We reached the Leura Falls trail, just off the Blue Mountain Scenic highway, in the early afternoon. It had just been drizzling, but the trail itself was protected from the wet by the thick forest canopy, so it wasn't too muddy to walk on.
The trail led us down into the valley, alongside a fierce, roaring stream that was flowing fast and furious downhill, foaming green and white over the dark rocks before taking a sharp turn and plunging over the edge of a cliff into a deep pool at the bottom.
The path to the pool was blocked off (mudslides, I think), which was a shame, because we would have liked to wander down there and sit on the stones and paddle our feet in the invitingly cool water.
We were feeling quite tired and sweaty by now, so we quickly moved on and checked into our B&B - a very lovely room in the secluded Bethany Manor.
Our hosts at Bethany, Jill and Greg Haigh, were very friendly and welcoming. Greg checked us into our room (the Walling Room - named after a famous Australian garden designer) and very kindly made us some coffee and tea accopanied by a plate of chocolate chip cookies.
Greg was also kind enough to give us some advice about local trails and walks, as well as recommendations for eateries in the vicinity. We had originally wanted to eat at 'Le Gobelet', but after hearing about the talented but cantankerous and unpredictable French chef - known on several occasions to sneak out of the restaurant without touching the stove, leaving unsuspecting and hungry customers waiting several hours - we decided to try our luck elsewhere.
We narrowed down our choice to the award winning Silk's Brasserie (Greg's top recommendation) and Cafe Bon Ton (we had a discount coupon). In the end, because we are scaffy, we chose Cafe Bon Ton, which looked beautiful on the outside, surrounded by big leafy trees, but turned out to be rather a disappointing experience with snooty wait-staff in a dingy atmonsphere. The food served up all fancy and in generous portions, but the taste of it was mediocre to begin with, and greatly worsened by the sour attitude of our waiter. Not very value-for-money, considering how much it would've cost without the discount. Needless to say, we did not leave a tip.
After our disappointing dinner in Leura town, we returned to our room where the bathroom was fully kitted out with a spa bath and fluffy white towels. Greg and Jill had provided some wonderful smelling herbal bath gel which John and I eagerly poured into the tub and took turns relaxing under a layer of bubbles, getting our muscles pummelled into jelly by the jacuzzi jets.
There was a fantastic selection of DVDs in the guest lounge which our hosts were very happy for us to rummage through and borrow whichever we liked. So we watched 'The Man From Snowy River' whilst tucked up all bonny and blissful in a comfortable bed.
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