Why are the Blue Mountains so called? It's because of the vast and dense eucalyptus forest in the area. The trees expire tiny droplets of volatile oils, like isoprene, which form a fine mist through which light`s shorter wavelengths at the blue end of the spectrum, are scattered more effectively. The mountains have a blue haze when seen from a distance. Its the same principle which makes the sky blue. While the name is now official, it was in common use before it was first documented in 1789 by Captain John Hunter when exploring the Hawkesbury River. The Indigenous peoples called the Blueys Colomatta which is said to mean `koala place`, a more evocative name, showing a degree of imagination and appreciation the landscape.
The populated central part of the Blue Mountains is now thought of as outer suburbs of Sydney, but in the early 1800`s they constituted an impassible barrier to the westward expansion of the fledgling colony. They are part of the Great Dividing Range, and cover an area of 11,400km2 stretching well north and south of the main highway crossing. Even today, apart from bush tracks, there are only two east-west road crossings of these rugged mountains, and both follow essentially the same two routes first mapped out before 1815.
Failed Attempts to Cross the Blueys
In the late 1700s, it suited the government to have everyone believe that the Blue Mountains were impenetrable, because this discouraged convict escape attempts. This misconception was reinforced when Francis Barrallier (1773-1853), a French surveyor and cartographer, attacking a Burragorang Valley route was turned back by a `large waterfall` and `impassable sheer cliffs` in 1802, also, it seems from his aboriginal guide falling out with the locals. This route is well to the south of the Katoomba ridge. Barrallier`s story is told in very interesting fashion by Valerie L`Huede in Francis Barrallier ... Three Years in NSW. It`s a good read.
And then again in 1804, George Caley (1770-1829), a British botanist, failed in several attempts but he named Mount Banks after his patron, and climbed it too, eventually failing near Lawson, due to `dense impassable scrub`, plus cliffs and ravines. A nice summary of one of Caley`s attempts is in George Caley 1804 - doing it the hard way. He never knew it, but Caley came remarkably close to finding a way, if he had only taken routes that present day bush-walkers use to hike up the Grose Valley. The then NSW Governor Philip King (the colony`s third) wrote, rather lyrically, `I cannot help thinking that persevering in crossing these mountains, which are a confused and barren assemblage of mountains with impossible chasms between, would be as chimerical as useless`.
These attempts all were fruitless because they adopted the traditional exploration strategy of following valleys and waterways in search of a pass. But the Blueys foiled them with `deep, narrow gorges`, sheer sandstone cliffs, unclimbable waterfalls and impenetrable vegetation. It has to be remembered that the explorers were not just looking to get across the Mountains, they had the task of identifying a route which could become a road. So those walking paths up the sides of cliffs would probably not have cut the mustard.
A New Strategy...
The decision by Gregory Blaxland, William Charles Wentworth, and William Lawson to follow the ridges rather than the valleys across the Blue Mountains stemmed from the repeated failures of previous expeditions and a logical assessment of the terrain. They knew of and learned from previous expeditions. They correctly surmised that a main ridge line must run generally westward, avoiding the steepest, most broken country of the river valleys below. The ridge, although densely vegetated, provided a more level path that avoided the precipitous cliffs and major rivers on both sides. They set out from near present day St. Marys on 11 May 1813, and concluded that they had succeeded on 01 June at Mount Blaxland which is just beyond Hartley and south of Lithgow. Returning by their same path, they got back home on 06 June.
The seminal reference for BW&L`s successful crossing is `A Journal of a Tour of Discovery Across the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, in the Year 1813` by Blaxland, published in London in 1823, a copy held at the State Library of NSW. It is incorporated with extensive notes in Project Gutenberg of Australia by Blaxland. Lawson was a trained surveyor so his `Journal of an Expedition Across the Blue Mountains` includes compass bearings, distances and travelling times and was vital for later surveying. Wentworth`s journal was more personal and descriptive and enthusiastic as he envisaged the potential economic benefits of what they had discovered. Scans from Lawson and Wentworth are available online at the NSW State Library
It`s interesting to consider each of their backgrounds: Blaxland (34yo, born Fordwich, Kent, England), who motivated, led and financed the expedition, was a free settler and wealthy landowner. Lawson (38yo, Finchley, Middlesex, England) was an ex-military experienced bushman and trained surveyor. Wentworth (22yo, born at sea en route to Norfolk Island, his mother having been sentenced to 7 years for stealing clothers) was seen as `adventurer and observer`, Australian born landowner who later entered the law and became a politician. The expedition included four servants, most notably James Burns (various spellings), an Irish ex-convict, who was familiar with the terrain and acted as guide. BW&L did not take any aboriginal guides with them. The journals tend to indicate limited interaction with aborigines during the expedition, and in fact, they showed some determination to avoid contact.
Once the Great Divide had been breached, NSW Governor Lachlan Macquarie acted quickly. In the same year he despatched surveyor George William Evans to verify the route and undertake more exploration. William Cox was sent to build a `permanent` road: 163km completed from Emu Plains to Macquarie River in six months and the town of Bathurst was proclaimed in May 1815. From the 1830`s settlements over the mountains were established, becoming towns whos names honour the explorers. By 1870, what is now the Main Western railway had reached near Lithgow, including the famous Zig Zag section. That 60 years transformed the Blue Mountains from an impenetrable barrier into an efficient gateway for pastoralism and, later, the gold rushes, at the same time causing conflict and the ultimate displacement of the local aboriginal nations, particularly the Wiradjuri people, from their traditional lands. The remnants of the Wiradjuri now strive to revive their culture and language from all over south-eastern NSW.
While each explorer left a map of his travels, or someone did, I have never seen a map collecting all routes superimposed and compared with present routes. I have attempted to plot all routes over the top of the excellent interactive Blue Mountains Topographic Map. No claim to accuracy is made! But its been quite an instructive process attempting this.
Places of the Blue Mountains
Majesties, Echoes and Strawberries
Being so close to Sydney, we have often visited and stayed in the Blue Mountains, and have experienced a variety of accommodations. Some are very ordinary. Only three are worth mentioning, the first being the Hydro Majestic Hotel at Medlow Bath. Mike had stayed there in his childhood, in the Art-Deco Belgravie wing on family holidays. It was first opened in 1904 by Mark Foy, a wealthy Sydney retailer, as a health sanitorium based on waters from somewhere, hence the `hydro`, but it soon pivoted to `luxury hotel` where the deamnd proved to be greater. Its extravagant dome over the ballroom was imported from Chicago. In its heyday, it hosted celebrities such as Nellie Melba and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In WW2, it requistioned to rehabilitate American casualties from the Pacific. Decades of decline were followed by a new owner and renovation between 2008 and 2014. We saw that the HMH preserves its architectural heritage, its a wonderful building, but its modernisation was hampered by structural constraints, and staying there is more of an exercise in rather expensive nostalgia than luxury. Our room was in the Delmonte wing, a nice renovation but with a bathroom jammed into what would have been a larger bedroom. Disappointingly, the doors to the Juliet balcony were locked and painted shut. We took dinner in the Wintergarden one night, a great space but with overpriced food, paying for the history and the view, we suppose.
On another occasion we got a last minute booking at the 14 room Echoes Boutique Hotel (first built 1920s, rebuilt 1980s for Thomas Kenneally) in Katoomba which seems to be associated with the older and larger Lilianfels Resort and Spa (1889). Without doubt, these two side-by-side establishments have the best location in town, being at Echo Point and right on the edge of the escarpment. We understand that these two properties now share common ownership with the Hydro Majestic. Lilianfels is named after the daughter of Sir Frederic Darley, Chief Justice and Lieutenant Governor of NSW, who commissioned the house no doubt as a high-altitude retreat away from Sydney`s heat. We took the only room available, definitely not one of the best, but it still was very comfortable and had a nice garden and a fantastic view over the Jamison Valley. The Echoes house was a rabbit warren of narrow corridors and steep stairs, which was awkward with our luggage. Parking was tight too. On one night we ate in house at a rather exposed rooftop restaurant.
Most recently, we spent an entire midweek at Strawberry Patch, a small renovated and very secluded cottage in Leura, not far from the Mall and one of a group of five under the banner Mountain Whispers. This is our favourite! The lady behind Mountain Whispers (who we never met) is Lorraine Allanson and somehow she seems to have hit the spot with this luxury collection. Our Patch was extensively decorated in retro French style. It has two bedrooms (we were only allowed to use one, a petty restriction), a compact living room at the front, and an expansive kitchen dining area at the back leading out to an exquisite courtyard which despite a lot of trees around managed to catch some morning sun. Lorraine had left us enough breakfast goodies to last several days, and she was generous with other treats too, like port, wine and chocolates. When we arrived, music was playing, a gas fire was already alight in the living room, giving the whole place a cosy and welcoming ambience. There's a pot-bellied stove in the back room with chopped wood available. We never lit it. The floor-heated bathroom was spacious and featured a luxurious spa bath in a delightful bay window overlooking the garden. The Patch has off street parking for one car, although it`s tight getting out with the lush undergrowth encroaching on it. And we always think its a good sign when an establishment has an up-to-date selection of freebie maps and what's on in town brochures. We were very impressed with Strawberry Patch, and will certainly think of it again if we come back to the Blueys for a break.