A Shot of Adrenaline in the Blue Mountains

Katoomba, Australia – the Australian Tourism Board has done a heck of P.R. job here, I tell myself.

Any relation between the wild scenery I imagined and the crowds of snap-happy tourists on Katoomba's viewing platforms seemed like wishful thinking at best. The houses built right on the rim of the cliff didn't help either. Apart from Weirder is Better, a fascinating magic store, and a few art galleries, Australia's Blue Mountains largest town excelled mostly in being rather generic.

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Not So Much for the Spontaneous Spirits

So we went looking for thrills. I mentally noted the abseiling option as what will set us apart from the herd. But this did not go smoothly with my spontaneous spirit when it turned out the local outfitters required several days' advanced booking. Economics – it was not worth it for them to take out a guide for only one couple. We would have had to wait it out and join a larger group.

After scanning Katoomba's main drag our only discovery was a flier by River Deep Mountain High. Their office was already closed. We returned to our hostel, feeling rather bummed, and tried calling them anyway. Someone did answer and we were happy to discover that AUD$320 (for the two of us) was good enough money for him. Hurray for the small businesses!

Warm up in a Blessed Solitude

Early the next morning we met our guide, an Australian redhead with a resemblance to David Caruso of CSI: Miami. It was not only the color of his hair or general appearance but also the pseudo-indifferent manner of someone that has been making a living of lowering people down cliffs for almost a decade. For him, our mighty adventure was just another day in the office.

Me and my girlfriend at the time had a bit of abseiling experience. We would visit a climbing wall now and then and were familiar with climbing harnesses and rope belaying techniques. Still, it was nice to repeat the basics on a comfortable 5m/16ft boulder.

While this was certainly nothing to write home about, we enjoyed being all alone. No tourists. No viewing platforms. No cameras. Just us and the redhead. At last, we delighted at the beauty of the Blue Mountains and admired the powerful presence of the famous Three Sisters cliffs. Later in the day, we would delve deeper into this wild serrated terrain.

An Appetizing Perspective

We did 10m/32ft for extra practice and progressed to the real thing – a 30m/100ft cliff. Abseiling does not seem like a difficult sport, but at such heights it has a real physical element. You do perspire as for several long minutes you support your entire body weight with your arm muscles. The view, of course, is much more interesting than your gym's climbing wall.

We did 60m/200ft before lunch, and it was still barely an appetizer for what would follow. I suddenly realized that I'm watching treetops from above as I was walking back on a wall. Talk about a lesson in perspective.

For some perspective look down at the treetops

Each abseil took only a few minutes but the whole day lasted for over 8 hours because we had to scramble to different cliff sections. We started the last section with a warm-up abseil to a small valley. From there we worked a via ferrata, secured to anchor rings and a metal cable, to the edge of a cliff and began circling it on a rocky step. The section ended in a crevice.

The Crevice

Now this crevice requires a special description because it lacks an actual definition. It was more like a bottomless rock chimney that opened into the valley 200m/650ft below us. Imagine two parallel stone walls connected with one ceiling and embedded in a cliff.

We entered the crevice spreading our legs on each wall and tried not to look down. We proceeded with trepidation to the abseil point. I went first. Our guide attached my harness to the rope, loosened the security cable, and motioned me to go for it. I put my legs together and squeezed down the crevice.

It ended abruptly and I found myself dangling over the abyss. The official height was 160m/520ft. My mind tried to digest the situation and my mouth produced inexplicable cries of joy. I've already done some interesting height-related activities in my life – skydiving, bungee jumping, and paragliding. But the concentrated shot of adrenaline I felt at that moment was second to none.

Don't look down when entering the crevice. That will come later

Because of rope length limitations and the fact that we did not want to go down to the bottom of the valley, the abseil itself went for only 60m/200ft. My girlfriend joined me on a small rocky shelf and we waited for the guide.

A Walk on the Curb

This was definitely the main course, but there was still time for dessert. To get out of the area we walked a narrow ledge, secured only with a rope this time, 100m/328ft above the magnificent valley. It was, perhaps, as wide as a curb.

Now the excitement of skydiving, bungee jumping, or even the abseil we just finished lasts only minutes. But here we experienced 45 consecutive minutes of walking on the edge of an abyss – an indescribable intoxicating thrill mixed with an addictive fear.

Forget the title of this post. This was not a single adrenaline shot. It was a total adrenaline debauchery. Instead of a hangover, in the days that followed I simply had an unrestrained desire to go climbing things.

The Blue Mountains are just two hours away from Sydney. Even if you don't have a car, you can get to Katoomba by train. So really there are no excuses. Just do yourself a favor and go abseiling in what may be one of the prime locations on the globe for the sport. This was definitely the most memorable experience in my entire Australia trip and made me want to return and try the two-day multi-pitch route where you camp out.

Abseiling Alternatives

If you are not into extreme sports, Katoomba has plenty of less heart-pumping activities. I think it is still worth hiring a guide and exploring more remote areas away from all the tourists.

To beat the crowds and have better walks drive to nearby Black Heath. You will still be dealing with viewing platforms, but can observe a few (rather thin) waterfalls without risking constantly having to apologize for walking into someone's picture frame. The scenery itself is also more rugged with a vaster panorama.

A Side Note about Australian Football and Being in the Moment

If you are wondering why there are no pictures of me in this post, well this is kind of because of Australian Football. Me and my girlfriend each had a camera and we exchanged them to photograph each other on this adventure. A couple of weeks later we were in Melbourne and, me being a big sports fan, went to see some Australian Football action at Etihad Stadium.

My camera got stolen when we were leaving the stadium. And I can tell you this really hurt. You know how you have those moments of joy when you look back at trip pictures? Now try to imagine that you have hundreds of those moments vanish at once.

We posted fliers around the stadium offering a reward to the person who took it, if he only gives us back the memory card. Yes, we said he could keep the camera and get paid for giving us back just the memory card!

A few hours later we got a call from someone. My heart jumped with the hope of retrieving those precious moments. Alas, it turned out to be the stadium security who told me that my filers were torn down because they were placed on private property. Gosh, what can you say to this? Hey stadium security, good job!

Lesson one – It doesn't hurt to backup your pictures before going to a big crowded event.

Lesson two – Losing the camera sucked. But one positive thing did come out of it. In the following weeks I did find myself thinking less of taking pictures and trying to be more in the moment. In the selfie-crazed world we live in, this is something to appreciate.

Finding my moment on the Great Ocean Road

Katoomba Accommodation

There was a trail running race going on when we arrived in town and most places were solidly booked. Katoomba is not for the spontaneous ones.

Katoomba Mountain Lodge | Neemod score – 6.5

31 Lurline St, Katoomba, New South Wales 2780, Australia

Strangely this hotel was nearly empty. Which, I guess, is telling enough. We got a good bargain here paying for two dorm beds and having a whole room for ourselves. The dorms were not so bad. I've been to better and worse. There were also good views from the balcony. But the hotel itself is old and could certainly be cleaner. It has a time-stood-still atmosphere and a kitchen where the dishes seemed like they have not been touched in ages. For what we paid, it was good for the night. On less busy times in town you are likely to find better options.

Blue Mountain YHA | Neemod score – 7.5

207 Katoomba Street, Katoomba, New South Wales 2780, Australia

A large YHA hostel with the expected clean good facilities as well as a bit of a sterile feeling. It lacks intimacy and is not a place to socialize with other travelers. Still, I didnt mind the level of comfort. The Kitchen was modern and the whole place was generally bright. It had nice common areas including a fireplace and an outdoor fountain. The movie room was also a nice bonus. The hallways had more echo than average and we were bothered by the slamming of doors by some inconsiderate neighbors. Overall this is a good safe choice.