Touring Australia Summer 2016/17 Touring Australia | Page 82

NsW

Discover
the Greater Blue Mountains
World Heritage Area

it is australia’s most accessible
wilderness and a landscape treasured
internationally. at sydney’s back
door lies one million hectares of eight
connected national parks and reserves
to explore. it is a landscape dominated
by high cliffs, waterfalls, spectacular
gorges and a vast forest of nearly 100
different types of gum trees.
Six Aboriginal language groups have a rich
cultural history here. The Darug, Gundungurra, Wanaruah, Wiradjuri, Darkinjung and
Dharawal share an ongoing connection to
the Country of the Greater Blue Mountains.
The Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage
Area was declared in 2000, in recognition
of the Outstanding Universal Value of its
ongoing evolution and rare biodiversity. The
ancient landscape represents a unique part
of Australia’s geological history, and records
the evolution of species and landforms.
Weathered and sculpted by aeons of climate
change, fire, and gouging floods, this place
survives in generous splendour and rarity.
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Including Yengo, Wollemi, Blue Mountains,
Gardens of Stone, Kanangra-Boyd, Nattai
and Thirlmere Lakes national parks, with
Jenolan Caves, the vast landscape can be
visited in many ways. Holiday makers long ago
discovered the easy train access from Sydney
to the Blue Mountains. There are hundreds of
walking tracks in the Blue Mountains, the most
popular being at Wentworth Falls, Katoomba
and Blackheath. Mostly built for tourists in
the 1800s, the heritage listed tracks provide
easy access to fern filled glens, waterfalls
and windswept cliff edge views. Or you can
descend a million years a metre on one of the
cliff face stairways. National Parks and Wildlife
Service has recently completed a beautiful
new walkway at the Three Sisters Aboriginal
Place in Katoomba and made extensive
upgrades of the Grand Canyon track at
Blackheath.
For adventure seekers there are canyons,
cliff climbs, and remote area walks and
bike rides to challenge the fittest. Try family
camping at Euroka, or take a canoe out to
Ganguddy (Dunns Swamp) in the Wollemi.

touring australia magazine • summer 2017