32-1081: The Blue Gum Forest is a forest located in Blue Mountains National Park within the Grose Valley of the Blue Mountains in New South Wales west of Sydney , southeastern Australia . It is one of the best-known bushwalking sites in Australia. The forest is located within the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the Greater Blue Mountains Area . The forest survived through the efforts of early Australian conservationists . The forest consists predominantly of towering Mountain blue gum ( Eucalyptus deanei ) trees, with an understory of shrubs. The forest can be accessed only on foot, with several trails from different parts of
64-570: A height of around 1,100 metres (3,600 ft) above sea level near Mount Victoria to less than 200 metres (660 ft) above sea level around Glenbrook. There are four major rivers that have most of their catchment inside the park: the Wollangambe River in the north, the Grose River in the centre, and the Coxs and Wollondilly rivers in the south. The latter two flow into Lake Burragorang , which
96-530: A large bush fire . Regular light or moderate fires promote eucalyptus regeneration and stop the invasion of rainforest trees, but severe fires damage the forest. The Grose Valley has been affected by bushfires at various times, notably in 1982 and in November 2006. In particular the Blue Gum Forest was damaged by back burning. Following the harsh bushfires in 2006, the Blue Gum Forest and other walking tracks in
128-543: A lease in the Blue Gum Forest, though they had no plans to develop the area. Jokingly, this part of the valley was known as "the Hordern Pavilion ". The Grose Valley became the cradle of the modern conservation movement in New South Wales when the Blue Gum Forest was saved from threatened destruction in 1931–32. At Easter in 1931, a group from the Sydney Bush Walkers Club , led by Alan Rigby, were camped in
160-522: Is a local landmark for bushwalkers. Because of the effects of trampling , camping is permitted at nearby Acacia Flat, not in the Blue Gum Forest itself. While the forest is dominated by Eucalyptus deanei , other eucalyptus trees are present. Smaller trees and shrubs include paperbarks ( Melaleuca styphelioides ) , various acacias and the Yellow Pittosporum ( Pittosporum revolutum ) . Grasses, vines, orchids ( Caladenia picta ) , and ferns grow on
192-599: Is located just outside the park and is the site of Warragamba Dam , the major source of drinking water for Sydney. A small section of the Nepean River passes through the park. All of the major rivers flow from west to east. Structurally, the Blue Mountains are part of the greater Sydney Basin. The Sydney Basin consists of layers of sedimentary rocks laid down over the past 300 million years. The Blue Mountains and Great Dividing Range were formed about 50 million years ago, when
224-524: The Blue Mountains water skink . The Blue Mountains National Park is the most visited National Park in NSW with more than half of domestic visitors originating from Sydney and one of the easiest locations to spot wild kangaroos in Sydney. The majority of tourists to the Blue Mountains see the national park from one of the many lookouts between Wentworth Falls and Blackheath , and many of these never actually set foot in
256-694: The Great Dividing Range . The park is also listed on the Australian Heritage Register and the overall complex of Blue Mountains regional walking tracks is listed on the State Heritage Register . The genesis of the national park was a proposal by early conservationist Myles Dunphy for a Greater Blue Mountains National Park in 1932. This included large areas of what are today the Blue Mountains National Park, and
288-671: The Great Western Highway , stretching from Wentworth Falls to Glenbrook , stretching from Kings Tableland in the west to Warragamba Dam and the Nepean River in the east, and the Burragorang Valley to the south. The national park extends south as far as the Wollondilly River , west of Mittagong, New South Wales . This area was greatly affected by the construction of Warragamba Dam from 1948 to 1960. This required
320-489: The Sydney CBD, and the park boundary is quite irregular as it is broken up by roads, urban areas and areas of private property . Despite the name mountains , the area is an uplifted plateau , dissected by a number of larger rivers. The highest point in the park is Mount Werong at 1,215 metres (3,986 ft) above sea level ; while the low point is on the Nepean River at 20 metres (66 ft) above sea level as it leaves
352-621: The Wollemi , Kanangra-Boyd , Nattai , Gardens of Stone , and Thirlmere Lakes , along with other smaller nature reserves ; all managed by the NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service . In September 1959 the Blue Mountains National Park was gazetted covering 63,000 hectares (160,000 acres). In 2000 it was included as part of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area. In 1999, 37 walking tracks were added to
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#1732852558931384-542: The Wollemi Pine , of which fewer than 100 trees are known. Notable plant families include Myrtaceae , Fabaceae and Proteaceae including 114 endemic and 177 threatened species. This range of habitats supports a rich variety of fauna, including a third of Australia's bird species, and numerous mammals, reptiles and frogs. Notable endangered and endemic species include the Regent Honeyeater , Broad-headed snake and
416-629: The Geological Survey of Tasmania. During this employment Piguenit provided lithographic illustrations for The Salmon Ponds and vicinity, New Norfolk, Tasmania . He took painting lessons from Scottish immigrant artist Frank C. Dunnett (1822–1891). Until he got a good price for a painting from Sir James Agnew , the Premier of Tasmania, he had little success as a painter. Piguenit left public service in 1873 to devote his time to painting. His painting of Tasmanian landscapes soon brought favourable reviews. He
448-546: The Grose Valley and adjacent canyons meeting in the forest. The most direct route into the forest from Blackheath is by the Perrys Lookdown track, which descends 656 metres (2,152 ft) to the forest. The return walk uphill is rated as "hard". A large mountain blue gum tree measuring 65 metres (213 ft) high with a trunk 6 metres (20 ft) in circumference grows in the Blue Gum Forest. Being over 600 years old, it
480-480: The Grose Valley, some of it close to the Blue Gum Forest. In around 1858, the Royal Engineers built 70 kilometres (43 mi) of bridle track for the proposed railway line. However, this was abandoned in favour of the current line on the ridge. The Engineers Track , as it was known, became a navigational point for walkers, farmers and explorers. Robert Hunt took some of the earliest Australian photographs in
512-596: The State Heritage Register, extending 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, numerous walks leading down the plateau from Katoomba , Leura and Wentworth Falls . The Blue Mountains National Park lies on the eastern side of the Great Dividing Range. The plateau slopes gently down from west to east from
544-430: The area was uplifted. More recently, volcanic flows covered large areas of the mountains in basalt. These have largely worn away, leaving only occasional outcrops on the high peaks. The park contains a small range of eucalypt species across a variety of habitats including wet and dry Sclerophyll , Mallee , swamps, wetlands and grasslands. Some species are of significance to our understanding of plant evolution including
576-672: The flooding of the Burragorang Valley, which created Lake Burragorang and in the process cut the southern part of the Blue Mountains off from areas to the east, for example Camden , Picton and Bargo . Properties and homesteads in the southern part of the mountains were forced to close down, leaving many derelict homes and ruins. These included Bran Jan House and Kowmung House on Scotts Main Range, as well as Twin Peaks , south of Yerranderie . An exclusion zone of approximately three kilometres
608-448: The forest floor. Common brushtail possums , greater gliders , eastern grey kangaroos , spotted-tail quoll and rock wallabies are some of the many mammal species in the forest. Birds are often encountered, either at the forest floor or in and above the canopy. Parrots such as the crimson rosella and yellow-tailed black cockatoo are conspicuous. Most of the trees are considered to be around 300 years old, possibly originating from
640-614: The forest in 1859. Ben Carver, a cattle rustler, also used the track in the 1860s, and later bought a lease on the area in 1875. Only a small section of the Engineers Track survives today. In 1875, the Blue Gum Forest was the scene of an artists’ camp established by Frederick Eccleston Du Faur of the Academy of Art. Over twenty artists, photographers and academics camped in the forest. Several photographs by Alex Bischoff, and drawings and paintings by William Piguenit resulted. Another outcome
672-468: The forest when they chanced upon a Bilpin farmer, Clarrie Hungerford. Hungerford had a lease of the forest and told the bushwalkers he planned to clear the blue gums to plant walnuts . Other threats to the forest included a proposed railway line , a dam, a power station and mining for coal and shale . The bushwalkers went away and started a campaign to stop him. Eventually, they raised A£ 130 which they paid Hungerford in exchange for his relinquishing
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#1732852558931704-687: The founders of the Art Society of New South Wales. Later, during a visit to Tasmania he was noticed by Lady Hamilton, wife of Governor Robert Hamilton and many his drawings were purchased by the government for the Hobart gallery. His Flood in the Darling was purchased for the National Art Gallery of New South Wales (now Art Gallery of New South Wales ) in 1895. In 1898 and 1900 he visited Europe, exhibiting at London and Paris. Returning to Australia he won
736-444: The key activists in the campaign was Myles Dunphy , who at the time was developing his plans for the Blue Mountains National Park. Blue Mountains National Park The Blue Mountains National Park is a protected national park that is located in the Blue Mountains region of New South Wales , in eastern Australia . The 267,954-hectare (662,130-acre) national park is situated approximately 80 kilometres (50 mi) west of
768-579: The lease. They met with Hungerford at the Blue Gum Forest on 15 November 1931 in pouring rain, and he agreed with their suggestion. It was a substantial amount at the height of the Great Depression . A£80 came in the form of an interest-free loan from James Cleary, then head of the NSW railways and later chairman of the Australian Broadcasting Commission . Cleary was also a bushwalker. One of
800-623: The park. The national park is one of the eight protected areas that, in 2000, was inscribed to form part of the UNESCO World Heritage –listed Greater Blue Mountains Area . The Greater Blue Mountains was one of 15 World Heritage places included in the National Heritage List on 21 May 2007. The Blue Mountains National Park is the most central of the eight protected areas within the World Heritage Site and it forms part of
832-406: The park. Activities for the visitor include short walks to lookouts above cliffs and waterfalls, overnight and longer walks to more remote areas of the park and more extreme sports such as canyoning , abseiling , rock climbing and mountain biking . A number of Blue Mountains sightseeing and adventure tour companies can assist visitors in safely experiencing these activities. It is also home to
864-514: The valley were closed to bushwalkers to allow the regrowth of vegetation. In 1804, the explorer George Caley climbed nearby Mount Banks , and noticed camp fires from Indigenous Australians . The Blue Mountains was part of the territories of the Darug people . There is also evidence of associations of the more westerly Wiradjuri and the southern Gandangara people with the Blue Mountains. Aboriginal tool-making and signs of occupation have been found in
896-541: The world's steepest railway, the Katoomba Scenic Railway . The national park is renowned for the Three Sisters rock formation. Both north and south of Blackheath, the cliffs are the most spectacular as the rock faces are several hundreds metres tall. Visitor numbers have increased to 5.2 million in 2016 from 3.6 million in 2008. The Blue Labyrinth is a forested eroded plateau directly south of
928-530: Was a participant in the exploration, description and surveying of the western part of Tasmania. The paintings he produced of western Tasmania were purchased by the Tasmanian government under a special act of parliament. After moving to NSW in 1880 Piguenit's subjects included the Darling, Nepean and Hawkesbury Rivers as well as the Lane Cove River close to his Hunters Hill home. At this time he became one of
960-565: Was born in Hobart , Tasmania , to Frederick Le Geyt Piguenit and Mary Ann née Igglesden. Frederick had been transported to Van Diemen's Land in 1830, with Mary Ann following him. They married in Hobart in 1833. His first artistic influences came from his mother, who set up a school for young ladies where she taught "French, music and drawing". In 1850 he became a draftsman with the Tasmanian Lands & Survey Department, working in particular on
992-434: Was created around Lake Burragorang to protect Sydney's water supply, but a through-track was allowed from Yerranderie to Balloon Pass, then further east, for the benefit of bushwalkers. This pass was later incorporated into the long-distance Katoomba to Mittagong Trail . Notes Citations William Piguenit William Charles Piguenit (27 August 1836 – 17 July 1914) was an Australian landscape painter. Piguenit
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1024-451: Was that the whole Grose Valley and surrounds was reserved from alienation because it was ‘a national spectacle’. At the time there was no national park in Australia, and indeed Australia was not even a nation—but the reservation was the country’s first "national park". However, this reservation status did not stop subsequent threats to the forest. The wealthy retail family the Horderns purchased
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