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Highway 32 Journal
(Keith)
We made a brief trip to the small town of Broken Hill on the edge of the
Australian Outback. It requires a solid two day drive (along Highway 32)
from Sydney and there isn't a lot to see on the way, but once there it is quite
charming. Along the way we drove past many kangaroos and emus that were
wandering around the desert. The town itself is a mining town with old (and
new) mines dominating the hillside.
We hiked to the Living Desert which is a collection of rock sculptures in the hills outside of Broken Hill. This is a fascinating series of sandstone sculptures created by artists from around the world. The themes ranged from relationships, to birth, to oppression. We stayed and watched the sun set over the desert; as the sun slowly sank, the colors of the desert and sky came alive. As with a sunset over the ocean, the colors of the sky changed with every second. Also, the stark desert transformed from its dirt brown, to pink, to deep red, and finally black. After the sun set the night sky shone bright with millions of stars that are only perceivable in an area absent of light.
Although a drive into the desert may not be for everyone, I always look forward to it. As with my trip to Death Valley, the Outback provided lasting visual memories . . . a huge blue sky, barren earth as far as the eye can see, and a serene calmness.
(Lea) A
two day drive on Highway 32 took us from the
barren desert of the Outback to the lush forests in the Blue Mountains. We drove
through the Blue Mountain region on our way to the Outback, but it was rainy so
we just "blew past" it. On our way back, the sky was clear and the sun
was shining, so we decided to stay in the Blue Mountains for 3 nights. It was a
great decision. Our days there were spent hiking through the forested mountains,
reading and playing chess in our cabin (Keith won, but I will get him next
time!), and drinking hot chocolate (me) and coffee (Keith) in Katoomba's quaint
downtown cafes. Our hikes were quite a bit easier and more relaxing than our
Himalaya treks. We hiked two separate trails - one was Cliff walk that took us
around Three Sisters, a unique rock formation, past some cascades and through a
valley. Our longer hike was from the Golden Stairs to the Ruined Castle rock
formation; on this hike we trekked through a heavily forested area and up to the
red rock formation that resembles a castle. We hiked each of these in 1/2 time
the guidebook said to allow; I would like to believe we were able to do so due
to our great fitness, but I think the trail guides usually overestimate how long
it really takes to walk. At any rate, on these hikes we enjoyed fresh air,
beautiful scenery and afterwards rewarded ourselves with great food and wine. I
would recommend to anyone visiting Sydney to take at least a day trip to one of
the towns in the Blue Mountains (it is only 100 km away) to enjoy the great
outdoors.
Check out our Highway 32 photos.