The Three Sisters, Blue Mountains, Katoomba, NSW
The Three Sisters, Echo Point, Katoomba
On our holiday last Christmas in Sydney we went for a family drive to the Blue Mountains. One place I really wanted to visit was Echo Point, mainly to get some good digital photos of the Three Sisters. For readers who are not aware of this beautiful natural feature an hour’s drive west of Sydney, the Three Sisters are three sandstone stacks that have been formed through water and wind erosion over thousands of years. The three stacks are right next to each other, hence the name.
This amazing physical feature is one of Australia’s most photographed spots. Tens of thousands of visitors come to the lookout every day, most with cameras clicking wildly. I had to be one of them!
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The Three Sisters, Echo Point, Katoomba
The Three Sisters, Echo Point, Katoomba
Katoomba and the Blue Mountains
Echo Point, Katoomba, NSW
On our holiday in Sydney last Christmas we went for a family drive to Leura and Katoomba in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney. We stopped for short while at Echo Point and the Three Sisters lookout.
I had a debate with my son after our visit. We discussed whether this – or somewhere else in Australia – was the most photographed natural feature in Australia. Uluru would have to be right up there in the top few, but I contended that for sheer numbers, the Three Sisters at Katoomba would have to be close to the top. There must have been close to a thousand people in the half hour we were there, and the stream was relentless. Most people would have taken dozens of shots while there.
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Echo Point, Katoomba, NSW
Echo Point, Katoomba, NSW
The Three Sisters, Echo Point, Katoomba, NSW
Some plants of Lane Cove National Park, Sydney
Plants and flowers of Lane Cove National Park, Sydney
A few days after Christmas we had a family picnic at Lane Cove National Park in Sydney. We were over there on holiday visiting our son and daughter in law.
Plants and flowers of Lane Cove National Park, Sydney
Before lunch four of us went on an hour and a half hike through the park. My son and I mainly went to photograph birds, but it was hot and humid and in the middle of the day so we didn’t see too many birds, nor did we get too many photos.
Plants and flowers of Lane Cove National Park, Sydney
As we went along I took a few shots of the various plants and flowers I saw. My wife would have liked to have accompanied us on the walk, but couldn’t due to a hip problem at the time.
Plants and flowers of Lane Cove National Park, Sydney
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You can see more photos based in National Parks here.
You can access an extensive list of Plants of the Lane Cove National Park here. The links take you to more information and a photo of the plant.
Plants and flowers of Lane Cove National Park, Sydney
Some birds of Lane Cove National Park, Sydney
Australian Magpies (Black-backed)
Two days after Christmas we had a family picnic in Lane Cove National Park in Sydney. This was also a family get together. Before lunch some of us went on a hike for one and a half hours. My son and I took our cameras, hoping to get some bird photos. It was hot and humid and in the middle of the day so we did not see all that many birds.
Some of the birds seen include Brown Thornbill, Pied Currawong, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Little Black Cormorant, Eastern Spinebill, Yellow-faced Honeyeater, Forest Raven, Superb Blue-wren, Crimson Rosella and Rainbow Lorikeets.
Laughing Kookaburra, Lane Cove National Park, Sydney
While eating our lunch – delicious Christmas lunch leftovers – a Laughing Kookaburra came to a nearby branch and watched proceedings closely. I guess he was waiting for us to be inattentive for a moment. I’ve known kookaburras to snatch food from one’s plate as they fly past during a moment’s inattentive on the part of humans.
Laughing Kookaburra, Lane Cove National Park, Sydney
This one, shown in the series of photos on this page, was obviously used to being fed by humans. He allowed me to approach to within two metres taking photos as I came.
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Laughing Kookaburra, Lane Cove National Park, Sydney
Lizards of Lane Cove National Park, Sydney
No Comments »18th January, 2009; Category: Animals, Hiking, Holidays, National Parks, New South Wales, Sydney
Eastern Water Dragon, Lane Cove National Park, Sydney
A few days after Christmas last year we had a family get together picnic while we were in Sydney. We all went to the Lane Cove National Park for lunch. While there we saw numerous Eastern Water Dragons moving around the picnic area. Some of them posed nicely for my camera. Two of them, one a baby, even came to visit my wife while she was sitting at a picnic table reading; they went between her feet.
Several of us went on a short hike through the park. We were lucky enough to see a large goanna crawling up a tree. It was hard to get a good photo as he kept much of the tree trunk between us and him. The photo below is the best I managed.
Goanna, Lane Cove National Park, Sydney