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{{Use Australian English|date=May 2011}}
{{Infobox Australian place | type = region
| name = Blue Mountains
| state = nsw
| image = Three Sisters Sunset.jpg
| imagesize = 300px
| coordinates = {{coord|33|43|05|S|150|18|38|E|region:AU_type:mountain|display=inline,title}}
| caption = [[Three Sisters (Australia)|The Three Sisters]], sandstone rock formations that are one of the best-known attractions in the region
| pop = 162,000 <!-- Result based on totalling of population of the 4 LGAs (via LGA's wikipages) that make up the region. -->
| 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]], [[City of Hawkesbury]], [[City of Lithgow]] and [[Oberon Shire]]
| stategov = [[Electoral district of Blue Mountains|Blue Mountains]], [[Electoral district of Penrith|Penrith]], [[Electoral district of Bathurst|Bathurst]], [[Electoral district of Hawkesbury|Hawkesbury]], [[Electoral district of Londonderry|Londonderry]] and [[Electoral district of Riverstone|Riverstone]]
| dist1 = 50
| dir1 = north-west
| location1= [[Sydney central business district|Sydney CBD]]
| fedgov = [[Division of Macquarie|Macquarie]], [[Division of Lindsay|Lindsay]], [[Division of Greenway|Greenway]] and [[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 = [[Western Sydney]]
| near-sw = [[Southern Tablelands]]
| near-s = [[Southern Tablelands]]
| near-se = [[Macarthur (New South Wales)|Macarthur]]
}}
[[File:BlueMountains0040.jpg|thumb|[[Aboriginal Australians|Aboriginal]] hand [[stencil]]s in Red Hands Cave, near [[Glenbrook, New South Wales|Glenbrook]]]]
[[Image:(1)Asgard_Swamp_broken_china-1.jpg|thumb|Broken china from ruins at Asgard Swamp, where a shale mine once operated]]
The '''Blue Mountains''' is a mountainous region in [[New South Wales]], [[Australia]]. It borders on [[Sydney]]'s metropolitan area, its foothills starting about {{convert|50|km|mi|sigfig=2}} west of [[City of Sydney|the state capital]].<ref>Gregory's New South Wales State Road Map, Map 220, 11th Edition, Gregory's Publishing Company</ref> The public’s understanding of the extent of the Blue Mountains is varied, as it forms only part of an extensive mountainous area associated with the [[Great Dividing Range]]. Officially the Blue Mountains is bounded by the Nepean and Hawkesbury Rivers in the east, the Coxs River and Lake Burragorang to the west and south, and the Wolgan and Colo Rivers to the north.<ref>NSW Geographical Names Board http://www.gnb.nsw.gov.au/name_search/extract?id=TRckFxtL</ref> Geologically, it is situated in the central parts of the [[Sydney Basin]].<ref>http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0007/96847/20758.gif</ref>
The Blue Mountains mainly consists of a sandstone [[plateau]], that is dissected 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 1189m (3902ft) seven kilometres north-east of Lithgow. However, the highest point in the broader region once considered to be the Blue Mountains is Mount Bindo, elevation 1362m (4470ft).<ref name="Macqueen">Macqueen, Andy, 2012. The Blue Mountains: where are they? Blue Mountains History Journal, Issue 3. Blue Mountains Association of Cultural Heritage Organisations. October 2012.</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|accessdate=18 November 2012}}</ref>
The Blue Mountains area includes the local government areas of the [[City of Blue Mountains]], the [[City of Hawkesbury]], the [[City of Lithgow]] and [[Oberon, New South Wales|Oberon]]<!--and others?-->.
==History==
===Aboriginal inhabitants===
When Europeans arrived in Australia, the Blue Mountains had already been inhabited for several 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}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gundungurra.org.au/about.html|title=About Gundungurra Tribal Council|publisher=Gundungurra.org.au|accessdate=12 November 2012}}</ref>
The Gundungurra creation story of the Blue Mountains tells that Dreamtime 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 not-for-profit organisation representing the Gundungurra traditional owners, promoting heritage and culture and providing a support for Gundungurra people connecting back to Country.
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.
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>Sydney and Blue Mountains Bushwalks, Neil Paton (Kangaroo Press) 2004, p.170</ref> 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. There are also carved images of animal tracks and an occupation cave. The site is known as Kings Tableland Aboriginal Site and dates back 22,000 years.{{Citation needed|date=March 2011}}
===European history===
[[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.
The first documented use of the name ''Blue Mountains'' appears in Captain John Hunter’s account of Phillip’s 1789 expedition up the Hawkesbury River. Describing the events of about 5 July, Hunter wrote: “We frequently, in some of the reaches which we passed through this day, saw very near us the hills, which we suppose as seen from Port Jackson, and called by the governor the Blue Mountains."<ref>Hunter, J. (1793) An Historical Journal of the Transactions at Port Jackson and Norfolk Island. John Stockdale, London.</ref> During the nineteenth century the name was commonly applied to the portion of the Great Dividing Range from about Goulburn in the south to the Hunter Valley in the north, but in time it came to be associated with a more limited area.<ref name="Macqueen" />
The native Aborigines knew two routes{{Citation needed|date=September 2008}} across the mountains: Bilpin Ridge, which is now the location of [[Bells Line of Road]] between [[Richmond, New South Wales|Richmond]] and [[Bell, New South Wales|Bell]], and the [[Coxs River]], a tributary of the Nepean River. It could be followed upstream to the open plains of the Kanimbla Valley, the type of country that farmers prize.
European settlers initially considered that fertile lands lay beyond the mountains, as was China in the belief of many convicts, but that this didn't matter much, since the mountains were impassable.<ref>{{PDFlink|[http://blogs.usyd.edu.au/writingplace/writing%20place%20essay.pdf Beyond belonging? The landscape and belonging in colonial and contemporary imaginings of the Blue Mountains]|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 European to cross the Blue Mountains. It is also believed that Mathew Everingham, 1795,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/NationalParks/parkHistory.aspx?id=N0004 |title=DECCW | Blue Mountains National Park — History since colonisation |publisher=Environment.nsw.gov.au |date= |accessdate=2010-09-11}}</ref> may have also been partly successful based on letters he wrote at the time which came to light in the late 1980s<!--NOTE: it is not certain that Wilson was the first to cross the mountains; if you disagree, please provide references-->. Wilson arrived with the First Fleet in 1788 and was freed in 1792. He settled in the bush, living with the Aborigines and even functioning as an intermediary between them and the settlers. In 1797 he returned to Sydney, claiming to have explored up to a hundred miles in all directions around Sydney, including across the mountains. His descriptions and observations were generally accurate, and it is possible that he had crossed the mountains via the southern aspect at the Coxs River corridor, guided by the Aborigines.<ref>The Blue Mountains Rediscovered, pp.76-77</ref>
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 discovered Thirlmere Lakes, finally almost reaching the present site of [[Goulburn, New South Wales|Goulburn]].
It is possible that the accomplishments of this expedition were suppressed by Hunter, who may not have wanted convicts to know that there was a relatively easy way out of Sydney.<ref>The Blue Mountains Rediscovered, p.83</ref> Wilson was killed by Aborigines after abducting one of their women for his personal use,<ref>{{cite book|last=Collins|first=David|title=An account of the English colony in New South Wales|year=1804|publisher=T. Cadell and W. Davies|location=London|page=529|url=https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Page:An_account_of_the_English_colony_in_New_South_Wales.djvu/607|edition=2nd edition|accessdate=29 May 2013}}</ref> but he had accomplished much as an explorer. He was never recognised as the first person to cross the mountains, possibly because his Coxs River journey could not be verified, while his route west of Mittagong may have been the "long way around" for a colony that had its eyes fixed on the sandstone fortress west of the Nepean.
[[File:Blaxland-map.jpg| thumb |Route of the [[Gregory Blaxland|Blaxland]], [[William Lawson (explorer)|Lawson]], and [[William Wentworth|Wentworth]] Crossing of 1813|250px]]
Between 1798 and 1813, many people explored various parts of the mountains, from the Bilpin Ridge to the southern regions, today the site of the [[Kanangra-Boyd National Park]]. Still, they did not find a definite route across the mountains.
The [[1813 crossing of the Blue Mountains]] by [[Gregory Blaxland]], [[William Lawson (explorer)|William Lawson]] and [[William Wentworth|William Charles Wentworth]] is officially credited as the first successful European crossing.<ref name=DictSydneyLawson>{{cite web|title=Lawson, William|url=http://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/lawson_william|publisher=Dictionary of Sydney|accessdate=27 May 2013}}</ref> Blaxland set out with Lawson and Wentworth on 11 May 1813 and succeeded in crossing the mountains by 31 May. They ventured as far as to what is now Mount Blaxland, just west of [[Coxs River]].
In November 1813, Macquarie sent the surveyor [[George Evans (explorer)|George Evans]] on an expedition to confirm the discoveries made by Blaxland and his party. He was also told to see if there existed enough arable land to justify settlement. The issue had become more urgent because the colony was in the grips of a drought.
Evans and his party reached the [[Fish River (Oberon)|Fish]] and [[Macquarie River|Macquarie]] rivers, and the site of [[Bathurst, New South Wales|Bathurst]].<ref>Shaping Australia -- Explorers, Mitchell Scott (Watts Publishing) 2004, pp.5-6</ref> On 7 July 1814, construction of a road across the mountains was begun by [[William Cox (pioneer)|William Cox]]. The work was at the behest of Governor Macquarie. 30 convict labourers and 8 guards completed the road on 14 January 1815 after 27 weeks of hard work.<ref>The Blue Mountains Rediscovered, p.145</ref>
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>Sydney and Blue Mountains Bushwalks, p.243</ref> 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 financially viable.
[[Image:BlueMountains0033.jpg|right|thumb|160px|Ruins at abandoned silver-mining town of Yerranderie (later reopened to tourism)]]
==Etymology==
[[File:Jamison Valley, Blue Mountains, Australia - Nov 2008.jpg|thumb|160px|The characteristic blue haze, as seen in the [[Jamison Valley]]]]
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 |date= |accessdate=2010-09-11}}</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 [[Ultraviolet|ultraviolet radiation]] is scattered by particles within the atmosphere creating 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>Bohlmann J., Keeling C.I. (2008) Terpenoid biomaterials. ''Plant. J.'' '''54:''' 656-669</ref>
==Physiography==
The Blue Mountains area is a distinct physiographic section of the larger Hunter-Hawkesbury Sunkland province. This is in turn a part of the larger [[East Australian Cordillera]] physiographic division.
==Climate==
The climate varies with elevation. At Katoomba, ({{convert|1010|m|ft|sigfig=4|abbr=on|disp=or}}) the summer average maximum temperature is around 22°C with a few days extending into the 30s (80s–90s °F) although it is quite common to see maximum temperatures stay in the teens when east coast troughs persist. Night-time temperatures are usually in the teens but can drop to single figures at times. During winter, the temperature is typically around 10 to 11 °C in the daytime with −1 °C or so on clear nights and 3 to 4 °C on cloudy nights. Very occasionally it will get down to -3C or slightly lower but usually the coldest air drains into the valleys during calm, clear nights. The Blue Mountains is not known for particularly cold mornings compared to other areas on the Central Tablelands like Oberon, Bathurst and Orange etc. There are two to three snowfalls per year although settled snow has become less common in recent decades. In the lower mountains, however, the climate is significantly warmer.
Annual rainfall is about {{convert|1050|mm|in}} in the Upper Blue Mountains<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bluemts.com.au/tourist/about/climate.asp |title=Blue Mountains Weather and Climate |publisher=Bluemts.com.au |date=1 January 2003 |accessdate=2010-09-11}}</ref> with many misty days.
==Geography==
[[File:BlueMountainspano6.jpg|thumb|upright|Neates Glen, outside [[Blackheath, New South Wales|Blackheath]]]]
[[Image: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.]]
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 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]].
The main natural disasters to afflict the area are bush fires and severe storms. In recent years the lower mountains have been subjected to a series of bush fires 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, New South Wales|Bell]] and [[Blackheath, New South Wales|Blackheath]] (the Lawsons Long Alley Fire). This latest fire burned for almost a month but was extinguished, mainly due to a change in the weather, without loss of human life or property. A program of winter burning seems to have been successful in reducing fires in the upper mountains.
==World Heritage listing==
{{main|Greater Blue Mountains Area}}
The Greater Blue Mountains Area was unanimously listed as a World Heritage Area by UNESCO on 29 November 2000, becoming the fourth area in New South Wales to be listed.<ref>Gardens of Stone National Park Information Sheet, National Parks and Wildlife Service of New South Wales, October 2001</ref> The area totals roughly {{convert|10000|sqkm|sqmi}}, including the Blue Mountains, Kanangra-Boyd, Wollemi, Gardens of Stone, Yengo, Nattai and Thirlmere Lakes National Parks, plus the Jenolan Caves Karst Conservation Reserve.
This site was chosen to be included on the World Heritage list because:
{{cquote|"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."<ref>{{cite web | url=http://whc.unesco.org/en/list |title=whc.unesco.org |publisher=whc.unesco.org |date= |accessdate=2010-09-11}}</ref>
}}
==Fauna==
[[File:Blue Mountains platypus.jpg|thumb|Platypus in the Blue Mountains]]
The Greater Blue Mountains Area is inhabited by over 400 different forms of animals. Among them are rare mammal species like [[Spotted-tailed Quoll]], the [[Koala]], the [[yellow-bellied glider]], and [[Long-nosed potoroo]]. There are also some rare reptiles, like the [[Blue Mountain Water Skink]].<ref name="UNESCO">UNESCO World Heritage Convention: [http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/917 Greater Blue Mountains Area] downloaded on snd of August 2011</ref> There are also some [[dingo]]s in the area, which form the top predators and hunt for [[Eastern grey kangaroo|grey kangaroos]].<ref>Brad V. Purcell: ''A novel observation of dingoes (''Canis lupus dingo'') attacking a swimming eastern grey kangaroo (''Macropus giganteus'')''. Australian Mammalogy 32(2) 201–204, 2010.[http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/AM10001 online Abstract]</ref>
==Tourist attractions==
* The Edge Cinema offers visitors a panoramic view of the Blue Mountains.
* The Giant Stairway<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wildwalks.com/bushwalking-and-hiking-in-nsw/blue-mountains-katoomba/echo-point-to-scenic-world-via-giant-staircase.html |title=Bushwalking on the Echo Point to Scenic World via Giant Stairway |location=AU-NS |publisher=Wildwalks.com |date= |accessdate=2010-09-11}}</ref> walking track runs down a cliff into the Jamison Valley, near the [[Three Sisters (Australia)|Three Sisters]], providing access to nature walks<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wildwalks.com/bushwalking-and-hiking-in-nsw/blue-mountains-katoomba/|title=Blue Mountains (Katoomba)|publisher=Wildwalks|accessdate=18 November 2012}}</ref> through the valley.<ref>Sydney and Blue Mountains Bushwalks, pp.212-220</ref>
* [[Jenolan Caves]], a series of limestone caves south west of Katoomba.
* The [[Katoomba Scenic Railway]], was said to be 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. Also, at this location is the Scenic Skyway, a glass-bottom aerial cable car that traverses an arm of the Jamison Valley, and the Scenic Cableway, the steepest aerial cable car in Australia.
* The [[Norman Lindsay Gallery and Museum]] at Faulconbridge, operated by The [[National Trust of Australia]] and is located inside the former [[Norman Lindsay]] homestead, ''Springwood''.
* The [[Leuralla|Toy and Railway Museum]] at [[Leura, New South Wales|Leura]].
* [[Knapsack Viaduct]], also a location where the [[Bell Miner]] bird can often be heard.
* [[Lennox Bridge, Glenbrook]], on Mitchell's Pass which may be hiked (downhill) from [[Blaxland, New South Wales|Blaxland]] to [[Emu Plains, New South Wales|Emu Plains]] (8 km).
* [[Valley Heights Locomotive Depot Heritage Museum]].
* The [[Zig Zag Railway]]: A steam-powered railway near [[Lithgow, New South Wales|Lithgow]].
* A popular way to visit the Blue Mountains is by coach.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bluemountainsnswaustralia.com/|title=Blue Mountains, NSW, Australia from above.|publisher=bluemountainsnswaustralia.com|accessdate=18 November 2012}}</ref>
* The last remaining apple orchard on the [[Shipley Plateau]].
* The [[Explorers tree]], next to the [[Great Western Highway]], west of [[Katoomba]].
==Recreational activity==
The Blue Mountains are a popular destination for [[Rock climbing|Rock Climbers]], [[Mountain biking|Mountain Bikers]] and [[Hiking|Hikers]] as well as canyoning and other adventure sports. These sports are well catered for by guiding companies and equipment stores located mainly in [[Katoomba, New South Wales|Katoomba]].
Popular climbing destinations include the Centennial Glen cliffs near Blackheath, Mount Victoria, Mount Piddington and Mount Boyce. Climbing is currently banned on [[Three Sisters (Australia)|The Three Sisters]].<ref>
[http://www.sydneyrockies.org.au/climbing/cragaccess/cragaccess.html#bluemountains Sydney Rockclimbing Club Access notes]
</ref>
Mountain biking takes place mainly on the many fire trails that branch away from the main spine of the Great Western Highway, such as Narrow Neck, Anderson's Fire Trail and others.<ref>
[http://www.trailflix.com.au/tfx_new/trail_area.php?area_code=bm TrailFlix Blue Mountains listing]
</ref>
Likewise many of the fire trails are popular with day hikers, though many dedicated walking trails exist away from the fire roads.<ref>
[http://www.bluemts.com.au/tourist/thingstodo/bushwalks/ Blue Mountains Bushwalking Tracks]
</ref>
[[Canyoning]] in the Blue Mountains is a popular sport and caters for various skill levels. It does carry with it inherent dangers but for those with the appropriate skills or those looking to take a guided trip there are many great opportunities to experience a different view of the Blue Mountains.
There are numerous abseiling options available in the Blue Mountains including single and multipitch routes. There are some restrictions though with certain areas being closed for abseiling.<ref>
[http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/nationalparks/parkAdventureSports.aspx?id=N0004/ NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service]
</ref>
==Panorama==
[[Image:BlueMountains123.jpg|thumb|center|700px|View of Jamison Valley from north escarpment, outside Katoomba:Three Sisters far left; Mt Solitary left of centre; Narrowneck Plateau, far right]]
==See also==
{{Portal|New South Wales}}
* [[Aboriginal sites of New South Wales]] (includes Blue Mountains)
* [[List of mountains in Australia]]
{{-}}
==References==
{{Reflist|2}}
==External links==
{{commonscat-inline|Blue Mountains, New South Wales}}
* [http://www.visitbluemountains.com.au/ Visit Blue Mountains - Official Blue Mountains web site (Blue Mountains Lithgow & Oberon Tourism)]
* [http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/NationalParks/parkHome.aspx?id=N0004/Content/Home Official Blue Mountains National Park website]
* {{Wikivoyage-inline|Blue Mountains}}
* [http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nswbmfhs Blue Mountains Family History Society]
* [http://99boomerangs.com/2012/12/05/the-giant-stairway-of-the-blue-mountains/ Article about the making of the Giant Stairway at Katoomba in The Blue Mountains]
* [http://www.bmbw.org.au Blue Mountains Blue Wave]
{{Blue Mountains topics}}
{{National Parks of New South Wales}}
[[Category:Blue Mountains (New South Wales)| ]]
[[Category:Mountain ranges of New South Wales]]
[[Category:Physiographic sections]]
[[Category:Climbing areas of Australia]]
[[Category:Visitor attractions in Sydney]]