Blue Mountains ( New South Wales ) - Wikipedia Blue Mountains ( New South Wales ) Not to be confused with Greater Blue Mountains Area, Blue Mountains National Park, City of Blue Mountains, Electoral district of Blue Mountains, or Blue Mountains railway line. Blue Mountains New South Wales The Three Sisters sandstone rock formation, one of the region 's best - known attractions Coordinates 33 ° 43 ′ 05 '' S 150 ° 18 ′ 38 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 33.71806 ° S 150.31056 ° E ﻿ / - 33.71806 ; 150.31056 Coordinates : 33 ° 43 ′ 05 '' S 150 ° 18 ′ 38 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 33.71806 ° S 150.31056 ° E ﻿ / - 33.71806 ; 150.31056 Population 162,000 ( 2006 ? ) Density 14.21 / km ( 36.81 / sq mi ) Area 11,400 km ( 4,401.6 sq mi ) Location 50 km ( 31 mi ) NW of Sydney CBD LGA ( s ) Blue Mountains, City of Hawkesbury, City of Lithgow and Oberon Shire State electorate ( s ) Blue Mountains, Penrith, Bathurst, Hawkesbury, Londonderry and Riverstone Federal Division ( s ) Macquarie, Lindsay, and Calare Localities around Blue Mountains : Central West Central West Hunter Central West Blue Mountains Western Sydney Southern Tablelands Southern Tablelands Macarthur Blue Mountains Range Blue Mountains The characteristic blue haze, as seen in the Jamison Valley Highest point Peak unnamed peak ( north - east of Lithgow ) Elevation 1,189 m ( 3,901 ft ) AHD Length 96 km ( 60 mi ) NW / SE Geography Blue Mountains Range Location of the Blue Mountains Range in New South Wales Country Australia State New South Wales Aboriginal hand stencils in Red Hands Cave, near Glenbrook Broken china from ruins near Asgard Swamp, where a coal mine was opened in the nineteenth century The Blue Mountains is a mountainous region and a mountain range located in New South Wales, Australia. The region borders on Sydney 's metropolitan area, its foothills starting about 50 kilometres ( 31 mi ) west of the state capital. The public 's understanding of the extent of the Blue Mountains is varied, as it forms only part of an extensive mountainous area associated with the Great Dividing Range. Officially the Blue Mountains region is bounded by the Nepean and Hawkesbury rivers in the east, the Coxs River and Lake Burragorang to the west and south, and the Wolgan and Colo rivers to the north. Geologically, it is situated in the central parts of the Sydney Basin. The Blue Mountains Range comprises a range of mountains, plateaux and escarpments extending off the Great Dividing Range about 4.8 kilometres ( 3.0 mi ) northwest of Wolgan Gap in a generally southeasternly direction for about 96 kilometres ( 60 mi ), terminating at Emu Plains. For about two thirds of its length it is traversed by the Great Western Highway and the Main Western railway line. Several established towns are situated on its heights, including Katoomba, Blackheath, Mount Victoria, and Springwood. The range forms the watershed between Coxs River to the south and the Grose and Wolgan rivers to the north. The range contains the Explorer Range and the Bell Range. The Blue Mountains area includes the local government areas of the City of Blue Mountains, the City of Hawkesbury, the City of Lithgow and Oberon Shire. Contents 1 Etymology 2 History 2.1 Aboriginal inhabitants 2.2 European history 3 Climate 4 Geography 4.1 Mountain peaks 4.2 Geology 5 World Heritage listing 6 Fauna 7 Tourist attractions 8 Recreational activity 9 Gallery 10 See also 11 References 12 External links Etymology Following European settlement of the Sydney area, the area was named the Carmarthen and Lansdowne Hills by Arthur Phillip in 1788. The Carmarthen Hills were in the north of the region and the Lansdowne Hills were in the south. The name Blue Mountains, however, was preferred and is derived from the blue tinge the range takes on when viewed from a distance. The tinge is believed to be caused by Mie scattering which occurs when incoming light with shorter wavelengths is preferentially scattered by particles within the atmosphere creating a blue - greyish colour to any distant objects, including mountains and clouds. Volatile terpenoids emitted in large quantities by the abundant eucalyptus trees in the Blue Mountains may cause Mie scattering and thus the blue haze for which the mountains were named. History Aboriginal inhabitants When Europeans arrived in Australia, the Blue Mountains had already been inhabited for several millennia by the Gundungurra people, now represented by the Gundungurra Tribal Council Aboriginal Corporation based in Katoomba, and, in the lower Blue Mountains, by the Darug people, now represented by the Darug Tribal Aboriginal Corporation. The Gundungurra creation story of the Blue Mountains tells that Dreamtime creatures Mirigan and Garangatch, half fish and half reptile, fought an epic battle which scarred the landscape into the Jamison Valley. The Gundungurra Tribal Council is a nonprofit organisation representing the Gundungurra traditional owners, promoting heritage and culture and providing a support for Gundungurra people connecting back to Country. Gundungurra Tribal Council Aboriginal Corporation has a registered Native Title Claim since 1995 over their traditional lands, which include the Blue Mountains and surrounding areas. Examples of Aboriginal habitation can be found in many places. In the Red Hands Cave, a rock shelter near Glenbrook, the walls contain hand stencils from adults and children. On the southern side of Queen Elizabeth Drive, at Wentworth Falls, a rocky knoll has a large number of grinding grooves created by rubbing stone implements on the rock to shape and sharpen them. There are also carved images of animal tracks and an occupation cave. The site is known as Kings Tableland Aboriginal Site and dates back 22,000 years. European History Arthur Phillip, the first governor of New South Wales, first glimpsed the extent of the Blue Mountains from a ridge at the site of today 's Oakhill College, Castle Hill. He named them the Carmarthen Hills, ' some forty to sixty miles distant... '' and he reckoned that the ground was `` most suitable for government stock ''. This is the location where Gidley King in 1799 established a prison town for political prisoners from Ireland and Scotland. The first documented use of the name Blue Mountains appears in Captain John Hunter 's account of Phillip 's 1789 expedition up the Hawkesbury River. Describing the events of about 5 July, Hunter wrote : `` We frequently, in some of the reaches which we passed through this day, saw very near us the hills, which we suppose as seen from Port Jackson, and called by the governor the Blue Mountains. '' During the nineteenth century the name was commonly applied to the portion of the Great Dividing Range from about Goulburn in the south to the Hunter Valley in the north, but in time it came to be associated with a more limited area. The native Aborigines knew two routes across the mountains : Bilpin Ridge, which is now the location of Bells Line of Road between Richmond and Bell, and the Coxs River, a tributary of the Nepean River. It could be followed upstream to the open plains of the Kanimbla Valley, the type of country that farmers prize. European settlers initially considered that fertile lands lay beyond the mountains, as was China in the belief of many convicts, but that this did n't matter much, since the mountains were impassable. This idea was, to some extent, convenient for local authorities. An `` insurmountable '' barrier would deter convicts from trying to escape in that direction. A former convict, John Wilson, may have been the first European to cross the Blue Mountains. It is also believed that Mathew Everingham, 1795, may have also been partly successful based on letters he wrote at the time which came to light in the late 1980s. Wilson arrived with the First Fleet in 1788 and was freed in 1792. He settled in the bush, living with the Aborigines and even functioning as an intermediary between them and the settlers. In 1797 he returned to Sydney, claiming to have explored up to a hundred miles in all directions around Sydney, including across the mountains. His descriptions and observations were generally accurate, and it is possible that he had crossed the mountains via the southern aspect at the Coxs River corridor, guided by the Aborigines. Governor Hunter was impressed by Wilson 's skills and sent him on an expedition with John Price and others in January 1798. The party crossed the Nepean River and moved southwest towards the present site of Mittagong. There they turned west and found a route along the ridge where today the Wombeyan Caves Road is located. In the process they found a way to go west of the mountains, by going around them instead of across them. In March of the same year, Wilson and Price ventured to the Camden area, and then continued further south until they discovered Thirlmere Lakes, finally almost reaching the present site of Goulburn. It is possible that the accomplishments of this expedition were suppressed by Hunter, who may not have wanted convicts to know that there was a relatively easy way out of Sydney. Wilson was killed by Aborigines after abducting one of their women for his personal use, but he had accomplished much as an explorer. He was never recognised as the first person to cross the mountains, possibly because his Coxs River journey could not be verified, while his route west of Mittagong may have been the `` long way around '' for a colony that had its eyes fixed on the sandstone fortress west of the Nepean. Route of the Blaxland, Lawson, and Wentworth Crossing of 1813 The typical blue haze in the Jamison Valley behind the Three Sisters, New South Wales, Australia. Between 1798 and 1813, many people explored various parts of the mountains, from the Bilpin Ridge to the southern regions, today the site of the Kanangra - Boyd National Park. Still, they did not find a definite route across the mountains. The 1813 crossing of the Blue Mountains by Gregory Blaxland, William Lawson and William Charles Wentworth is officially credited as the first successful European crossing. Blaxland set out with Lawson and Wentworth on 11 May 1813 and succeeded in crossing the mountains by 31 May. They ventured as far as to what is now Mount Blaxland, just west of Coxs River. In November 1813, Macquarie sent the surveyor George Evans on an expedition to confirm the discoveries made by Blaxland and his party. He was also told to see if there existed enough arable land to justify settlement. The issue had become more urgent because the colony was in the grips of a drought. Evans and his party reached the Fish and Macquarie rivers, and the site of Bathurst. On 7 July 1814, construction of a road across the mountains was begun by William Cox. The work was at the behest of Governor Macquarie. 30 convict labourers and 8 guards completed the road on 14 January 1815 after 27 weeks of hard work. Since the Blue Mountains are rich in coal and shale, mining for these resources began in Hartley Vale in 1865. J.B. North ran a shale mine in the Jamison Valley in the 19th century, and other operations were set up in several places. Locations for mining activities included the Jamison Valley, the upper Grose Valley, Newnes, Glen Davis and the Asgard Swamp area outside Mount Victoria. Shale mining failed in the long run because it was not financially viable. Ruins at abandoned silver - mining town of Yerranderie ( later reopened to tourism ) Climate The climate varies with elevation. At Katoomba, ( 1,010 m or 3,314 ft ) the summer average maximum temperature is around 22 ° C with a few days extending into the 30s ( 80s -- 90s ° F ) although it is quite common to see maximum temperatures stay in the teens when east coast troughs persist. Night - time temperatures are usually in the teens but can drop to single figures at times. During winter, the temperature is typically around 10 to 11 ° C in the daytime with − 1 ° C or so on clear nights and 3 to 4 ° C on cloudy nights. Very occasionally it will get down to − 3 ° C or slightly lower but usually the coldest air drains into the valleys during calm, clear nights. The Blue Mountains is not known for particularly cold mornings compared to other areas on the Central Tablelands, such as Oberon, Bathurst and Orange. There are two to three snowfalls per year, although settled snow has become less common in recent decades. In the lower mountains, however, the climate is significantly warmer. Annual rainfall is about 1,050 millimetres ( 41 in ) in the Upper Blue Mountains with many misty days. Geography This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( May 2017 ) Neates Glen, outside Blackheath Upper Wentworth Falls as viewed along the National Pass walking track near the town of Wentworth Falls The Greater Blue Mountains Area is sometimes considered to be part of Greater Western Sydney region. The predominant natural vegetation of the higher ridges is eucalyptus forest. Heath - like vegetation is present on plateau edges above cliffs. The sheltered gorges often contain temperate rainforests. There are also many hanging swamps with button grass reeds and thick, deep black soil. Wollemia nobilis, the `` Wollemi pine '', a relict of earlier vegetation of Gondwana, is found in remote and isolated valleys of the Wollemi National Park. The main natural disasters to afflict the area are bush fires and severe storms. In recent years the lower mountains have been subjected to a series of bush fires which have caused great loss of property but relatively little loss of life. The upper mountains had not had a major fire for some decades until December 2002 ( the Blackheath Glen Fire ) and November 2006 when an extensive blaze in the Grose Valley threatened several communities including Bell and Blackheath ( the Lawsons Long Alley Fire ). This latest fire burned for almost a month but was extinguished, mainly due to a change in the weather, without loss of human life or property. A program of winter burning seems to have been successful in reducing fires in the upper mountains. Mountain peaks The Blue Mountains Range contains two smaller mountain ranges, the Bell Range near The Bells Line of Road and north of the Grose River and the Explorer Range, south of the Grose River extending west towards Mount Victoria. Smaller ranges within the Blue Mountains Range include the Caley Range, Erskine Range, Mount Hay Range, Paterson Range, and the Woodford Range. There are a number of peaks, generally around 1,000 metres ( 3,300 ft ) within the range. The major recorded peaks are : unnamed peak ( 1,189 m or 3,901 ft ) Mount Piddington ( 1,094 m or 3,589 ft ) Mount Boyce ( 1,093 m or 3,586 ft ) Mount York ( 1,061 m or 3,481 ft ) Mount Banks ( 1,049 m or 3,442 ft ) Mount Wilson ( 1,008 m or 3,307 ft ) Kings Tableland ( 1,000 m or 3,281 ft ) Narrow Neck Plateau ( 1,000 m or 3,281 ft ) Mount Solitary ( 950 m or 3,117 ft ) Mount Hay ( 944 m or 3,097 ft ) Mount Irvine ( 850 m or 2,789 ft ) Geology The Blue Mountains are a dissected plateau carved in sandstone bedrock. They are now a series of ridge lines separated by gorges up to 760 metres ( 2,490 ft ) deep. The highest point in the Blue Mountains, as it is now defined, is an unnamed point with an elevation of 1,189 m ( 3,901 ft ) AHD, located 7 kilometres ( 4.3 mi ) north - east of Lithgow. However, the highest point in the broader region that was once considered to be the Blue Mountains is Mount Bindo, with an elevation 1,362 m ( 4,469 ft ) AHD. A large part of the Blue Mountains is incorporated into the Greater Blue Mountains Area World Heritage Site, consisting of seven national park areas and a conservation reserve. The Blue Mountains area is a distinct physiographic section of the larger Hunter - Hawkesbury Sunkland province. This is in turn a part of the larger East Australian Cordillera physiographic division. World Heritage listing Main article : Greater Blue Mountains Area The Greater Blue Mountains Area was unanimously listed as a World Heritage Area by UNESCO on 29 November 2000, becoming the fourth area in New South Wales to be listed. The area totals roughly 10,000 square kilometres ( 3,900 sq mi ), including the Blue Mountains, Kanangra - Boyd, Wollemi, Gardens of Stone, Yengo, Nattai and Thirlmere Lakes National Parks, plus the Jenolan Caves Karst Conservation Reserve. This site was chosen to be included on the World Heritage list because : `` `` Criteria ( ii ) and ( iv ) : Australia 's eucalypt vegetation is worthy of recognition as of outstanding universal value, because of its adaptability and evolution in post-Gondwana isolation. The site contains a wide and balanced representation of eucalypt habitats from wet and dry sclerophyll, mallee heathlands, as well as localised swamps, wetlands, and grassland. 90 eucalypti tax ( 13 % of the global total ) and representation of all four groups of eucalypts occur. There is also a high level of endemism with 114 endemic taxa found in the area as well as 120 nationally rare and threatened plant tax. The site hosts several evolutionary relic species ( Wollemia, Microstrobos, Acrophyllum ) which have persisted in highly restricted micro sites. '' '' Fauna Platypus in the Blue Mountains The Greater Blue Mountains Area is inhabited by over 400 different forms of animals. Among them are rare mammal species like spotted - tailed quoll, the koala, the yellow - bellied glider, and long - nosed potoroo. There are also some rare reptiles, like the Blue Mountain water skink. There are also some dingos in the area, which form the top predators and hunt for grey kangaroos. Tourist attractions The Edge Cinema offers visitors a panoramic view of the Blue Mountains. The Giant Stairway walking track runs down a cliff into the Jamison Valley, near the Three Sisters, providing access to nature walks through the valley. Jenolan Caves, a series of limestone caves south west of Katoomba. The Katoomba Scenic Railway is the steepest funicular railway in the world according to the Guinness World Records, and originally part of the Katoomba mining tramways constructed between 1878 and 1900. The cable railway line descends 415 metres through sandstone cliffs, via a rock tunnel with a maximum gradient of 52 degrees. Also, at this location is the Scenic Skyway, a glass - bottom aerial cable car that traverses an arm of the Jamison Valley, and the Scenic Cableway, the steepest aerial cable car in Australia. The Norman Lindsay Gallery and Museum at Faulconbridge, operated by The National Trust of Australia and is located inside the former Norman Lindsay homestead, Springwood. The Toy and Railway Museum at Leura. Knapsack Viaduct, also a location where the bell miner bird can often be heard. Lennox Bridge, Glenbrook, on Mitchell 's Pass which may be hiked ( downhill ) from Blaxland to Emu Plains ( 8 km ). Valley Heights Locomotive Depot Heritage Museum. The Zig Zag Railway : A steam - powered railway near Lithgow. A popular way to visit the Blue Mountains is by coach. The last remaining apple orchard on the Shipley Plateau. The Explorers tree, next to the Great Western Highway, west of Katoomba. Recreational activity The Blue Mountains are a popular destination for rock climbers, mountain bikers and hikers as well as canyoning and other adventure sports. These sports are well catered for by guiding companies and equipment stores located mainly in Katoomba. Popular climbing destinations include the Centennial Glen cliffs near Blackheath, Mount Victoria, Mount Piddington and Mount Boyce. Climbing is currently banned on The Three Sisters. Mountain biking takes place mainly on the many fire trails that branch away from the main spine of the Great Western Highway, such as Narrow Neck, Anderson 's Fire Trail and others. Likewise many of the fire trails are popular with day hikers, though many dedicated walking trails exist away from the fire roads. Canyoning in the Blue Mountains is a popular sport and caters for various skill levels. It carries inherent dangers, yet for those with the appropriate skills or those looking to take a guided trip there are many great opportunities to experience a different view of the Blue Mountains. There are numerous abseiling options available in the Blue Mountains including single and multipitch routes. There are some restrictions though with certain areas being closed for abseiling. Cricket is a popular sport in the Blue Mountains, with the Blue Mountains Cattle Dogs representing the district in the Western Zone Premier League, Country Plate and Presidents Cup competitions. Gallery View of Jamison Valley from north escarpment, outside Katoomba : Three Sisters far left ; Mount Solitary left of centre ; Narrowneck Plateau, far right See also New South Wales portal Mountains portal Environment portal 2013 New South Wales bushfires Aboriginal sites of New South Wales Blue Mountains National Park Greater Blue Mountains Area List of mountains in Australia Geography of Sydney References Jump up ^ `` Mount Piddington ''. Geographical Names Register ( GNR ) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. Retrieved 6 May 2015. Jump up ^ Result based on totalling of population of the 4 LGAs ( via LGA 's wikipages ) that make up the region. ^ Jump up to : `` Blue Mountains Range ''. Geographical Names Register ( GNR ) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. Retrieved 6 May 2015. Jump up ^ Gregory 's New South Wales State Road Map, Map 220, 11th Edition, Gregory 's Publishing Company Jump up ^ `` Blue Mountains ''. Geographical Names Register ( GNR ) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. Jump up ^ http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0007/96847/20758.gif Jump up ^ `` Map of Bell Range, NSW ''. Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia. Retrieved 6 May 2015. Jump up ^ `` Project Gutenberg Australia ''. Gutenberg.net.au. Retrieved 11 September 2010. Jump up ^ Bohlmann J., Keeling C.I. ( 2008 ) Terpenoid biomaterials. Plant. J. 54 : 656 -- 669 Jump up ^ `` Darug Tribal Aboriginal Corporation ''. Archived from the original on 9 April 2013. Jump up ^ `` About Gundungurra Tribal Council ''. Gundungurra.org.au. Retrieved 12 November 2012. ^ Jump up to : Paton, Neil ( 2004 ), Sydney and Blue Mountains Bushwalks, Kangaroo Press, ISBN 978 - 0 - 7318 - 1227 - 1 Jump up ^ Hunter, J. ( 1793 ) An Historical Journal of the Transactions at Port Jackson and Norfolk Island. John Stockdale, London. ^ Jump up to : Macqueen, Andy, 2012. The Blue Mountains : where are they ? Blue Mountains History Journal, Issue 3. Blue Mountains Association of Cultural Heritage Organisations. October 2012. Jump up ^ `` Beyond belonging ? The landscape and belonging in colonial and contemporary imaginings of the Blue Mountains '' ( PDF ). Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 20 July 2008. ( 88.8 KiB ), Luke Heffernan. Jump up ^ `` DECCW Blue Mountains National Park -- History since colonisation ''. Environment.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 11 September 2010. ^ Jump up to : Cunningham, Chris ( 1996 ), The Blue Mountains Rediscovered, Kangaroo Press, ISBN 978 - 0 - 86417 - 768 - 1 Jump up ^ Collins, David ( 1804 ). An account of the English colony in New South Wales ( 2nd ed. ). London : T. Cadell and W. Davies. p. 529. Retrieved 29 May 2013. Jump up ^ `` Lawson, William ''. Dictionary of Sydney. Retrieved 27 May 2013. Jump up ^ Shaping Australia -- Explorers, Mitchell Scott ( Watts Publishing ) 2004, pp. 5 -- 6 Jump up ^ `` Blue Mountains Weather and Climate ''. Bluemts.com.au. 1 January 2003. Retrieved 11 September 2010. Jump up ^ `` Map of Explorers Range, NSW ''. Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia. Retrieved 8 May 2015. Jump up ^ `` Mountain systems of Australia ''. Year Book of Australia. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 23 November 2012. Retrieved 8 May 2015. Jump up ^ `` Mount Boyce ''. Geographical Names Register ( GNR ) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. Retrieved 7 May 2015. Jump up ^ `` Map of Mount Banks ''. Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia. Retrieved 7 May 2015. Jump up ^ `` Map of Mount Wilson, NSW ''. Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia. Retrieved 8 May 2015. Jump up ^ Mt Wilson Topographic Map ( Map ). 8930 - 1N. Cartography by Land and Property Information. New South Wales : Government of New South Wales. Jump up ^ `` Blue Mountains ''. VisitNSW.com. Retrieved 18 November 2012. Jump up ^ Gardens of Stone National Park Information Sheet, National Parks and Wildlife Service of New South Wales, October 2001 Jump up ^ `` whc.unesco.org ''. whc.unesco.org. Retrieved 11 September 2010. Jump up ^ UNESCO World Heritage Convention : Greater Blue Mountains Area downloaded on 2 August 2011 Jump up ^ Brad V. Purcell : A novel observation of dingoes ( Canis lupus dingo ) attacking a swimming eastern grey kangaroo ( Macropus giganteus ). Australian Mammalogy 32 ( 2 ) 201 -- 204, 2010. online Abstract Jump up ^ `` About The Edge Cinema ''. Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2014. Jump up ^ `` Bushwalking on the Echo Point to Scenic World via Giant Stairway ''. AU - NS : Wildwalks.com. Retrieved 11 September 2010. Jump up ^ `` Blue Mountains ( Katoomba ) ''. Wildwalks. Retrieved 18 November 2012. Jump up ^ `` Blue Mountains, NSW, Australia from above. ''. bluemountainsnswaustralia.com. Archived from the original on 17 March 2013. Retrieved 18 November 2012. Jump up ^ `` About Logan Brae ''. Retrieved 3 July 2014. Jump up ^ `` Sydney Rockclimbing Club Access notes ''. Retrieved 18 July 2014. Jump up ^ `` Blue Mountains ''. Northern Beaches MTB. Retrieved 18 July 2014. Jump up ^ TrailFlix Blue Mountains listing Archived 8 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ Blue Mountains Bushwalking Tracks Jump up ^ NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service Jump up ^ http://www.bmca.nsw.cricket.com.au External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Blue Mountains, New South Wales. Blue Mountains travel guide from Wikivoyage Official Blue Mountains National Park website Visitor 's Guide to the Blue Mountains -- Visit NSW Blue Mountains topics Towns, suburbs and localities Bell Berambing Bilpin Blaxland Blackheath Bullaburra Clarence Faulconbridge Glenbrook Hartley Vale Hazelbrook Katoomba Kings Tableland Lapstone Lawson Leura Linden Little Hartley Medlow Bath Megalong Mount Irvine Mount Riverview Mount Tomah Mount Victoria Mount Wilson North Katoomba Shipley Springwood Sun Valley Valley Heights Warrimoo Wentworth Falls Winmalee Woodford Yellow Rock Yosemite Mountain peaks and ranges Banks Bell Bindo Boyce Erskine Hay Irvine Narrow Neck Plateau Kings Tableland Piddington Solitary Trickett Wilson York Bell Explorers Tourist attractions Evans Lookout Hartley Jenolan Caves Katoomba Scenic World Norman Lindsay Gallery and Museum Perrys Lookdown Three Sisters Valley Heights Locomotive Depot Heritage Museum Zig Zag Railway Valleys Grose Valley Jamison Valley Kedumba Valley Megalong Valley Wolgan Valley Waterfalls Kanangra Falls Katoomba Cascade Katoomba Falls Leura Cascades Leura Falls Linda Falls Victoria Falls Wentworth Falls History 1813 crossing of the Blue Mountains Clarence Tunnel Glenbrook Tunnel Lapstone Zig Zag Lithgow Zig Zag National parks Blue Mountains Gardens of Stone Kanangra - Boyd Nattai Thirlmere Lakes Wollemi Yengo Rivers and creeks Bargo Bedford Capertee Colo Coxs Du Faur Erskine Grose Hollanders Jenolan Jooriland Kedumba Kowmung Little ( Oberon ) Little ( Wollondilly ) Macdonald Nattai Nepean Tonalli Wingecarribee Wolgan Wollangambe Wollondilly Blackheath Blue Gum Bowens Breakfast Bungleboori Burralow Cedar Galong Glenbrook Glen Erskine Govetts Koondah Linden Megalong Nayook Ovens Pulpit Hill Putty Queen Victoria Wentworth Werriberri Wollemi Woodford Miscellaneous Fantastic Aussie Tours Greater Blue Mountains Area ( World Heritage Site ) Hydro Majestic Hotel Cascade Dams Greaves Creek Dam Lake Medlow Dam Woodford Creek Dam Disasters 1999 Glenbrook rail accident 2001 Black Christmas / Warragamba bushfires 2013 bushfires Mountains in New South Wales, Australia Coastal mountain ranges ( not part of the Great Dividing Range ) Mid North Coast Middle Brother ( 554 m or 1,818 ft ) South Brother ( 487 m or 1,598 ft ) North Brother ( 476 m or 1,562 ft ) Allyn, Barrington & Mount Royal Brumlow Tops ( 1,586 m or 5,203 ft ) Polblue ( 1,575 m or 5,167 ft ) Barrington ( 1,555 m or 5,102 ft ) Careys Peak ( 1,544 m or 5,066 ft ) Eremeren Point ( 1,537 m or 5,043 ft ) Royal ( 1,185 m or 3,888 ft ) Allyn ( 1,125 m or 3,691 ft ) Cabrebald ( 1,000 m or 3,281 ft ) Ben Bullen Gunama Lumeah Gibraltar and Sugarloaf Summit ( 1,170 m or 3,839 ft ) Sugarloaf ( 412 m or 1,352 ft ) Bulahdelah Manning Blue Mountains Coricudgy ( 1,255 m or 4,117 ft ) unnamed peak ( 1,189 m or 3,901 ft ) Pomany ( 1,109 m or 3,638 ft ) Piddington ( 1,094 m or 3,589 ft ) Boyce ( 1,093 m or 3,586 ft ) York ( 1,061 m or 3,481 ft ) Victoria ( 1,059 m or 3,474 ft ) Banks ( 1,049 m or 3,442 ft ) Tomah ( 1,016 m or 3,333 ft ) Wilson ( 1,008 m or 3,307 ft ) Kings Tableland ( 1,000 m or 3,281 ft ) Narrow Neck Plateau ( 1,000 m or 3,281 ft ) Castle Cliff ( 986 m or 3,235 ft ) Solitary ( 950 m or 3,117 ft ) Hay ( 944 m or 3,097 ft ) Podgers ( 890 m or 2,920 ft ) Irvine ( 850 m or 2,789 ft ) Debert ( 840 m or 2,756 ft ) Camp Cave ( 800 m or 2,625 ft ) Warrigal ( 760 m or 2,493 ft ) Notts ( 750 m or 2,461 ft ) Harris ( 736 m or 2,415 ft ) Centre ( 620 m or 2,034 ft ) Hall ( 617 m or 2,024 ft ) Gibson ( 608 m or 1,995 ft ) Scorpion ( 558 m or 1,831 ft ) Linda Rock ( 599 m or 1,965 ft ) Cookem ( 569 m or 1,867 ft ) Gospers Bedford Cameron Coriaday Erskine Mistake Monundilla Whaite Wirraba Pearces Wedding Cake Illawarra Bells ( 803 m or 2,635 ft ) Knights Hill ( 709 m or 2,326 ft ) Noorinan ( 663 m or 2,175 ft ) Saddleback ( 600 m or 1,969 ft ) Wanyambilli Hill ( 564 m or 1,850 ft ) Kembla ( 534 m or 1,752 ft ) Burelli ( 531 m or 1,742 ft ) Kembla West ( 512 m or 1,680 ft ) Brisbane ( 469 m or 1,539 ft ) Keira ( 464 m or 1,522 ft ) Warra ( 464 m or 1,522 ft ) Brokers Nose ( 440 m or 1,444 ft ) Nebo ( 252 m or 827 ft ) The Budawangs Budawang ( 1,129 m or 3,704 ft ) Currockbilly ( 1,087 m or 3,566 ft ) Wog Wog ( 893 m or 2,930 ft ) Cole ( 876 m or 2,874 ft ) Sturgiss ( 858 m or 2,815 ft ) Fosters ( 857 m or 2,812 ft ) Barneys Hill ( 855 m or 2,805 ft ) The Castle ( 831 m or 2,726 ft ) Shrouded Gods ( 809 m or 2,654 ft ) Donjon ( 786 m or 2,579 ft ) Clyde ( 781 m or 2,562 ft ) Quiltys ( 775 m or 2,543 ft ) Wirritin ( 674 m or 2,211 ft ) Pigeon House / Didthul ( 720 m or 2,362 ft ) Bushwalker ( 640 m or 2,100 ft ) Byangee ( 500 m or 1,640 ft ) Coolangatta Tarn Great Dividing Range Tweed Warning ( 1,156 m or 3,793 ft ) Bar ( 1,130 m or 3,707 ft ) Glenugie ( 316 m or 1,037 ft ) Chincogan ( 260 m or 853 ft ) Gladstone Goobergooberyam Moombil McPherson and Nightcap Barney ( 1,359 m or 4,459 ft ) Burrell 933 m or 3,061 ft ) Neville ( 919 m or 3,015 ft ) Nardi ( 812 m or 2,664 ft ) Matheson ( 804 m or 2,638 ft ) Peates ( 604 m or 1,982 ft ) Mid North Coast Banda Banda ( 1,258 m or 4,127 ft ) Nandewar Kaputar ( 1,489 m or 4,885 ft ) Dowe ( 1,457 m or 4,780 ft ) Mount Coryah ( 1,409 m or 4,623 ft ) Lindesay ( 1,373 m or 4,505 ft ) Grattai ( 1,301 m or 4,268 ft ) Bushy ( 1,260 m or 4,134 ft ) Round ( 1,250 m or 4,101 ft ) Yulludunida ( 1,225 m or 4,019 ft ) Castle Top ( 1,120 m or 3,675 ft ) Gins ( 1,120 m or 3,675 ft ) Ningadhun ( 1,013 m or 3,323 ft ) Liverpool and Watagan unnamed ( 1,300 m or 4,265 ft ) Pandoras Pass ( 788 m or 2,585 ft ) Warrawolong ( 641 m or 2,103 ft ) New England and Moonbi Round ( 1,585 m or 5,200 ft ) Point Lookout ( 1,564 m or 5,131 ft ) Ben Lomond ( 1,512 m or 4,961 ft ) Grundy ( 1,463 m or 4,800 ft ) Barren ( 1,437 m or 4,715 ft ) Hyland ( 1,434 m or 4,705 ft ) Duval ( 1,393 m or 4,570 ft ) Black Jack ( 1,300 m or 4,265 ft ) Gulligal ( 1,230 m or 4,035 ft ) Oaky ( 1,070 m or 3,510 ft ) Cooee ( 1,020 m or 3,346 ft ) Flaggy ( 984 m or 3,228 ft ) Big Billy ( 884 m or 2,900 ft ) Dorrigo ( 762 m or 2,500 ft ) Burning ( 520 m or 1,706 ft ) Yarrowyck Central Tablelands Canobolas ( 1,395 m or 4,577 ft ) Shooters Hill ( 1,394 m or 4,573 ft ) Bindo ( 1,363 m or 4,472 ft ) Trickett ( 1,362 m or 4,469 ft ) Blaxland Hopeless The Brindabellas and Scabby Bimberi ( 1,913 m or 6,276 ft ) Gingera ( 1,857 m or 6,093 ft ) Kelly ( 1,829 m or 6,001 ft ) Ginini ( 1,762 m or 5,781 ft ) Franklin ( 1,646 m or 5,400 ft ) Aggie ( 1,421 m or 4,662 ft ) Coree ( 1,421 m or 4,662 ft ) Bramina ( 1,392 m or 4,567 ft ) Bulls Head ( 1,375 m or 4,511 ft ) Black Bottle ( 1,356 m or 4,449 ft ) Lickhole ( 1,188 m or 3,898 ft ) Brindabella ( 972 m or 3,189 ft ) Monaro Big Badja ( 1,363 m or 4,472 ft ) Brown ( 1,243 m or 4,078 ft ) Gibraltar ( Bungendore ) ( 887 m or 2,910 ft ) Gibraltar Hill Snowies Main Kosciuszko ( 2,228 m or 7,310 ft ) Townsend ( 2,209 m or 7,247 ft ) unnamed peak on Etheridge Ridge ( 2,180 m or 7,152 ft ) Alice Rawson Peak ( 2,160 m or 7,087 ft ) Byatts Camp ( 2,159 m or 7,083 ft ) Carruthers ( 2,145 m or 7,037 ft ) Abbott Peak ( 2,145 m or 7,037 ft ) Mount Northcote ( 2,131 m or 6,991 ft ) Muellers Peak ( 2,120 m or 6,955 ft ) Clark ( 2,100 m or 6,890 ft ) Lee ( 2,100 m or 6,890 ft ) Gungartan ( 2,068 m or 6,785 ft ) Tate ( 2,068 m or 6,785 ft ) Jagungal ( 2,061 m or 6,762 ft ) Perisher ( 2,054 m or 6,739 ft ) Stilwell ( 2,040 m or 6,693 ft ) Watsons Crags ( 2,020 m or 6,627 ft ) Back Perisher ( 2,014 m or 6,608 ft ) Anton ( 2,000 m or 6,562 ft ) Anderson ( 1,997 m or 6,552 ft ) Blue Cow ( 1,994 m or 6,542 ft ) The Granite Peaks ( 1,980 m or 6,496 ft ) Dicky Cooper Bogong ( 1,980 m or 6,496 ft ) Gills Knobs ( 1,940 m or 6,365 ft ) Guthega Peak ( 1,924 m or 6,312 ft ) Blue Calf ( 1,905 m or 6,250 ft ) Sentinel ( 1,900 m or 6,234 ft ) Mount Piper ( 1,830 m or 6,004 ft ) Round ( 1,756 m or 5,761 ft ) Ramshead Rams Head ( 2,190 m or 7,185 ft ) Twynam ( 2,178 m or 7,146 ft ) Rams Head North ( 2,177 m or 7,142 ft ) Little Twynam ( 2,120 m or 6,955 ft ) Other mountains in the GDR Yengo ( 668 m or 2,192 ft ) Inland mountain ranges Barrier Lewis Peak ( 297 m or 974 ft ) Warrumbungles Exmouth ( 1,206 m or 3,957 ft ) Woorut ( 1,165 m or 3,822 ft ) Needle Other inland mountains Grenfell Gibralter Hill Island mountain ranges Lord Howe Gower ( 875 m or 2,871 ft ) Lidgbird ( 777 m or 2,549 ft ) Mountains not within a specific range Gibraltar ( 863 m or 2,831 ft ) Gulaga ( 806 m or 2,644 ft ) Ulandra ( 761 m or 2,497 ft ) Tilga ( 329 m or 1,079 ft ) Oxley ( 307 m or 1,007 ft ) GND : 4088447 - 8 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Blue_Mountains_(New_South_Wales)&oldid=798498537 '' Categories : Blue Mountains ( New South Wales ) Mountain ranges of New South Wales Physiographic sections Climbing areas of Australia Tourist attractions in Sydney Great Dividing Range Regions of Sydney Hidden categories : All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from February 2016 Webarchive template wayback links Use dmy dates from May 2011 Use Australian English from May 2011 All Wikipedia articles written in Australian English Coordinates on Wikidata Pages using infobox Australian place with an explicitly - suppressed location map All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from March 2011 Articles with unsourced statements from September 2008 Articles needing additional references from May 2017 All articles needing additional references Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikivoyage Afrikaans Aragonés Беларуская Català Čeština Dansk Deutsch Español فارسی Français 한국어 Հայերեն Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית ქართული Lietuvių Magyar Nederlands Norsk Polski Português Română Русский Simple English Slovenčina Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska தமிழ் Українська Tiếng Việt 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 2 September 2017, at 07 : 52. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: where did the blue mountains get its name from
Answer: blue tinge the range takes on when viewed from a distance