Blue Mountains (New South Wales)

For other mountain ranges, see Blue Mountains (disambiguation).

Cliff overlooking the Jamison Valley

The Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia, are situated approximately 100 kilometres west of Sydney. They are a range of sandstone geological structures that reach to at least 1190 metres above sea level (in the Lithgow area). The Blue Mountains are not as the name suggests a range of mountains but rather a series of cliffs surrrounding a plateau with rugged eroded gorges of up to 760 metres depth. A large majority of the Blue Mountains is incorporated in the Greater Blue Mountains Area World Heritage Site and its constituent seven national parks and a conservation reserve.

The Blue Mountains lie in the local government areas of the City of Blue Mountains, the City of Hawkesbury, the City of Lithgow and Oberon.

History

The Three Sisters, one of the Blue Mountains' top attractions

The Blue Mountains were thought to be impenetrable by the early settlers of Sydney, and were not crossed until 1813, by Blaxland, Wentworth and Lawson. Rather than, like earlier explorers, following the river valleys—only to discover that they were terminated by vertical cliffs several hundred metres high—the trio followed the ridges to reach the plateau. The first crossing of the Blue Mountains has traditionally been regarded as a critical step that opened the west of New South Wales to European settlement; however, modern historians point out that until about the time the mountains were first crossed there was still ample land available closer to the coast. The oft-told tale that the Blue Mountains were a crippling barrier to colonial expansion is largely myth.

A road crossing the mountains was quickly built using convict labour in the time of Governor Lachlan Macquarie. Coal and oil shale were mined near Katoomba up until after the Second World War.

Geography

The name derives from the bluish tinge the range takes on when viewed at a distance, which is caused by the release of volatile oils from eucalyptus forests. (Most mountains and plains in the forested parts of Australia take on a similar hue: the Blue Mountains were a familiar sight to early British settlers in the Sydney district long before the bulk of the continent was explored by non-native people.)

A panoramic view of the Blue Mountains

The predominant natural vegetation of the higher ridges is eucalypt forest. Heath-like vegetation is present on plateau edges above cliffs. The sheltered gorges often have a temperate rainforest. There are also many hanging swamps with button grass reeds and thick, deep black soil. Wollemia nobilis, the "Wollemi pine", a relic of earlier vegetation of Gondwana, is found in remote and isolated valleys of the Wollemi National Park.

Many Bushcare Groups carry out bush regeneration to restore and protect the bushland areas on public lands within the City of Blue Mountains.

The climate varies with height. At Katoomba (1010 metres) summer daytime temperatures are usually in 20s with a few days extending into the 30s (Celsius). Night time temperatures are usually in the teens. In winter the temperature is typically about 12 or 13 °C in the daytime with −3 °C or so on clear nights and 2 to 3 °C on cloudy nights. In the lower mountains, however, the climate is significantly warmer. There are two to three snowfalls per year. Annual rainfall is about 48 inches (1200 mm) with many misty days.

The main natural disasters to afflict the area are bushfires and severe storms. In recent years the lower mountains has been subjected to a series of bushfires which have caused great loss of property but relatively little loss of life. The upper mountains have not had a major fire for some decades but this is probably simply a matter of time. A program of winter burning seems to have been quite successful in reducing fires in the upper mountains.

The reason why this site was chosen to be included on the World Heritage list is quoted below.

“Criteria (ii) and (iv): Australia’s eucalypt vegetation is worthy of recognition as of outstanding universal value, because of its adaptability and evolution in post-Gondwana isolation. The site contains a wide and balanced representation of eucalypt habitats from wet and dry sclerophyll, mallee heathlands, as well as localised swamps, wetlands, and grassland. 90 eucalypt taxa (13% of the global total) and representation of all four groups of eucalypts occur. There is also a high level of endemism with 114 endemic taxa found in the area as well as 120 nationally rare and threatened plant taxa. The site hosts several evolutionary relic species (Wollemia, Microstrobos, Acrophyllum) which have persisted in highly restricted microsites.” Quoted from http://whc.unesco.org/en/list

Tourist attractions

A view of the Blue Mountains from Cahills lookout

• The Giant Staircase which runs down a cliff into the Jamison Valley beside the Three Sisters, offering access to extensive nature walks through the Valley.
• The Katoomba Scenic Railway, the steepest railway in the world according to the Guinness Book of Records, and originally part of the Katoomba mining tramways constructed between 1878 and 1900. The cable railway line descends 415 metres through sandstone cliffs, via a rock tunnel with a maximum gradient of 52 degrees.
• The Scenic Skyway: an aerial cable car that traverses an arm of the Jamison Valley at Katoomba.
• The Scenic Flyway: the steepest aerial cable car in Australia, it is a 545 metre ride.
• Jenolan Caves, a spectacular series of limestone caves that is regarded as one of the world's best, lies 45 kilometres (70 kilometres by road) to the south west of Katoomba.
• The Zig Zag Railway: An old-fashioned railway with steam-powered engines near Lithgow.
• The Toy Museum at Leura is home to an interesting collection of toys and trains.
• The Edge Cinema offers visitors to get a great view of the blue mountains. With the Edge Movie screening every 45 Minutes on the 6 story high screen this is the best way to get the full experience of the Blue Mountains. This film is also narrated by Hugo Weaving and is about the geography of this great National Park.

References

• ^ World Mountain Encyclopedia (2002-5). Great Dividing Range. Retrieved November 8, 2005.

See also

• Blue Mountains National Park

External links

• Blue Mountains
• National Parks New South Wales
• Blue Mountains National Park Australia Pictures Stunning Pictures