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{{Short description|Mountain range in Australia}}
{{distinguish|Greater Blue Mountains Area|Blue Mountains National Park|City of Blue Mountains}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Use Australian English|date=May 2011}}
{{Infobox Australian place
| type = region
| name = Blue Mountains
| state = nsw
| image = Three Sisters Sunset.jpg
| image_upright = 0.9
| caption = [[Three Sisters (Australia)|The Three Sisters]] sandstone rock formation, one of the region's best-known attractions
| coordinates = {{coord|33|43|05|S|150|18|38|E|region:
| map_type = nomap<!-- map in second infobox below -->
| pop = <!--Leave blank to automatically draw the latest data from Wikidata-->
| pop_year = <!--Leave blank to automatically draw the latest data from Wikidata-->
| pop_footnotes
| area = 11400 <!-- Result based on totalling of area of the 4 LGAs (via LGA's wikipages) that make up the region. -->
| lga = [[City of Blue Mountains|Blue Mountains]]
| stategov = [[Electoral district of Blue Mountains|Blue Mountains]]
| stategov2 = [[Electoral district of Penrith|Penrith]]
| dist1 = 50
| dir1 = NW
| location1 = [[Sydney central business district|Sydney CBD]]
| fedgov = [[Division of Macquarie|Macquarie]]
| fedgov2 = [[Division of Lindsay|Lindsay]]
| fedgov3 = [[Division of Calare|Calare]]
| near-nw = [[Central West (New South Wales)|Central West]]
| near-n = [[Central West (New South Wales)|Central West]]
| near-ne = [[Hunter Region|Hunter]]
| near-w = [[Central West (New South Wales)|Central West]]
| near-e = [[Greater Western Sydney]]
| near-sw = [[Southern Tablelands]]
| near-s = [[Southern Tablelands]]
| near-se = [[Macarthur (New South Wales)|Macarthur]]
| relief
}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Blue Mountains Range
| other_name = Blue Mountains
| photo = Jamison Valley, Blue Mountains, Australia - Nov 2008.jpg
| photo_alt =
| photo_caption = The characteristic blue haze,<br />as seen in the [[Jamison Valley]]
<!-- Geography -->
| country = [[Australia]] | region_type = [[States and territories of Australia|State]]
| region = [[New South Wales]]
| border =
| topo_map =
| topo_maker = <!-- Highest point -->
| highest = ''unnamed peak''
| highest_location = north-east of {{NSWcity|Lithgow}}
| elevation_m = 1189
| elevation_system = {{AHD}}
| elevation_ref =
| coordinates =
| coordinates_ref = <!-- Range -->
| length_km = 96
| width_km =
| area_km2 =
| length_orientation = NW/SE
| width_orientation =
| length_ref = <ref name=gnb>{{NSW GNR|id=TRckFxrX|title=Blue Mountains Range|access-date=6 May 2015}}</ref>
| width_ref =
| area_ref =
| parent = <!-- Overall coordinates for the range; usually the centre of the range -->
| range_coordinates =
| range_coordinates_ref = <!-- Geology -->
| formed_by =
| geology =
| period =
| orogeny = <!-- Locator map; takes coordinates from "highest point" (and perhaps "range"; need to experiment and then correct this comment) -->
| map = Australia New South Wales
| map_caption = Location of the Blue Mountains Range in [[New South Wales]]
}}
[[File:Red Hands Cave.jpg|thumb|[[Aboriginal Australians|Aboriginal]] [[hand stencil]]s in Red Hands Cave, near [[Glenbrook, New South Wales|Glenbrook]]]]
[[File:(1)Asgard Swamp broken china-1.jpg|thumb|Broken china from ruins near Asgard Swamp, where a coal mine was opened in the nineteenth century]]
The '''Blue Mountains''' are a mountainous [[Regions of New South Wales|region]] and a [[mountain range]] located in [[New South Wales]], [[Australia]]. The region is considered to be part of the western outskirts of the [[Greater Sydney]] area
The ''Blue Mountains Range'' comprises a [[mountain range|range of mountains]], plateau escarpments extending off the Great Dividing Range about {{convert|4.8|km}} northwest of Wolgan Gap in a generally southeasterly direction for about {{convert|96|km}}, terminating at {{NSWcity|Emu Plains}}. For about two-thirds of its length it is traversed by the [[Great Western Highway]], the [[Main Western railway line, New South Wales|Main Western railway line]] and the soon to be completed, Blue Mountains tunnel.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.drive.com.au/news/australias-longest-tunnel-will-save-commuters-up-to-30-minutes/ | title=Australia's longest tunnel will save commuters "up to 30 minutes" | date=16 May 2022 }}</ref> Several established towns are situated on its heights, including [[Katoomba, New South Wales|Katoomba]], [[Blackheath, New South Wales|Blackheath]], {{NSWcity|Mount Victoria}}, and {{NSWcity|Springwood}}. The range forms the watershed between Coxs River to the south and the Grose and Wolgan rivers to the north.<ref name=gnb/> The range contains the Explorer Range and the Bell Range.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bonzle.com.au/c/a?a=p&p=13047&cmd=sp&lstt=1|title=Map of Bell Range, NSW|work=Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia|access-date=6 May 2015}}</ref>
== Etymology ==
Following European settlement of the Sydney area, the area was named the ''Carmarthen and Lansdowne Hills'' by [[Arthur Phillip]] in 1788. The Carmarthen Hills were in the north of the region and the Lansdowne Hills were in the south. The name ''Blue Mountains'', however, was preferred<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gutenberg.net.au/ausdisc/ausdisc2-intro.html |title=Project Gutenberg Australia |publisher=Gutenberg.net.au |access-date=11 September 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030112082838/http://www.gutenberg.net.au/ausdisc/ausdisc2-intro.html|archive-date=12 January 2003|url-status=dead}}</ref> and is derived from the blue tinge the range takes on when viewed from a distance. The tinge is believed to be caused by [[Mie scattering]] which occurs when incoming light with shorter wavelengths is preferentially scattered by particles within the atmosphere imparting a blue-greyish colour to any distant objects, including mountains and clouds. Volatile [[terpenoid]]s emitted in large quantities by the abundant eucalyptus trees in the Blue Mountains may cause Mie scattering and thus the blue haze for which the mountains were named.<ref name="Bohlmann2008">{{cite journal|last1= Bohlmann|first1= J.|last2= Keeling|first2=C. I.|title= Terpenoid biomaterials|journal= The Plant Journal|volume= 54|issue= 4|year= 2008|pages= 656–669|doi= 10.1111/j.1365-313X.2008.03449.x|pmid= 18476870|doi-access= free}}</ref>
== History ==
=== Geological history ===
A sandstone [[plateau]] dominated by a landscape of
▲A sandstone [[plateau]] dominated by a landscape of endless [[eucalyptus]] forests, the Blue Mountains are located at the top of a 470-million-year-old [[quartzite]]. In the [[Permian]] period, a shallow sea covered the region, when rivers brought [[shale]]s, [[siltstone]]s and [[mudstone]]s. Then during the [[Mesozoic]] period, rivers dumped vast amounts of [[sand]], burying the other [[sedimentary rock]]s. By about 1 million years ago during the [[Pliocene]] era, the Blue Mountains began to form, carving out deep [[valley]]s and steep [[cliffs]], with an elevation of 3,900 feet. Its main distinctive natural feature are the [[Three Sisters (Australia)|Three Sisters]], a formation of triple sandstone peaks scoured by [[erosion]], whose rocks are lit by the glimpse of light at the [[time of day]].
Its main distinctive natural feature are the [[Three Sisters (Australia)|Three Sisters]], a formation of triple sandstone peaks scoured by [[erosion]],<ref>[https://bluemountainstoursydney.com.au/attractions/three-sisters/ The Three Sisters, Blue Mountains] Sightseeing Tours Australia</ref> whose rocks are lit by the glimpse of light at the [[time of day]].
=== Aboriginal inhabitants ===
The Blue Mountains have been inhabited for millennia by the [[Gandangara people|Gundungurra people]], now represented by the Gundungurra Tribal Council Aboriginal Corporation based in Katoomba, and, in the lower Blue Mountains, by the [[Darug people]], now represented by the Darug Tribal Aboriginal Corporation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.darug.org.au/ |title=Darug Tribal Aboriginal Corporation |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130409014715/https://darug.org.au/ |archive-date=9 April 2013}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{cite web | url=http://www.gundungurra.org.au/about.html | title=About Gundungurra Tribal Council | publisher=Gundungurra.org.au | access-date=12 November 2012 | archive-date=6 September 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120906061723/http://www.gundungurra.org.au/about.html | url-status=dead }}</ref>
The Gundungurra creation story of the Blue Mountains tells that [[Dreamtime|Dreaming]] creatures Mirigan and Garangatch, half fish and half reptile, fought an epic battle which scarred the landscape into the [[Jamison Valley]].
The Gundungurra Tribal Council is a nonprofit organisation representing the Gundungurra [[traditional owners]], promoting heritage and culture and providing a support for Gundungurra people connecting back to Country.<ref>{{Cite web |title=13 Jul 1998 - Gundungurra Tribal Council - Archived Website |url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/19980713130000/http://www.hermes.net.au/gtc/default.htm |access-date=2024-06-18 |website=Trove |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1" />
Gundungurra Tribal Council Aboriginal Corporation has a registered Native Title Claim since 1995 over their traditional lands, which include the Blue Mountains and surrounding areas.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |title=Gundungurra Indigenous Land Use Agreement |url=http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/research-and-publications/publications-search/gundungurra-indigenous-land-use-agreement |access-date=2024-06-18 |website=NSW Environment and Heritage |language=en}}</ref>
Examples of Aboriginal habitation can be found in many places. In the Red Hands Cave, a rock shelter near [[Glenbrook, New South Wales|Glenbrook]], the walls contain hand stencils from adults and children.<ref name=SBMB/>{{rp|170}} On the southern side of Queen Elizabeth Drive, at [[Wentworth Falls, New South Wales|Wentworth Falls]], a rocky knoll has a large number of grinding grooves created by rubbing stone implements on the rock to shape and sharpen them.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-08-30|title=Wentworth Falls {{!}} Towns {{!}} info {{!}} Blue Mountains|url=https://www.bluemts.com.au/info/towns/wentworth-falls/|url-status=live|archive-url=http://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20190401010730/https://www.bluemts.com.au/info/towns/wentworth-falls/|archive-date=1 April 2019|access-date=2021-06-14|website=Blue Mountains Australia}}</ref> There are also carved images of animal tracks and an occupation cave.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Kings Tableland {{!}} NSW Environment, Energy and Science|url=https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/heritageapp/ViewHeritageItemDetails.aspx?id=5062943|url-status=live|access-date=2021-06-14|website=Office of Environment and Heritage, New South Wales Government|publisher=[[Office of Environment and Heritage (New South Wales)]]|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191109083513/https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/heritageapp/ViewHeritageItemDetails.aspx?id=5062943|archive-date = 9 November 2019}}</ref> The site is known as [[Kings Tableland]] Aboriginal Place and dates back 22,000 years.<ref>{{Cite journal|date=2011-11-04|title=National Parks and Wildlife Act: Kings Tableland Aboriginal Place|url=https://gazette.legislation.nsw.gov.au/so/download.w3p?id=Gaz_Gazette%20Split%202011_2011-106.pdf|journal=Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales|publisher=[[Government of New South Wales]]|pages=6537|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331032438/https://gazette.legislation.nsw.gov.au/so/download.w3p?id=Gaz_Gazette%20Split%202011_2011-106.pdf|archive-date=2019-03-31}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Gillespie|first1=Richard|last2=Temple|first2=R.|date=1976|title=Sydney University Natural Radiocarbon Measurements III|journal=[[Radiocarbon (journal)|Radiocarbon]]|publisher=[[American Journal of Science]]|volume=18|issue=1|pages=99|doi=10.1017/S0033822200002393|bibcode=1976Radcb..18...96G |hdl=10150/652478|doi-access=free}}</ref>
=== Australian
[[Arthur Phillip]], the first governor of New South Wales, first glimpsed the extent of the Blue Mountains from a ridge at the site of today's Oakhill College, Castle Hill. He named them the Carmarthen Hills, "some forty to sixty miles distant..." and he reckoned that the ground was "most suitable for government stock". This is the location where Gidley King in 1799 established a prison town for political prisoners from Ireland and Scotland.
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British settlers initially considered that fertile lands lay beyond the mountains; while in the belief of many convicts China lay beyond. However, there was little fear that the mountains might provide a means of escape since they were considered impassable.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://blogs.usyd.edu.au/writingplace/writing%20place%20essay.pdf |title= Beyond belonging? The landscape and belonging in colonial and contemporary imaginings of the Blue Mountains |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080720141840/http://blogs.usyd.edu.au/writingplace/writing%20place%20essay.pdf |archive-date= 20 July 2008}} {{small|(88.8 [[Kibibyte|KiB]])}}, Luke Heffernan.</ref> This idea was, to some extent, convenient for local authorities. An "insurmountable" barrier would deter convicts from trying to escape in that direction.
A former convict, John Wilson, may have been the first colonist to cross the Blue Mountains. It is also believed that
Governor Hunter was impressed by Wilson's skills and sent him on an expedition with John Price and others in January 1798. The party crossed the Nepean River and moved southwest towards the present site of [[Mittagong, New South Wales|Mittagong]]. There they turned west and found a route along the ridge where today the Wombeyan Caves Road is located. In the process they found a way to go west of the mountains, by going around them instead of across them. In March of the same year, Wilson and Price ventured to the Camden area, and then continued further south until they encountered Thirlmere Lakes, finally almost reaching the present site of [[Goulburn, New South Wales|Goulburn]].
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Since the Blue Mountains are rich in coal and shale, mining for these resources began in Hartley Vale in 1865. J.B. North ran a shale mine in the Jamison Valley in the 19th century,<ref name=SBMB/>{{rp|243}} and other operations were set up in several places. Locations for mining activities included the [[Jamison Valley]], the upper [[Grose Valley]], [[Newnes, New South Wales|Newnes]], [[Glen Davis, New South Wales|Glen Davis]] and the Asgard Swamp area outside [[Mount Victoria, New South Wales|Mount Victoria]]. Shale mining failed in the long run because it was not profitable.
In 2000, the [[Greater Blue Mountains Area]], a vast area of wilderness in the Blue Mountains for its exceptional biodiversity, was enlisted by [[UNESCO]] and categorized itself as a natural [[World Heritage Site]].
On 18 July 2023, a proposal for a naming board in a dual Aboriginal name was discussed by the [[Geographical Names Board of New South Wales]] whether the Blue Mountains would be officially named Gulumada.
== Climate ==
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[[File:BlueMountainspano6.jpg|thumb|left|Neates Glen, outside [[Blackheath, New South Wales|Blackheath]]]]
[[File:Upper Wentworth Falls, NSW, Australia 2 - Nov 2008.jpg|thumb|upright|Upper [[Wentworth Falls (waterfall)|Wentworth Falls]] as viewed along the National Pass walking track near the town of Wentworth Falls]]
[[File:Greater_Western_Sydney_Map.gif|thumb|right|The [[Greater Blue Mountains Area]] is
The predominant natural vegetation of the higher ridges is eucalyptus forest. Heath-like vegetation is present on plateau edges above cliffs. The sheltered gorges often contain temperate [[rainforest]]s. There are also [[Swamps of the Blue Mountains|many hanging swamps]] with button grass reeds and thick, deep black soil. ''[[Wollemia nobilis]]'', the "Wollemi pine", a relict of earlier vegetation of [[Gondwana]], is found in remote and isolated valleys of the [[Wollemi National Park]].
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* [[Mount Irvine, New South Wales|Mount Irvine]] ({{convert|850|m|ft|0|disp=or|abbr=on}})
The Blue Mountains are a [[dissected plateau]] carved in [[sandstone]] [[bedrock]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Blue Mountains, Australia |url=https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/51889/the-blue-mountains-australia |website=NASA Earth Observatory}}</ref> They are now a series of ridge lines separated by [[Canyon|gorges]] up to {{convert|760|m|ft}} deep. The highest point in the Blue Mountains, as it is now defined, is an unnamed point with an elevation of {{convert|1189|m|abbr=on}} {{AHD}}, located {{convert|7|km}} north-east of {{NSWcity|Lithgow}}. However, the highest point in the broader region that was once considered to be the Blue Mountains is [[Mount Bindo]], with an elevation {{convert|1362|m|abbr=on}} {{AHD}}.<ref name="Macqueen">{{Cite journal|last=Macqueen|first=Andy|date=Oct 2012|title=The Blue Mountains: where are they?|url=http://bluemountainsheritage.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/BMHJI3p_1.pdf|url-status=live|journal=Blue Mountains History Journal|publisher=Blue Mountains Association of Cultural Heritage Organisations|volume=3|pages=1–25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310103800/http://bluemountainsheritage.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/BMHJI3p_1.pdf|archive-date=2021-03-10}}</ref>
A large part of the Blue Mountains is incorporated into the [[Greater Blue Mountains Area]] [[World Heritage Site]], consisting of seven national park areas and a conservation reserve.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.visitnsw.com/destinations/blue-mountains|title=Blue Mountains|publisher=VisitNSW.com|access-date=18 November 2012}}</ref>
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This site was chosen to be included on the World Heritage list because:
{{cquote|"Criteria (ii) and (iv):
}}
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* [[Valley Heights Locomotive Depot Heritage Museum]].
* The [[Zig Zag Railway]]: A steam-powered railway near [[Lithgow, New South Wales|Lithgow]].
* Popular ways to visit the Blue Mountains include - by train, by coach, by private car or small group tour.
* The last remaining apple orchard on the [[Shipley Plateau]].<ref>{{cite web|title=About Logan Brae|url=http://loganbrae.com.au/?page_id=124|access-date=3 July 2014}}</ref>
* The [[Prime Ministers' Corridor of Oaks]], at [[Faulconbridge, New South Wales|Faulconbridge]], near the Great Western Highway.
* Red Hands Cave in the [[Blue Mountains National Park]] near [[Glenbrook, New South Wales|Glenbrook]] is one of the best examples of [[Indigenous Australian art|Aboriginal art]] in the area.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/aboriginal-sites/red-hands-cave|title=Red Hands Cave|website=NSW National Parks|language=en|access-date=2019-05-05}}</ref>
* Lincoln's Rock in [[Wentworth Falls, New South Wales]] offers spectacular views of the [[Jamison Valley]]. Formerly known as Flat Rock, it was named after Australian [[mountaineer]] [[Lincoln Hall (climber)]] in 2013.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.truebluemountains.com.au/lincolns-rock-wentworth-falls/|title=Lincoln's Rock, Wentworth Falls | True Blue Mountains|date=10 February 2016 }}</ref>
== Recreational activity ==
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== Collapse of the Dog Face Rock cliff face ==
At
== Injuries and deaths ==
It was reported that "More than 450 incidents resulting in greater than 200 deaths between 1875 and 2021..." have occurred.<ref name="Search and Rescue Operations">{{Cite web|url=https://www.afac.com.au/docs/default-source/afac21-conference-posters/research-forum/179mou-1.pdf?sfvrsn=4&download=false#:~:text=Up%20to%20200%20people%20get,operation%20between%20the%20emergency%20services.|title=MOUNTAINS MISHAPS Community Information and Co-operation for Search and Rescue Operations in the Blue Mountains|last=Webber|first=Christopher|access-date=|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220702004224/https://www.afac.com.au/docs/default-source/afac21-conference-posters/research-forum/179mou-1.pdf?sfvrsn=4&download=false|archive-date=2 July 2022}}</ref> Every year there are up to 200 people who are lost or injured in the Blue mountains.<ref name="Search and Rescue Operations"/>
In 2022, two people died and two were injured when they were on a walking track in [[Wentworth Falls,
== Gallery ==
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== External links ==
*{{Commons category-inline|Blue Mountains, New South Wales}}
* {{wikivoyage
* [http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/NationalParks/parkHome.aspx?id=N0004/Content/Home Official Blue Mountains National Park website]
* [http://www.visitnsw.com/destinations/blue-mountains Visitor's Guide to the Blue Mountains – Visit NSW]
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