From Coast to Coast Like Buttered Toast Part 1: Driving On the Left Side of the Road

I've wanted to come to Australia since I can remember and now that we had been given a week off for Fall break, I was ready to explore the country.  So I gathered my bags and left Townsville with a few friends for a crazy adventure.  We left for Sydney, only getting the evening to take in the city, walking down Sydney Harbour and seeing the Opera House and enjoying the civilisation that Townsville lacks, before picking up our rental car in the morning and heading to the Blue Mountains.

Our plan was for me to drive, on the opposite side of the road, in the other side of the car, with gears and blinkers on reverse sides, from the heart of Sydney up to the tiny town of Katoomba, about an hour and a half drive.  It took us a bit longer, it turned out we weren't as good at following maps as we thought, but we got there in one piece, the 5 of us and our little car Ruby, with me driving and the other 4 making sure I stayed in the correct lane and that I wasn't going to get us killed.
The Blue Mountains are beautiful.  Katoomba is home to the Three Sisters and Echo Point as well as Scenic World, which despite its somewhat tacky name, is actually a really gorgeous, only semi-touristy part of the mountains.  So we hiked, we ate Thai food, we slept, we watched the sun rise over the fog filled valleys and mountains, we hiked some more until it was time to bid one of our party farewell and continue on to the next adventure.  With one body and two bags on their way to New Zealand, our little car had a bit more power behind her and we drove another hour and a half to the Jenolan Caves.

The Three Sisters

View From the Mountains



With another drive successfully under my belt, one including steep climbs, wicked turns, narrow mountain roads and heaps of potholes, we began exploring the Jenolan Caves.  We went on a tour which had us winding our way thorugh narrow passages and high vaulted chambers filled iwth stalagtites, stalagmites, columns and all sorts of other formations.  Afterwards we set out on a self-guided tour around the outskirts of the cave.  Between the two hikes we probably went up and down more stairs than we had ever seen in a single day in our lives.  Luckily we had bought some cupcakes before leaving Katoomba which we had waiting for us in the car at the end of our exhausting expedition. 

We piled back into the car and drove the traffic-clogged 3.5 hours back to Sydney.  After another incidentless drive, we dragged our somewhate cranky and short-tempered, and very hungry, selves to have dinner in Darling, wher we were treated to a fireworks display immediately upon our arrival.  After some much needed food, time out of the car and Starbucks, we took some time to enjoy the fresh air at the harbour before navigating our way back to our hostel.  In the morning our little group split up further, leaving 2 in Sydney while the other 2 of us headed to the Outback.  I drove us to the airport, dropped off Ruby, no worse for the wear and a 3 hour flight later we landed in Ayers Rock.