February 10, 2023
Once upon a time, three sisters were born to the Katoomba tribe of the aboriginal people of the Jamison Valley.. Meehni, Wimlah, and Gunnedoo enjoyed their childhood. They were kind and adventurous. They grew up to be beautiful, enchanting young women who captured the hearts of three brothers from the Nepean tribe. The girls returned their affections, but sadly the law forbade marriage outside of their own people.
The brothers raged against this decision. Determined to marry the sisters, they developed a dangerous plan to kidnap the sisters and bring them to their own tribe. The plan went awry and war broke out between the Katoomba and Nepean tribe.
Anxious about the safety of Meehni, Wimlah, and Gunnedoo, the shaman of the Katoomba tribe turned them to stone while the battle raged on. He planned to restore them once the battle was over. However, he fell during the fighting and no one else knew the magic to bring them back.
The three sisters were trapped in stone, forever pining for their lost loves – both the forbidden love of the three brothers and their family and friends of their own tribe.
Today, we gazed upon their stone memorial as we stood on a panoramic overlook in the Blue Mountains.
Before air travel, the Blue Mountains was the vacation destination for Australians. Although still a popular getaway for Australians and tourists, Australians can now vacation in other countries without the long, arduous sea voyage that was once required. To maximize the amazing scenic views, there are now two different cable car rides as well as a scenic railway. On the train, you ride down a 52-degree incline, which makes it the steepest railway in the world. It was originally built to help with mining.
First cable car:
Scenic Walk:
Scenic Railway:
Second cable Car:
While waiting for the bus, we watched a red wattlebird search for worms and little caterpillars to eat.
The bus ride to the Blue Mountains had been interesting as well. The guide pointed out interesting sites such as Sydney Olympic Park developed for the 2000 Summer Olympics.
She also discussed a little of the geology such as the red coloring in the rock caused by rusting iron within the basalt rock.
We stopped for lunch at a local hotel. Afterwards, we walked around admiring the garden and watching the butterflies flit around.
Our next stop was the Featherdale Wildlife Park. Stay tuned for the next post!
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