Blue Mountains (Australia)

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The Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia, are found approximately 48 kilometres west of Sydney.^[1] They are a range of sandstone geological structures that reach to at least 1,190 metres AHD (in the Lithgow area). The Blue Mountains are not, as the name suggests, a range of mountains but rather a plateau with rugged eroded gorges of up to 760 metres depth. A large part 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.

Contents 1 History 2 Physiography 3 Geography 4 World Heritage Listing 5 Tourist attractions 6 Gallery 7 Peaks 8 References 9 See also 10 External links

[edit] History

The mountains were originally named by Arthur Phillip in 1788 as the Carmarthen Hills for the northern section near Sydney, and the Lansdowne Hills for the southern. However, Blue Mountains quickly became preferred as the popular name.^[2] Although known by Indigenous Australians for generations, the mountains were for many years thought to be impenetrable by Sydneysiders, and were so judged on their utility (as there was "bound to be productive land beyond" the barrier ranges).^[3]

The most famous expedition to cross them was in 1813, by Blaxland, Wentworth and Lawson. Rather than, like earlier explorers, following the river valleys—only to discover usually that they were terminated by vertical cliffs several hundred metres high—the trio followed the ridges to reach the plateau.

This 'first crossing' by Lawson, Blaxland and Wentworth is a common misconception due to various monuments claiming this to be so. Indeed the only geographical reward they received for their efforts was the naming of three hills in the Kanimbla Valley northwest of Mount York. This 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 built in only 27 weeks by William Cox, at the behest of Governor Lachlan Macquarie, using 30 convict labourers and 8 guards and was completed in early 1815.

Coal and oil shale were mined near Katoomba up until after the Second World War.

[edit] Physiography

The Blue Mountains are a distinct physiographic section of the larger Hunter-Hawkesbury Sunkland province, which in turn is part of the larger East Australian Cordillera physiographic division.

[edit] Geography

The name derives from the bluish tinge the range takes on when viewed at a distance, which is caused by a process known as Mie Scattering. Mie Scattering occurs when incoming uv radiation is scattered by particles within the atmosphere. When Mie Scattering occurs incoming radiation lengths mix as no wave length is predominant over another (unlike Rayleigh Scattering where shortwave length radiation is predominant during the day and long at sunset, hence blue skies and red sunsets) creating a blue-greyish colour to any distant objects (such as mountain ranges or even clouds). It is widely believed that the blue colouring of the mountains is created by light reflecting of eucalypt leaves and although this is a romantic idea, unfortunately it is just folklore. 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.

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.

The climate varies with height. At Katoomba (1,010 m) 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. There are two to three snowfalls per year. In the lower mountains, however, the climate is significantly warmer. Annual rainfall is about 48 inches (1,200 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 had not had a major fire for some decades until December 2002 (The Blackheath Glen Fire) and November 2006 when an extensive blaze in the Grose Valley threatened several communities including Bell and Blackheath (The Lawson Long Alley Fire). This latest fire burned for almost a month but was extinguished without loss of human life or property. A program of winter burning seems to have been quite successful in reducing fires in the upper mountains.

[edit] World Heritage Listing

The Greater Blue Mountains Area was nominated for listing as a World Heritage Area and was unanimously accepted on 29th November, 2000. It thus became the fourth area in New South Wales to be listed.^[4] The total area covers a million hectares, including the Blue Mountains, Kanangra-Boyd, Wollemi, Gardens of Stone, Yengo, Nattai and Thirlmere Lakes National Parks, plus the Jenolan Caves Karst Conservation Reserve.

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 eucalypti tax (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 tax. The site hosts several evolutionary relic species (Wollemia, Microstrobos, Acrophyllum) which have persisted in highly restricted micro sites." ^[5]

[edit] Tourist attractions

• The Giant Staircase walking track runs down a cliff into the Jamison Valley, near the Three Sisters, offering access to extensive nature walks through the valley.^[6]
• 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: a glass-bottom 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.
• Valley Heights Locomotive Depot Heritage Museum is the home of the oldest remaining roundhouse in New South Wales.
• The Toy Museum at Leura is home to an interesting collection of toys and trains.
• The Edge Cinema offers visitors a panoramic view of the Blue Mountains. The Edge Movie, run every 45 minutes, is narrated by Hugo Weaving and is about the geography of this area.
• The Norman Lindsay Gallery and Museum at Faulconbridge. The gallery is operated by The National Trust of Australia and is located inside the former Norman Lindsay homestead, Springwood. The gallery houses a wide variety of artwork including paintings, etchings, model sailing ship replicas and sculptures. The house and surrounding gardens featured in the film Sirens.

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[edit] Gallery

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Grose Valley seen from Perrys Lookdown	Orphan Rock, near Katoomba	The Katoomba Scenic Skyway	The view from Cahills Lookout, Katoomba.
A panoramic view of the Blue Mountains	Autumn in the Blue Mountains.	View of the Jamison Valley from Echo Point, Katoomba	Grose Valley after a bush fire

[edit] Peaks

• Mount Boyce
• Mount Piddington
• Mount York
• Mount Solitary
• Mount Banks
• Mount Trickett
• Mount Bindo
• Mount Hay
• Mount Wilson, New South Wales

[edit] References

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

[edit] See also

• Hartley, New South Wales
• Jenolan Caves
• Lithgow, New South Wales

[edit] External links

• Blue Mountains Tourism
• Blue Mountains Directory
• National Parks New South Wales
• Crossing the Blue Mountains - State Library of NSW
• Blue Mountains Photos
• Blue Mountains (Australia) travel guide from Wikitravel

v • d • e World Heritage Sites in Australia Australian fossil mammal sites at Naracoorte and Riversleigh · Blue Mountains · Fraser Island · Gondwana Rainforests of Australia · Great Barrier Reef · Heard Island and McDonald Islands · Kakadu National Park · Lord Howe Island Group · Macquarie Island · Purnululu National Park · Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens · Shark Bay · Sydney Opera House · Tasmanian Wilderness · Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park · Wet Tropics of Queensland · Willandra Lakes Region

Coordinates: 33°43′05″S, 150°18′38″E