Don’t ask me why, but I had always wanted to go to the Blue Mountains. Perhaps it was because the name conjured out-of-reach images, an aura of mystery, or simply because the name sounded exotic.

Sit on a quay ledge close to the opera house and soak up the harbour scene – colourful cruise boats coming and going, people climbing the bridge, and others simply basking in the sun

I was not disappointed one bit when I finally made it. And yet, judging by what the tourist people proclaim, my “climb” was not “complete”. Why? Because I did not manage to see The Three Sisters. It was not for want of trying.

John, our guide, a tall, sharp man, tried twice to show us the rock formation called The Three Sisters, on our way up to the top and on our way down. But it was not our day.

Heavy mist and smoke from a bush fire at Katoomba made it impossible to see the Sisters. Even so, their ‘disappearing act’ did not spoil our enjoyment of the trip.

The mountains are spectacular. When you’re up there, it is hard to take your eyes off the breathtaking views shrouded in the light distinctive blue haze that gives the mountain range its name. It makes them look almost surreal. They are magnificent.

The Blue Mountains are only a two-hour drive from Sydney and, believe me, if you like nature as I do, the visit is worth every cent.

As we approached Katoomba, billed as the tourist capital of the Blue Mountains, fire-fighters were advising drivers to keep away from the area. Helicopters were dumping water over the fires, and the whole place was abuzz with activity.

One helicopter was whizzing right above us as we reached Echo Point, the lookout from where we were supposed to see The Three Sisters. It is natural to expect more bush fires in summer, though the first that occurred in spring was pinned down to arson.

On our first stop on the way up, we overheard people speaking in Maltese as they were getting into a car close by. They were a couple taking their Maltese visitors up to the mountains.

What is the Aboriginal dream-time legend of The Three Sisters all about? Three beautiful sisters, Meehni, Wimlah and Gunnedoo, lived in the Maison Valley as members of the Katoomba tribe. They had fallen in love with three bothers from the Napean tribe, but tribal law forbade them to marry them. The brothers would not take no for an answer, and decided to ignore the law and capture the three sisters, causing a major tribal battle.

As the lives of the three sisters were seriously in danger, a witchdoctor from the Katoomba tribe took it upon himself to turn the three sisters into stone to protect them from any harm. He had, of course, intended to reverse the spell when the battle was over, but as it happened the witchdoctor was killed too.

As only he could reverse the spell to return the sisters to their former beauty, they have remained in their magnificent rock formation as a reminder of the battle for generations to come. There is an alternative interpretation of the legend, but I think one is enough.

John, who is from the eco tour company Australian Wild Escapes, looks at the panoramic view from the top as if he were seeing the mountains for the first time.

John is Lebanese; he grew up among Maltese children and well remembers the weekends they would spend in farmland owned by Maltese immigrants just outside the city core. They were wonderful times, but the land had since been sold.

John finds a clearing in the bush and we go ‘hunting’ for kangaroos. Since they are nocturnal, they are ever so difficult to spot in daytime, at least in the bush. But we managed to see three and we went up close and personal too... until they realised we were Maltese and hopped away!

John lays the table for tea and offers us traditional Australian cake – Lamington, small squares of white cake dipped in chocolate frosting and covered in coconut. Delicious.

On our way down, he suddenly stops the car and takes us, in driving rain, off the road to see aboriginal rock carvings.

But enough about the mountains. The harbour lights beckon for, of course, Sydney is not just the Blue Mountains. It has two of the world’s iconic landmarks: the harbour bridge and the opera house.

Sit back on a bench, or on a quay ledge, close to the opera house, or at a restaurant nearby, and soak up the harbour scene – colourful cruise boats coming and going, people climbing the bridge, and others simply basking in the sun all along the elegant stretch that leads to the opera house.

The Blue Mountains are only a two-hour drive from Sydney and if you like nature as I do, the visit is worth every cent

Or you may well just do what I did and walk all the way past the opera house and go to the botanic gardens, from where you can also enjoy excellent views of the harbour.

While I was there, I could not resist going up to see Government House where Lord Strickland used to live when he was governor of New South Wales. It is just a short walk from the quay entrance.

Unfortunately, it was closed at the time, but I could imagine seeing the man, all dressed up, plumes and all, being driven away in a horse-drawn carriage or inspecting a guard of honour in the grounds overlooking the harbour. Back to Circular Quay, you can well imagine how the area is packed with people for the New Year’s celebrations. If you take a harbour cruise, as you should, you would not stop taking pictures of the many sights that draw your attention as you sail past the bridge and opera house.

When you’re in this part of the city, Circular Quay, you’re likely to forget all about time. It is also the place where many of the Sydneysiders spend their leisure time. Just stroll along the way from the opera house right to the other end, that is, to the bridge area, and you’ll see what I mean.

No wonder it is one of Sydney’s most photographed areas. As you would expect, it is also crammed with all sorts of restaurants.

But there is another harbour side that appealed to me very much: Darling, where I watched, on a big screen, part of the Rugby World Cup final – and what a match that was!

Darling Harbour is only a few minutes away from Grace Hotel, an 11-storey heritage listed art deco building built in 1930. Situated in the very heart of Sydney, the hotel fronts three of the city’s most prominent streets, York, King and Clarence.

You’re right in the centre of the main retail area here, with a commercial monorail train speeding past overhead as you make your way to the newest shopping centre, Westfield, a complex with over 330 fashion, food and lifestyle stores.

Did I go to Bondi beach? Yes, but somehow I thought it was a bit smaller than it seems on television. And by the way, it is pronounced Bondai, not Bondi as in (Lou) Bondi.

Sydney’s aquarium is impressive, but so is Wild Life Sydney, where you’re taken on a tour of distinctive Australian habitats. The koala looks as cute as it appears in pictures, but Rex, the monster croc, is... well, a monster. “I guess he keeps you quite busy feeding him,” I quipped to the keeper. “Actually, no. Rex only needs a chicken a week.”

But to get to the roots of the city, you would have to go to The Rocks first. It’s where the city was born when it was first settled by the British as a penal colony in 1788.

The convicts, 750 of them, were sentenced to transportation for crimes as minor as stealing food, though as the walking tour guide quickly remarks, there were hardened criminals among them too.

It is called The Rocks because the buildings were built directly on sandstone. The oldest remaining building in the precinct is Cadmans Cottage, opposite the main cruise ship berth. It was built in 1816 for a convict who had gained his freedom and became keeper of the governor’s ships. It is now a national park information centre. The old places have now been turned into restaurants, pubs, shops, galleries and museums. Even so, the district gives a most interesting insight into Australian history.

This reminds me of the second stanza of a poem by Dorothea Mackellar, inscribed on a commemorative plaque at Circular Quay. The stanza is said to be the most well known in Australia.

Mackellar wrote the poem, My Country, when she was homesick in England. She was only 19. The poem was first carried in the Spectator in 1908:

“I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains
Of ragged mountain ranges
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror –
The wide brown land for me!”

I have not mentioned Sydney Tower yet, and so many other places worth visiting. A man who is very much at the forefront of the drive to boost tourism to New South Wales, Leslie Cassar, says more and more people from both Europe and the US were today considering Australia as a tourist destination. Mr Cassar is on the board of Tourism New South Wales, so he knows a thing or two about the industry.

At present, about 50 per cent of the tourism business in the country is generated domestically. Up to one million New Zealanders cross over to Australia annually, something that makes a great deal of sense considering how close the country is to the continent. But Australia now wants to double its arrival figures from Europe and the US.

Getting there

Emirates operates daily flights between Malta and Dubai via Larnaka in Cyprus.

Australia is a huge market for Emirates, with 70 flights a week through four gateways: Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth. From Dubai, Emirates flies three times daily to Melbourne and Sydney and twice daily to Brisbane and Perth.

Emirates Holidays, the tour-operating arm of Emirates Airline, offers travel packages to Melbourne and Sydney that can be tailor-made according to travellers’ needs or interests (www.emiratesholidays.com).

Win a dream holiday to Sydney or another Emirates destination