Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific - Clean Breaks: 500 New Ways to See the World - page 346

Lodge, a luxury ecolodge with wonderful views
overlooking the lush vegetation of the Tari
Valley in the southern highlands. Local guides
arranged through the lodge will take you on
guided nature walks into the dense forest across
traditional vine bridges, and to a secluded
waterfall where you can meet the local Huli
clan, who wear wigs adorned with the colourful
feathers of the Birds of Paradise and revere
them through song and dance.

Traverse. Apart from a good day's hiking, this
offers a chance to imagine what it was like for
the colonial explorers who spent an astonishing
twenty years hacking their way through the
bush in search of grazing land to the west.
The first thing you're struck by descending
into the valley is the smell - a thick perfume of
tea-tree oil and eucalyptus - after which comes
the buzz of cicadas and the cries of cockatoos.
The trail shifts through a range of habitats
from dry forest and spongy swamp to rocky
mountain passes and is barely distinguishable
at times. It's not hard to see why new species
are continually discovered in the national park,
including “living fossils” such as the Wollemi
Pine, a Jurassic-era plant long thought extinct.
At times the walk is hard going and you need
to cling to ropes for safety, but the hard work
is soon rewarded. Just as your knees are about
to give way you emerge blinking in front of the
cascading Wentworth Falls, named in honour of
one of those hardy explorers.

Need to know The best time to see the birds
displaying is Aug-Sept. For prices and reservations
at Ambua Lodge see W www.pngtours.com; T +675
542 1438. For Kiunga Nature Tours T +675 548
1366 or E [e-mail].

470 bushwalking in The blue
MounTains, ausTralia

If you're visiting the Blue Mountains expecting
them to be a) blue or b) mountains, then you may
be disappointed. In fact they're better described
as a kind of Australian Grand Canyon: think
chiselled sandstone cliffs tumbling down into
thickly forested valleys (the “blue” part of the
name comes from the occasional blueish tinge
in the air caused by eucalyptus trees). Covering
10,000 square kilometres of New
South Wales, the whole region is a
World Heritage Site and a hugely
popular destination for Sydneysiders.
In fact, given the amount of cosy
hotels, gourmet restaurants and yoga
retreats, it's possible to lose sight of
what attracted people here in the first
place - pristine wilderness and plenty
of fresh air.
To get a real feel for “The Blues” you
need to get away from the viewpoints
and clearly marked paths and head
down into the creeks and gorges
below. The best way to do this is on a
guided bushwalk exploring historic
trails such as the Jamison Valley

Need to know The Jamison Valley Traverse is
offered by River Deep Mountain High ( W www.
rdmh.com.au; T [phone]) based in
Katoomba, which is connected by regular trains
from Sydney. A full day-hike costs A$175.

The Blue Mountains are just
90min from Sydney