilarity. The caves were incredible though, and we got some good dramatic pics, as well as some of winky shaped stones - a must do. Afterwards, we went for a walk around The Blue Lake, which was very picturesque and beautiful, though not really blue today, more green, before having a quick bite for lunch, and a look around the museum bit and the shop.

We then got to go on a guided tour of another cave, this time an enclosed underground one called the Orient Cave - apparently it is in the top 10 limestone caves in the world, though who compiles this list we are not sure. Nevertheless, we had a fun old school guide with a big white moustache and listened to all the very informative geology and history, though we cannot remember any of that clever stuff now. The cave itself was unbelievable, the crystal formations, colours and shapes were mad and genuinely beautiful to see - it would have been seriously frightening stuff to be an explorer wandering about there mapping the caves as when we saw bits with the lights out it was proper darkness. We took lots of photos but not a single one of them does the place justice, it really was so beautiful.

We got on the coach to go back, and there was a delay waiting for some of the people that had been on a cave tour that was running late and we were subjected to the full horror of an old English couple on the coach. They started telling the coach driver about the tour they did on the way up here (pretty much moaned about every element of it) and in particular were going on about how the guide was very annoying and wouldn't stop telling them stories. However, they then went on to recite all of these stories, and WOULDN'T STOP! This went on for a LOOOONG time, during which, the coach driver was mainly polite, but at one stage actually just got up and left the bus. What a legend. She then turned the engine on to drown out the noise of them talking and eventually they stopped. Journey back was uneventful, Nik slept, Hannah looked at views, there were kangaroos etc. Sadly we didn't stop off at a lookout as planned due to the latecomers, and probably the old English people barking that they had already been there.

During the course of the day, we had such a lovely time, and had seen such wonderful views and places so far, that we decided it was worth getting another train ticket to stay an extra day or two and not rush back to Sydney tonight. We've been in cities for so long since Nik hurt his leg that it is so nice to be somewhere vast, fresh and beautiful and totally unlike anywhere else we've been to in Oz. It's also so accessible here, that even if you can't walk for hours and hours, you can see lots of stuff without paying a fortune for it. Anyway, Sydney is more expensive to stay in so in a bizarre way, maybe we're even saving money…

We're bunking at the Gearin again tonight (where we've had a good look at this Jack Thompson characters posters and photos downstairs and still don't recognise him) back to our old room - pointless packing, the worst packing of them all. However, they are fully booked up over the weekend, so Nik heroically went on a mission to find us a place to stay so we can have the whole weekend here. Most places were booked up sadly (including one that was on a horse farm, GUTTED) but Nik found us a place in a guest house overlooking the valley, with multiple radiators, free tea and coffee, floral décor and a table tennis room - what a man!

Tonight was clearly a big night out in town, including at the Gearin, as there were many girls dressed as sluts in the pub downstairs and many drunk people were staggering about the hotel while we were trying to sleep - there were even empty bottles in the toilet the next morning - nice!

Saturday

Checked out the Gearin and into the Cecil - a lovely short walk with the bags. Enjoyed some complimentary tea, and our free upgrade to a room with ensuite. Bonus.

Went out for a Chai Latte and some breakfast at our fav little café, where we whiled away some time in the warm as outside today it was actually completely freezing. We sat with our hot beverages and watched the sleet blow down for a while, before we made the emergency decision to go and buy some warm garments. We had fun in a charity shop and got a top each, then we went to the camping shop and got a thermal jumper each. Hannah's makes her look like a Sesame Street character as it is brightly coloured and stripey. (We did get a bit freaked by the man in the camping shop when he said he'd seen us walking around - do we really stand out that much?).

Spent the day dipping in and out of the cold (and in and out of cafes) as it was so raw, but also achieved something as we sorted our accomm for Sydney, and also decided what to do tomorrow. It was a toss up between riding on a horse and going back to the caves, and we chose the caves.

Had a lazy end to the afternoon on the sofa with some snacks and an animal programme on the TV in the shared lounge. We also had a snooze before we dashed out to grab a quick dinner when we realized everywhere shuts really early up here. We had kebab/felafel and chips and it was good, but we were stuffed. We watched some election stuff while we munched as its been quite interesting watching that unfold while we're over here. What is most amusing is that the Australians copied our election and had a hung parliament - been there, done that folks!

Sunday

Went back to the Jenolan Caves today. Mick was our driver this time, and was a total legend. On the way up to Jenolan, we stopped in Balckheath at Govett's Leap, which was a lovely viewpoint and nice to get out and enjoy as it was quite a lot less windy today after the brutal weather yesterday.

Got to the caves and did a walk around the Blue Lake. We wanted to see a platypus but there weren't any to be seen. However, we did see birds and ducks and did some good nature photography. There were also some good rocks about the place. Hannah climbed on one for a photo op and scuffed her leg up on the way down. Class. And it was a nice place to have a bit of a lunch picnic.

After our walk, we did the River Cave tour (as we had our half price vouchers), which is the longest of the experiences you can do here, and has lots of steps - but Nik decided to tough it out. The tour guide was called Wayne and was a bit of a strange one. He didn't like people taking pictures and kept kicking off unless he had decreed that it was a point to stop and do photography. This happened a lot, as our tour party included a lot of asian tourists with big cameras! Anyway, this cave was very different to the other ones we have seen. It is completely inside and has lots of underground water pools that you can look down on and these form part of an underground river that flows beneath some of the caves. We basically spiralled up and up into the cave, lots of steps, and saw some impressive formations on the way. We then climbed up into a top chamber which circles the cave and the lights were out and when they put them on it was like being in Indiana Jones or something - literally it was so huge and unexpectedly spectacular that you couldn't help but gasp at what you were seeing. Really amazing. We also had to go up lots of big ladders which made it feel infinitely more adventurous.

Other than Wayne, the only annoyance was the cretinous people on the tour that couldn't understand instructions, or the concept of getting out the way so everyone could fit on the viewing platforms. At one point, Hannah went all primary school teacher and gave everyone a stern, very English telling off. They listened! After that point, two British chaps and us maintained a position at the front of the group to demonstrate proper queuing - how very British!

On the whole, we enjoyed the caves again, and wished we'd been able to do the adventure caving - maybe another time when Nik doesn't have a pirate leg.

Got back to Katoomba and were ravenous, so went out for some dinner. Finally went to the Common Ground café when it was open! It was quite unusual - all the people that work there are like amish/hippy crossed with each other. The women all have long skirts, longer hair in a plait with a centre parting and a wan look on their face. The men all have big beards and pony tails. The menu was very 'organic' to put it that way. But the venue is very nice and they had a big roaring fire. Nik had a chicken burger (top tip, don't ask for chips as it is not that sort of place - Nik found this out the hard way), and some home made BBQ beans. Hannah had pumpkin soup and homemade bread with garlic on. The food was delicious and very warming, but overall the experience was somewhat disconcerting.

After dinner, we went to Aldi and got some bargainous biscuits for dessert and then crashed with cups of tea on the sofa watching TV for the evening. Had an urge of enthusiasm and felt we should do something however, so made full use of the games room. Nik taught Hannah to play pool, which she has no successful experience of historically. Hannah beat Nik 2-1. Genuinely. Then we tried to play table tennis but we were both too stupid to master it so we went to bed.