THE BLUE MOUNTAIN AREA (Part 3)

After the Scenic Skyway adventure, we were ready for the Scenic Railway and Cableway. The Scenic Railway is the steepest incline in the world. The 415 meter descent takes you through a cliff side tunnel into an ancient rain forest. The railway can carry up to 84 passengers. What a thrill that was!!!!! Straight down.......did you hear me scream????

The term "scenic railway" dates back to the late 19th century English amusement rides at funfairs and seaside amusement parks that were, by today's standards, very tame roller coasters. They consisted of a freely running carriage on rails that was raised to the top by a slope by various means, including horse drawn, pushed manually, or later, steam driven. The carriage, which carried 8 or 10 passengers, then rolled past a series of backdrops painted with exotic scenes - usually Swiss alpine, Egyptian pyramids, jungle scenes with tigers, elephants, etc. Hence, they were known as "scenic railways".

A beautiful rain forest greets you at the end of the incline. We walked along the 2.8 kilometers of boardwalk where we saw a coal mine exhibition that was very interesting and of course, the Eucalypus trees, twisted vines and ferns. Coal mining began in this area in 1878. There were about 40 mines at various times. The railway was used to haul the coal up the cliff and it was ten transported to Katoomba. The last mine closed in the late 1930s. Today the railway transports passengers instead of coal.