Blue Mountains Tour, Australia

Today I went on a full day tour to the Blue Mountains to the west of Sydney.  I learned that they got their name because of something in the gum trees in the forests causes a blue haze over them.

We stopped at Featherdale Wildlife Park on the way and I was able to hand feed kangaroos, pet a koala, and see penguins up close and personal (my favorite)!  

After that, we headed to the Blue Mountains where we were able to see the waterfalls, the famous "3 Sisters" rock formations, ride a skyway, tram, and railway through the mountains, and finish with a walk through the rainforest.  We also stopped at cute little villages along the way for lunch and shopping for opals and aboriginal art.  

We ended the day with a quick stop at the Olympic Park and a river cruise back to the city.  There was a great tribute to all if the medal winners around the site of the Olympic torch. 

This was a small tour with only 14 people and 6 countries were represented.  It was a great time, I made some new friends, and met fellow tennis fans.  A beautiful day!

Check out the pics!

Feeding the kangaroos.

A Joey in the pouch!

Petting the koala.

Penguins!!

So scary....

Tasmanian Devil, Wombat, and Peacock.

In front of the Blue Mountains.

3 Sisters.

Waterfalls.

Blue Haze.

View from the skyway.

Rainforest.

Olympic Park Torch.

View of downtown from the river.

Harbor Bridge.

Opera house.