The Blue Mountains National Park is a protected area located in the Blue Mountains region of New South Wales, eastern Australia. The park covers 267,954 hectares (662,130 acres) and is about 80 kilometers (50 miles) west of Sydney’s central business district. The park’s boundary is not regular because it is divided by roads, cities, and private land. Although the name includes "mountains," the area is actually a raised flat landform that is cut through by several large rivers. The highest point in the park is Mount Werong, which is 1,215 meters (3,986 feet) above sea level. The lowest point is at the Nepean River, which is 20 meters (66 feet) above sea level as it exits the park.
The national park is one of eight protected areas added in 2000 to form part of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Greater Blue Mountains Area. This area was included in the National Heritage List on May 21, 2007, as one of 15 World Heritage sites. The Blue Mountains National Park is the central protected area within the World Heritage Site and is part of the Great Dividing Range. The park is also listed on the Australian Heritage Register, and the network of walking trails in the Blue Mountains region is listed on the State Heritage Register.
History
The national park began with a proposal by early conservationist Myles Dunphy in 1932 for a Greater Blue Mountains National Park. This proposal included large areas that are now part of the Blue Mountains National Park, as well as Wollemi, Kanangra-Boyd, Nattai, Gardens of Stone, and Thirlmere Lakes, along with other smaller nature reserves. These areas are managed by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. In September 1959, the Blue Mountains National Park was officially established, covering 63,000 hectares (160,000 acres). In 2000, it became part of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area. In 1999, 37 walking tracks were added to the State Heritage Register. These tracks extend from Glenbrook and the Nepean River in the east to Mount Tomah in the north, to Wolgan Valley and Newnes in the northwest, to Jenolan Caves and Oberon in the west, and in the south, many walks lead down the plateau from Katoomba, Leura, and Wentworth Falls.
Geography
The Blue Mountains National Park is located on the eastern side of the Great Dividing Range. The highland area slopes gently from west to east. It starts at about 1,100 meters (3,600 feet) above sea level near Mount Victoria and lowers to less than 200 meters (660 feet) above sea level near Glenbrook. Four important rivers mainly flow through the park: the Wollangambe River in the north, the Grose River in the center, and the Coxs and Wollondilly rivers in the south. The Coxs and Wollondilly rivers flow into Lake Burragorang, which is just outside the park. This lake is where the Warragamba Dam is built, and it provides most of Sydney’s drinking water. A small part of the Nepean River also passes through the park. All of the major rivers flow from west to east.
Geology
The Blue Mountains are part of the larger Sydney Basin. The Sydney Basin has layers of sedimentary rocks that formed over 300 million years. The Blue Mountains and Great Dividing Range were created around 50 million years ago when the land was raised up. Later, lava flows covered large parts of the mountains with basalt. Over time, much of this basalt has eroded away, leaving only a few exposed areas on the highest peaks.
Biodiversity
The park has a variety of eucalypt species living in different habitats, such as wet and dry Sclerophyll, Mallee, swamps, wetlands, and grasslands. Some species are important for learning about how plants change over time, including the Wollemi Pine, with less than 100 trees found. Important plant families include Myrtaceae, Fabaceae, and Proteaceae, which include 114 species found only in this area and 177 species at risk of disappearing.
This range of habitats supports many types of animals, including about one-third of Australia's bird species, as well as many mammals, reptiles, and frogs. Important animals that are in danger of disappearing or found only in this area include the Regent Honeyeater, Broad-headed snake, and Blue Mountains water skink.
Tourism
The Blue Mountains National Park is the most visited national park in New South Wales. More than half of the visitors who come from Australia live in Sydney, and it is one of the best places in Sydney to see wild kangaroos. Many tourists visit the park by looking at it from viewpoints between Wentworth Falls and Blackheath, and some of these visitors do not enter the park. Activities available to visitors include short walks to viewpoints above cliffs and waterfalls, overnight stays and longer hikes to more remote parts of the park, and adventure activities like canyoning, abseiling, rock climbing, and mountain biking. Many tour companies offer guided experiences to help visitors safely enjoy these activities. The park is also home to the world's steepest railway, the Katoomba Scenic Railway.
The park is famous for the Three Sisters rock formation. The cliffs near Blackheath, both to the north and south, are the most impressive because the rock faces are hundreds of meters tall. In 2016, the park had 5.2 million visitors, which is an increase from 3.6 million visitors in 2008.
Southern Blue Mountains
The Blue Labyrinth is a forested area that has been shaped by erosion, located directly south of the Great Western Highway. It spans from Wentworth Falls to Glenbrook, and from Kings Tableland in the west to Warragamba Dam and the Nepean River in the east, extending to the Burragorang Valley in the south.
The national park continues south to the Wollondilly River, west of Mittagong, New South Wales. This region was significantly affected by the construction of Warragamba Dam between 1948 and 1960. The dam required the flooding of the Burragorang Valley, forming Lake Burragorang. This flooding separated the southern part of the Blue Mountains from areas to the east, such as Camden, Picton, and Bargo. Properties and homes in the southern mountains had to close, leaving many abandoned buildings and ruins. These included Bran Jan House and Kowmung House on Scotts Main Range, as well as Twin Peaks, located south of Yerranderie.
A protected zone of about three kilometers was established around Lake Burragorang to safeguard Sydney’s water supply. However, a path was allowed from Yerranderie to Balloon Pass and further east to help bushwalkers. This path later became part of the long-distance Katoomba to Mittagong Trail.