South to Sydney

Driving south along the coast, distances are measured as km from Sydney. We continued our meandering path south, passing through Newcastle, the Blue Mountains, and finally to Sydney. In Newcastle, we stopped to meet an acquaintance from a forum in which Jonathan participates, and he was kind enough to give us a tour of Newcastle while we there. We even managed to spot some whales off the coast, slapping fins.

Prior to entering the Blue mountains in earnest, we walked to Castle Rock. 














The Blue mountains themselves are not at all blue. The name comes from the blue haze which hangs over the ranges most of the year. It is similar to smog, except in this case, it is caused by trees not cars. The eucalyptus that dominate the forest here have high oil content in their leaves.  The oil vaporizes on hot, low-wind days, forming the haze.