Day 18 - Got picked up at 8am for our tour to the Blue Mountains, about a two hour drive out of Sydney. The area gets its name because the Eucalyptus tree oils give out a blue haze. There were eight of us in a Mercedes van. We had a very knowledgeable driver who took us to areas that the big tour buses couldn’t access. Had a morning tea break in a secluded area where we saw kangaroos and some unusual birds including a crested cockatoo. We had a BBQ lunch at Jemby-Rinjah Eco Lodge-our driver barbequed steaks and the rest was prepared by the hotel. It was in a great bush setting. After lunch our driver took us outside where he introduced us to the Rosella bird, a type of parrot (see pictures). The bird ate seed from Diane’s hand. We then drove to an area that is called the Grand Canyon of the Blue Mountains. It looked similar but it was covered in tress. On the way back to Sydney, we drove through the 2000 Olympic stadium complex. Decided to have a light dinner at the pub in the hotel. We ran into the Coles, so we shared a table with them.