At Featherdale we were able to see some of Australia's unique wildlife in a natural bush setting. It was a unique Aussie experience where we could see and pet animals up close. We got to see a wombat...

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...a cassowary...

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...a kookaburra, who we know sits in the old gum tree laughing...

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...a tawny frogmouth, a member of the nightjar family...

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...kangaroos...

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...penguins...

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...a crocodile...

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...lapwings...

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...albino kangaroos...

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...a cute koala...

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...and a dingo.

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Tryna got to pet a koala...

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...and a kangaroo.

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This was once the the headquarters of the Katoomba Coal Mine. We rode down to the valley in this passenger carriage named Mountain Devil. It went down at a 52 degree angle and is said to be the steepest ride in the world. It really was a weird feeling going down.

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Once down in the Jamison Valley we hiked the bush track to Katoomba Falls and then back to the boardwalk, an elevated walkway through the rainforest. Along the way we got to see remnants of the old coal mine and wonderful views of the Three Sisters Rock Formation.

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The skyway took us from the rainforest in the Jamison Valley back up to the top where it was still a bit humid due to the rain but much better than down in the valley.

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We were surprised to learn that there are some 92 species of eucalyptus in this area but that explains why there is so much mist causing the blue color of the mountains.

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We knew of the banksia tree and were happy to finally get to see one. Our only regret is not taking some of the pods for Al to carve. We thought of it after leaving this area.

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On our way back to Sydney we got to stop at the site of the 2000 Olympics. It's nice to see that they are fully utilizing all the venues which were erected for the Olympics.

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One last group photo before we board the water taxi back to Circular Quay. It's going to seem strange not to wake up in a hotel and go down for an elaborate breakfast buffet but as always good things must come to an end.

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I know this is after the trip but I couldn't resist including this photo taken from our back yard one week after we returned from downunder. The Alaskan storm that came through Southern California dropped snow on us (we're at 2500 feet) and the surrounding mountains. Noah, our 2-year old grandson, was here for the weekend and actually got to play in snow for the first time with his grammy.

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