The Three Sisters
Blue Mountains NSW Australia
The Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, was home to aboriginal tribes prior to European settlement, the Gundungarra, Dharug and Wiradjiri people. Katoomba's name come from the aboriginal word for tumbling water. Shortley after Sydney Cove was settled, Governor Macquarie sent explorers Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth west in 1813 in search of more farming land. The Great Western Highway closely follows their route and each explorer has a town named in celebration.
The Blue Mountains National Park comprises over 1 million hectares of World Heritage wilderness. Bushwalking in Australia began here in the late 19th century and early enthusiasts were the first to promote the protection of Australia's bush. The Blue Mountains are so called due to the bluish haze created by the eucalyptus oil vapour in the air above the forest. The Blue Mountains emerged as Australia's original tourist destination in 1880 after the Carrington Hotel was completed. It was originally known as The Great Western Hotel. A coal mine opened in 1879 and oil shale was mined from 1885. Scenic World offers tram rides on the old colliery railway line as well as the famous Skyway cable car ride across the Jamison Valley.
The Three Sisters, perched 600m above Jamison Valley are most popularly viewed from Echo Point Lookout at Katoomba. They are so named after the aboriginal dreamtime story of three sisters who were turned to stone to prevent them from marring three men from the Nepean tribe. The elder responsible for the spell lost his magic bone. His present day form is that of a lyre bird so spending its time scratching around the scrub looking for the bone to break the spell and turn the sisters back into their human form.
The Blue Mountains stunning scenery and quaint cottage style attracts millions of international visitors and is a favourite getaway for Sydneysiders. Charles Darwin visited the area in 1836 and described the scenery as "extremely magnificent". Tourists have been arriving by cart, steam train, and now car, for over 150 years to enjoy nature and all the art, crafts, shopping, dining, hiking, history, and adventure the region has to offer.
This is a fold out postcard, when you open it, it has a panoramic view of the entire mountain range, a map, and all the information I typed above.
Photography: Stewart Coates
2010
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