But Leura does have some of the most exhilarating paths and view points I have ever come across. And the views are breathtaking and spectacular.
Sometimes the paths are like the rope walk between the two towers in New York. Just as high and with an equally frightening drop. The only difference being that there are seemingly substantial handrails and edge fencing.
Leura Cascades is a remarkable area though difficult to pin down. It seems to be mostly a huge basin from which the water has been allowed to run out, mostly. A century ago there were two enormous swimming pools, fed (I imagine) by the water coming down the mountains/ hills. One (the bigger) was for the gents. The smaller was for the women.
Today little remains of this but there is a picnic area and some rather remarkable shelters that look like cave mouths. In the heat of the Blue Mountains caves are nice (or cool perhaps?). The paths are very well kept and easy to pick out, but the maps describing the various routes are extremely difficult to understand. They are maps for people who don't need maps, since they already know what is in the landscape.
However, many of the paths are closed right now while work is carried out on them (probably in relation to mudslides) and others are only to be used in one direction. Though how anyone would go down a path in two directions is beyond me.
Although it was a beautiful sunny day a haze hung over the area, seemingly caused by fires. This is probably controlled burning.
Click for next image.
Jonathan Brind