Royals in the Blue Mountains: William and Catherine take in the sights
Prince William gave onlookers a fright after coming within centimetres of accidentally stepping off a 100-metre cliff face at Narrow Neck Lookout in the Blue Mountains today.
"He took a bit of a lunge and a few people held their breath, gasped and readied their hands to grab him," said Damien Cooper, manager of the Blue Mountains Youth Service.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were peering out over Katoomba's spectacular vertical cliff, which plunges 100 metres into lush bushland below.
"He was fine, of course, he knew what he was doing. I think his military background prepared him well for it."
"He was very calm on the edge; he didn't worry about the safety briefing to stay a fair distance back," Tim Williams of the Blue Mountains Adventure Company said.
"He just stepped up to have a cool look over.
"He said it would be nice to come back another time and have a go himself.
"They were both keen, it was just their attire that held them back.
"It's a bit difficult to abseil in a suit and dress," Tim said.
Like many tourists before them, the royal couple have visited Echo Point in Katoomba, taking in the stunning scenery, including the iconic Three Sisters.
Gundungurra Tribal Council elder Aunty Sharon Brown and Blue Mountains Lithgow and Oberon Tourism chief executive Randall Walker proudly pointed out highlights of the view.
After sightseeing, the couple went to meet the thousands who had been waiting patiently to meet them.
The visit will provide an enormous boost to tourism in the mountains, which has struggled since the bushfires.
The lucky ones who shook hands and chatted with the duke and duchess were delighted, while everyone else cheered their every movement.
Blue Mountains mayor Craig Greenhill told AAP there was "great excitement" among townspeople who were keen to get a glimpse of William and Kate, and he hoped the media coverage would show the region was open for business.
"The economy has not recovered from the fires and we need to attract visitors back to the mountains ... This coverage will bring people back," he said.
After the half-hour visit, the couple headed to Narrow Neck Lookout, which won't be able to accommodate the same crowd numbers.
There, the duke and duchess then met members of the Mountain Youth Services Team (MYST), a non-profit group that helps vulnerable or at-risk teens.
The day will conclude with a meeting at Admiralty House in Sydney with Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
RESIDENTS REMEMBER BUSH FIRE TRAUMA
Amid excitement to catch a glimpse of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the Girl Guides centre, residents of Winmalee remembered the day their local community was ravaged by bush fires, six months ago to the day.
Melissa and Nathan from Oasis Horticulture at Yellow Rock recounted the frightening experience of becoming stranded inside their workplace canteen the day the bush fires took hold.
The two were among about 100 people trapped in the nursery building, the concrete foundation of which protected the group from the billowing flames.
Their only risk was the tin roof.
"The fire jumped us and luckily the roof didn't cave in," Nathan said.
"There are a lot of pellets and peat at the nursery that can catch alight, so there were embers everywhere which could have got us into trouble," Melissa said.
Inside, the room was pitch black and engulfed in smoke.
"The smoke was the absolute worst thing," Melissa said.
"[It was] in your eyes, we all had bits of tablecloth broken up and put in water over our mouths - one of the ladies [at the nursery] is with the RFS, and luckily she was there on the day.
"We were really lucky that she knew to get water before the pumps turned off," Melissa said.
Despite not being able to see anything outside, the trapped residents knew they were in danger.
"There were staff members who were pretty scared and thought they were going to die," Nathan said.
About seven of the nursery staff lost their houses, Nathan recalled.
"The phones were getting so tied up with phone calls going out [to family]... I spoke to my wife and said we're stuck in here... we just didn't know what was going to happen," he said.
Both Nathan and Melissa walked up the road today to see the 'once in a lifetime' event of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's visit to Winmalee.
"It's great that they came, we couldn't not come up the road... it's a once in a lifetime," Melissa said.
HOW THE DAY UNFOLDED
1PM: Next for the Royals is a typical British sightseeing experience - a visit to look out over the Three Sisters.
Earlier, the couple went over schedule to spend 30 minutes in one of the streets devastated by the October fires that destroyed 210 properties and damaged 120 in the Blue Mountains.
After a walk through of the street, the royal couple headed for the Winmalee Guide Hall in the small town of Yellow Rock, for a light lunch and to meet some of the firefighters who fought the weeks-long fire.
Afterwards, the duke and duchess were greeted by dozens of fans on their arrival at Winmalee Girl Guides Hall.
Some locals waved Aussie flags, others held bunches of flowers and a few people even had umbrellas out to protect then from the beating sun as the royals pulled up in their royal motorcade.
Stepping out into the sunshine, Kate was elegant in a navy and white Diane von Furstenberg wrap - which has already sold out online - and wedge heels while William looked smart in a navy blue jacket, white shirt without a tie and sky blue chinos.
The royal couple spoke briefly to dignitaries before proceeding inside the hall.
11.30AM: The royals spent around 20 minutes speaking to community leaders and residents affected by the bushfires in Winmalee before heading for their lunch at the Girl Guides hall.
The pair were met by the Deputy Commissioner of the NSW Rural Fire Service Rob Rogers and then spoke to locals.
For fashion watchers, the Duchess of Cambridge is wearing a black and white wrap Diane Von Furstenberg dress.
Lunch, at the Winmalee Girl Guides Hall, was organised by the NSW Rural Fire and Winmalee Girl Guides, with sausages, buns and sandwiches are on the menu. They will also attend a tree-planting service.
10.30AM: Residents have been lining the streets in Winmalee from 8am (AEST) on Thursday morning hoping to catch a glimpse of the couple.
"I'd be happy with a glimpse," Rebecca Jeffreys said.
"The bushfires came and people were so generous and there was a real outpouring of community support but then people like Adrian and his family, the pain goes on.
"They're still renting and having to go through a lot of stuff.
"And so this visit draws attention to the ongoing journey and it's just beautiful that the royals acknowledge that."
It's the second day of William, Kate and baby Prince George's tour of Australia. George will be staying in Sydney with his nanny.
On Wednesday William and Kate attended a formal reception at Sydney Opera House.
WHY THE VISIT MEANS SO MUCH
The region is recovering after a huge fire complex raged through the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, burning more than 50,000 hectares of bush and destroying more than 200 homes.
"What it says is that the world hasn't forgotten what happened in October 2013," Blue Mountains mayor Mark Greenhill told AAP of the royal visit.
"It means long after the smoke has cleared people still remember and I think that is very important.
"The economy has not recovered from the fires and we need to attract visitors back to the mountains ... This coverage will bring people back."
‘WE HAVEN’T BEEN FORGOTTEN’
Adrian Harrison's house burnt to the ground in October's Blue Mountains bushfires and he chokes up as he recalls losing most of his possessions.
So the visit by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to the region on Thursday is extra special.
"Here we are five months down the track after we lost our house and for them to come out now, it makes us feel like we haven't been forgotten," he told AAP.
"People out there are still thinking of us, which is greatly appreciated, bloody oath it is."
Mr Harrison's two children were with him in Winmalee, hoping to catch a glimpse of Prince William and Kate.
"We are a long way from being over this," he added.
"Classic example: I picked up a book the other day that I'd replaced and it was enough to tip me, there's a lot of healing still to do."
