The Great Outdoors

It is hard to believe that four weeks have already gone by. It honestly seems like a few days ago that I was on a 16 hour flight, filled with excitement for the adventures that were yet to come. Now we are already finished with classes and are about to leave for spring break. 

However, I can say that over that last four weeks there have been many adventures. My favorite adventure was our excursion this past weekend in Blue Mountain National Park, which is just outside of Sydney. Besides having to wake up at 7:00 am, it was a great day enjoying wildlife and amazing scenery. The Blue Mountains are about an hour and a half drive from downtown Sydney, but it was definitely worth the long ride. We started off our time viewing wild kangaroos, which was pretty cool to see. We then drove a little bit farther to see the three sisters, which is the rock formation that can be seen above. Looking over the valley and viewing the Grand Canyon like landscape was truly incredible. 

After a short lunch break, we went back to the mountains and went to another overlook, where we were able to see more of the amazing scenery that Australia has to offer. We then went on a hike through the mountains, which was my favorite part of the day. I love the outdoors and taking advantage of the time I have outside, so it was nice to leave the city and hike through the wilderness. The only complaint I had was the tour guide telling us that we will probably see a snake and that he saw one a few days ago right where we were walking. While I like the outdoors, I don’t like snakes and I definitely don’t like being told about all of the dangerous snakes in Australia while I am walking in the woods. 

Luckily I did not see any snakes, and we made it down the mountain to a waterfall and swimming area. Jumping off the waterfall and swimming in the freezing cold water was surprisingly a lot of fun and a much needed break from the city. We ended the day at different spot, sitting on a cliff and admiring the beautiful country that we have the privilege to live in. This weekend really gave me an appreciation for the time that I have in Australia. The Blue Mountains allowed me to cross a few things off my bucket list and really enjoy all of the wildlife that this country has to offer.