Mummy, my legs hurt

Near Blackheath NSW Distance: ~1 km Duration: 45 minutes What a magical find this little walk is. Tucked away down below a hairpin turn on Megalong Rd, if you blink you'll miss the tiny carpark area opposite the start of this walk. A small signpost points the way to the start of the track, and whilst the track itself is rough and steep in parts, overall it's what I'd call an easy walk because it's so short. There's some typical snaggle-toothed blue mountains stairs to get down to some beautiful small falls forming the centrepiece of a natural amphitheater. The mermaid's cave itself is supposedly up higher on the cliff wall but we didn't even notice it, we were too busy with our heads down spotting a wide variety of stunning toadstools as there had been substantial rain recently. The falls flow softly over some gently sloping rocks which of course are slippery; remind the little ones that green rocks = a sore bum when you slip! Ty and...

Near Linden Distance: 3.5km return Duration: ~2 hours Paradise Pool is a beautiful swimming hole and a somewhat well guarded local secret. It took us a little while to find our way and we had to backtrack a little but we got there in the end. The track itself was quite bushy and brushy; poking Holly in the face and scratching at our legs. Some basic navigation is required as it's not that obvious in parts. I'll let the pictures tell most of the story here as to be honest; I'm writing this a few months after we visited so the details are a little fuzzy!  The swimming hole was beautiful; peaceful and cool with a flat rock ledge up above it that some brave kids were jumping off. We did this walk in summer so we could enjoy a swim but it did get pretty warm and uncomfortable hiking up the hill on the way back!

Near Bilpin NSW Distance: We only did 1.5km but there's opportunity for much more Duration: ~1 hour Today's Sunday adventure took us for a long drive up through Kurrajong to a reedy nondescript swamp called Mountain Lagoon. Off to the right of this was a winding road leading to the start of the T3 track. With the kids in tow we only attempted a small part of the tough T3 track which is up behind Mountain Lagoon, north of Bilpin.  Apart from 2 spews on the way back home (Holly) this was a great day out. The little bit of track we explored was varied enough to keep the kids occupied, Ty with his parkour obsession and Holly tagging along behind him. You get to climb through, around up and over some big rock formations, and we spent an hour mucking around here only getting 1.5km of walking in but plenty of fun and photos.  The waratahs were out in flower which was a lovely surprise; neither of us remember having seen them growing wild before. There wa...

After 12 months of dreaming, 6 months of dedicated training, 4.30am training sessions, 2,400 metres of elevation, thousands of stairs (including 951 of the bastards at the very end!), 3 litres of water, 1 litre of electrolyte, a vegemite sandwich, 4 gels, half an energy bar, 2 mandarins, handfuls of red snakes, 2 bags of chips, after 50 kilometres; after 11 hours and 2 minutes I can say I'm an ultramarathoner!! UTA was just amazing, the support, the camaraderie, the friendship, the pain, witnessing the feats of athleticism by every runner, and just the atmosphere of the whole event. Being in the mountains on any day is a gift, but to spend an entire day from dawn till nightfall experiencing all the moods of the mountains; from the crisp morning to the brightest, clearest day I've seen in ages to the burning pink of the sunset on the cliffs and the 3 sisters silhouetted against the darkening sky, I couldn't help but be swept up by the beauty of the place I feel blesse...