Katoomba, located in the Blue Mountains, is 102 kilometres west of Sydney, Australia.
Set in the World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains, National Park, Katoomba is surrounded by millions of hectares of wilderness.
The town of Katoomba, however, is unique. The Main Street is lined
with interesting Art Deco buildings, and unexpected mists can swirl in without warning as you shop and explore.
The Dharug and Gandangara People
The Aboriginal Gandangara and Dharug people have lived in the Blue Mountains region for thousands of years. As there is no documentary evidence for Aboriginal life prior to 1770, archaeological evidence is generally used. However, Aboriginal people have passed oral history using stories, songs and dances.
There is an ancient Aboriginal myth about the rock formation called the three sisters – Meehni, Wimlah and Gunnedoo
. Read here |
| The Three Sisters, Katoomba, NSW, Meehni, Wimlah and Gunnedoo |
The Gundungurra people have a Dreamtime (gunyungalung) story about the struggle between two ancestral creator spirits, the Rainbow Serpent (Gurangatch) and a quoll man (Mirragan), which provides an explanation for the origin of the valleys and Rivers in the region.
Aboriginal people have occupied the Blue Mountains for at least 14,000 years. Aboriginal rock art can be found throughout the
region in rock shelters and on sandstone platforms.
Darug people occupied the main east‐west ridge of the Blue Mountains, the northern Blue Mountains and the Cumberland Plain. The Gundungurra occupied the area to the south and the Wiradjuri to the west.
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| Hand stencils, Red Hands Cave, Blue Mountains National Park |
Kings Tableland, situated immediately south of Wentworth Falls, was an Aboriginal camping and meeting place, with great significance to Gundungurra people. A rock shelter with rock art and grinding groves have been recorded in the vicinity.
In the Greater Blue Mountains region, to the north, in Yengo National Park, in an area named Burragurra, over 170 Aboriginal rock engravings and cave artwork exist.
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| The Dharug or Darug people were the original inhabitants of Western Sydney. Image: ‘Australia: William Blandowski's Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Aboriginal Australia’. |
In a remote part of Wollemi National Park, axe-grinding grooves have been found, scared trees and a range of depictions of animals, human-like figures and Ancestral Beings.
Gundungurra people believed that good and bad spirits lived at certain places. Children were told about Kubba (Gubba), a hairy man who had his feet turned backwards and a thirty-foot long tail and Dthu-wan-gong (Doowong), who lived
among the rocks and had large wings that blew out campfires (Johnson 2007).
In 1804, the explorer George Caley, who was travelling with Daruk guides from the coast, recorded how the Gundungurra man Cannabaygal and his men were:
"...much dreaded by the other tribes of natives...
They were of gigantic stature in comparison with the rest; their hair being long, flowing upon the shoulders and their features in general gave them a frightful countenance."
After the Blue Mountains had been crossed and the road built, Governor Macquarie journeyed through the Blue Mountains and
selected the site of Bathurst on 7 May 1815. Macquarie described the Aboriginal people wearing possum cloaks:
"They were all clothed with Mantles made of the skins of o'possums which were very neatly sewn together and the outside of the skins were carved in a remarkably neat manner. They appear to be very inoffensive and cleanly in their persons."
The anthropologist, R.H Matthew, claimed that Darug and Gundungurra people were able to communicate with little difficulty, indicating language similarities.
Mathews also claimed that Gundungurra marriage rules
were different from most other Aboriginal groups, as a council of male elders would select the mother of a young man’s prospective wife. Although, as with most other clans, a couple from the same totem could not marry.
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| French artist Alphonse Pellion, met Karadra, an Aboriginal elder and warrior, and his companion Hara-o in the New South Wales Blue Mountains in 1819 and made these portraits. Pellion was an official artist on Louis de Freycinet’s circumnavigation in the “Uranie” and the image was turned into this coloured engraving for the official publication of the voyage |
Catalina Park, commonly known as The Gully or Katoomba Falls Creek Valley, was a place where many Aboriginal people resided. The Gundungurra and Darug peoples used The Gully as a summer camp. After European settlement, Aboriginal people
continued to live there until 1946, when the area was developed as a tourist park, creating much trauma.
First Contact
The ex-convict John Wilson lived with the Gundungurra people from 1792 for several years.
The Road
Following several attempts to find a way across the Blue Mountains to the west, in 1813, Gregory Blaxland, William Lawson and William Charles Wentworth,
after a difficult journey, often through thick scrub and steep country, found a passage through the Blue Mountains finding rich farming land in the Hartley region.
The three explorers decided to follow the ridges of the mountains and avoid the valleys. For 21 days, they hacked
their way through through difficult terrain and thick vegetation, making a path for the horses to follow the next day. On average, they covered 4.5km a day.
The "Explorers Marked Tree", where Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth carved their initials, was situated along the Great Western Highway at Pulpit Hill Katoomba. It is now permanently removed.
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| Pictorial representation of the crossing of the Blue Mountains by Blaxland, Wentworth and Lawson from the Sydney Mail, 25 December 1880 |
In 1814, a road was constructed across the mountains, directed by William Cox, using convict labour.
The road from Emu Ford to Bathurst,
a distance of 163.3 kilometres (101.5 mi) was completed, in only six months.
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| News (Adelaide, SA : 1923 - 1954), Thursday 18 February 1954 |
More serious convict offenders wore leg irons. All convicts wore the distinctive black and yellow convict clothing. As the convict gangs moved along and built the road, they were confined in timber stockades.
The remains of 20 Mile Hollow Convict Stockade at Bull’s Camp Reserve, Woodford, can be seen today. Right hand turn (heading west) off the Great Western Highway Woodford (well sign posted). See
here  |
| William Cox (19 December 1764 – 15 March 1837) was an English soldier, known as an explorer, road builder and pioneer |
The Western Road was opened to traffic in 1815. Pulpit Hill became a resting place for travellers and stock.
French explorer Rene Primevere Lesson travelled over the Blue Mountains in 1824 and recorded an inscription on a grave near Pulpit Hill, Katoomba:
"On this wind-beaten height stands rocks of various shapes. One of them bore the epitaph of a young man who died there in 1822 and whose fresh grave will make me call it Mount Sepulchre."
This grave has now been identified as that of a convict, Edgar Church.
Edgar Church was convicted of grand larceny at the Old Bailey in December 1816, at age 19, and transported to Australia for 7 years. He arrived in Sydney on the
Batavia in April 1818.
Church was assigned to a convict road gang constructing the Western Road over the Blue Mountains. In June 1822 he was found dead in a hut.
The inscription was recorded as follows:
"Sacred to the Memory of
Edgar Church
Who has
Departed this Life
The 20 June 1822
Aged 27 Years" |
A 1911 photo by Frank Walker of the Convict Graves near "The Tree" Blue Mountains, RAHS
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| Convict Graves on a Mountain Road (1933, August 20). The Sun (Sydney, NSW |
The First Inn
There was an inn at Katoomba, called The Shepherd & His Flock Inn, which opened in 1835 at Pulpit Hill. Louisa Meredith spent “a tolerable night’s rest” at the inn on her way to Bathurst in 1839.
Pulpit Hill was named when Governor Macquarie's party passed by the area on 28 April 1815, on the way to Bathurst, because of the "large rock on its summit resembling a pulpit".
Prior to the adoption of the name, Katoomba, the area was known as William's Chimney and Collett's Swamp. In 1874,
the name changed to "The Crushers" after a nearby mining operation.
The name Katoomba is probably derived from the Aboriginal language, meaning, "shining falling water" or "water tumbling over hill".
Governor Macquarie and The First Tourists
Lachlan and Elizabeth Macquarie, along with a large party of officials, servants, and a military escort, set out late in April 1815 to visit the Bathurst Plains. Macquarie
travelled along the new road, naming it the Great Western Road,
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| Mrs Elizabeth Macquarie Campbell (1778-1835) and Lachlan Macquarie (1762-1824), served as the fifth and last autocratic Governor of New South Wales from 1810 to 1821 |
Settlers
Settlers travelling along the new road, and moving into the west, putting pressure on Aboriginal communities and disrupting their way of life.
Severe drought caused food scarcity for Aboriginal people and farmers,
leading to conflicts to the east of the Greater Blue Mountains.
In 1816 Aboriginal people from the other side of the Blue Mountains made a raid on the provision depot, on a property known as Glenroy, resulting in the first "violent confrontation" between Europeans and Aboriginal people. The government cart on its way there was also attacked. (April-May, 1815, Governor and Mrs Macquarie camped twice on the ground at Glenroy)
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| A settler's hut |
Aboriginal raids also occurred along the Nepean River in the first four months of 1816.
The government depot at Glenroy was also a stopping point for travellers journeying over the Blue Mountains.
From 1831-32 the western road was rerouted and the military depot was abandoned.
Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin, the famous naturalist, visited the Blue Mountains in 1836. There is a popular walking track named after Darwin at nearby Wentworth Falls, where you can follow in Darwin's footsteps.
Darwin also visited the nearby town of Blackheath and stayed at the Gardners Inn. After breakfast one morning, Darwin walked to the scenic Govett’s Leap.
Charles Darwin walk |
| While still a young man, Charles Darwin joined the scientific elite. Portrait by George Richmond |
The Toll House was built at Mount Victoria in 1849, after the closure of the convict stockade at Blackheath, to collect money
from travellers using the Western Road.
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| The Toll House was built at Mount Victoria in 1849, Land (Sydney, NSW : 1911 - 1954), Friday 11 September 1953 |
The first permanent house at Katoomba was called "Froma", built by James Henry Neale in 1867 (Froma, 72 Katoomba St Katoomba). The building was demolished in 1913.
The Rail Arrives
When the railway line was built in 1874, Katoomba became known as “The Crushers”, which was the name of the quarry that
operated nearby.
In 1874 Katoomba's first rail line was opened, and Katoomba became an
important mining town for coal and shale.
The entrepreneur, John Bitty North, operated the Katoomba Coal Mine, which built a railway to carry coal from mines at the bottom of the Katoomba escarpment. A small village then developed to house the miners on the cliff-top area. Today, this tramline operates as the Scenic Railway.
The name Katoomba replaced The Crushers in 1877, just prior to the opening of the Katoomba Coal Mine.
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| The road and bluff near Mount Victoria, NSW, circa 1898 |
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| Katoomba Mines: men working in low seam. State Library of New South Wales. |
A Tourist Destination
By the 1880s, Katoomba was transforming into a resort town. The elegant, The Great Western Hotel, was built in 1882(later The Carrington), and the Katoomba Railway Station in 1881.
_and_Carrington_Hotel_under_construction_(8270684537).jpg) |
| Title: View of Katoomba Railway Station (NSW) and Carrington Hotel under construction, circa 1884 |
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| View of Katoomba Railway Station and Carrington Hotel Dated: circa 31/12/1885 |
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| View of Katoomba Railway Station (NSW) and surrounds Dated: circa 31/12/1885 |
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| Katoomba Railway Station, NSW, 1882. The gatekeeper's rural Gothic sandstone cottage is the standard design approved by Engineer-in-Chief John Whitton in 1867, this one became the stationmaster's residence in 1881 and was demolished in 1891 to make way for the new platform., Blue Mountains Library, Local Studies |
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| View of Katoomba Railway Station (NSW) and Carrington Hotel under construction 31/12/1884, NSW State Archives |
Many more notable buildings were being constructed, such as the original post office on the corner of Bathurst Road and Cascade Street in 1887.
The early visitors to Katoomba were mostly wealthy. Before cars became affordable and the roads satisfactory,
tourists would mostly arrive by train and were taken to local guesthouses by horse-drawn cab. Harry Peckman and his brother, John, established livery stables in Parke Street, Katoomba, back in the early 1880s, at the back of The Carrington Hotel.
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| Illustrated Sydney News (NSW : 1881 - 1894), Thursday 31 October 1889 |
During Katoomba's heyday, holidaymakers might decide to stay at the Balmoral, a large, two-storey rendered-brick
guesthouse built in the Victorian filigree style on Bathurst Road. Some would take leisurely walks in nature and visit the Leura Coffee Palace (later The Ritz).
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| Blue Mountains Coaches - circa 1890 Main Street, Katoomba, NSW, circa 1890 between Katoomba and Park Streets, where the photographer posed Hardy and Co's Superior Blue Mountains Coaches. (photo by Springwood Historical Society) Kaye |
1900s
At the turn of this century, two elderly Gundungurra men, who had white fathers and Aboriginal mothers, were interviewed. Werriberrie (William Russell) and Maniade (William (Billy) Lynch) both spoke an Aboriginal language and English. When William (Billy) Lynch died in 1913, his obituary in the
Blue Mountains Echo referred to his “encyclopedic” knowledge of the area.
The West Katoomba Mission Church at the southern end of the Gully was formally non- denominational and was run "chiefly in the interests of a few Aboriginal
families and certain settlers".
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| Explorers' Tree, Katoomba, NSW, circa 1900. Now removed |
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| Mount View, Lurline and Katoomba Streets, Katoomba, N.S.W. - early 1900s, Kaye |
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| Jimmy War Sing, Chinese market gardener, Katoomba c.1900. The 1903-1904 rate book locates War Sing's house and garden in Neale Street, Katoomba, NSW, known as MacCrae's Paddock which is now part of Katoomba Falls Reserve. He was there till at least 1907. The land was owned by a Miss Willis. Blue Mountains Library, Local Studies |
SNAKE WITH A HEAD LIKE A HORSE
A Katoomba, N.S.W., correspondent writes:
"A very large diamond carpet snake was killed here last Friday by an Aboriginal named King Billy Lynch. It measures 12ft. from head to tail, and had a head similar to a horse, but very much smaller. King Billy Lynch skinned the reptile and brought it to Katoomba, and has been visited by a great number of people. The present owner (Alderman Tabrett) intends having it preserved and stuffed.
The World News, 13 February 1904
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| King Billy Lynch is at head of snake, Katoomba, NSW |
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Opening of the Water Works, Katoomba, NSW in 1907. The official party at The Carrington Hotel.
Blue Mountains Library, Local Studies |
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| Katoomba, NSW. People in the snow in 1910, with the side of the Carrington Hotel in the background. Blue Mountains Library, Local Studies |
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| "Marsden" Private Boarding House, Katoomba Street, Katoomba, N.S.W. - 1912. Mrs. Sinclair, Proprietress, Kaye |
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| Blue Mountain Echo (NSW : 1909 - 1928), Friday 29 November 1912 |
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| Lithgow Mercury (NSW : 1898 - 1954), Wednesday 19 November 1913 |
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| Katoomba Street, Katoomba, NSW, 1915. The Railway Hotel in the distance, across the railway line, was bought by Mrs Emily Gearin in 1910 which she had extensively remodelled and enlarged in 1919, the name Gearin's Hotel appears on the frontage. Blue Mountains Library, Local Studies |
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| Boys playing in snow, Katoomba St, Blue Mountains, NSW, 1916, The building on the right is the Congregational Church which was demolished in the early 1970s to make way for the Civic Centre. Blue Mountains Library, Local Studies |
When Katoomba became more affordable, there were movie theatres and a roller skating rink for entertainment. But the main attraction, no doubt, was the fresh cool air surrounded by a unique natural environment, away from the dirt and worries of city life.
Honeymoon Capital
The former Stipendary magistrate, Ron Wingett, claimed that about 40% of honeymoons of people from the Newcastle area, were spent at The Carrington Hotel in Katoomba.
The Carrington was built in 1880 but sold to a Queensland squatter, F C Goyder, in 1886. Goyder spent around 30, 000 pounds on extensions and the hotel began
to attract a more wealthy clientele. By the 1890s, The Carrington was one of Australia's most prestigious hotels.
Water
was a problem for The Carrington, however, and so, Goyder installed Blake's hydraulic ram at a spring about a kilometre from the hotel; pumping night and day to supply water to guests.
Such was the workload that, A L Peakcock was employed by the Carrington and he identified the need to supply water to the town. Peacock was elected to the local Municipal Council and his efforts helped to bring the water supply to Katoomba in 1907 and a sewerage system in 1912.
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| Daily Telegraph (Sydney, NSW : 1883 - 1930), Saturday 3 July 1915, |
WWI
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| Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Tuesday 21 September 1915, |
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| Pte Percy Clarence Tuck who was in charge of the Katoomba Fire Brigade, was killed at the Dardanelles, HEROES OF GALLIPOLI. Sydney Mail (NSW : 1912 - 1938), Wednesday 3 October 1917 |
At least 11 Aboriginal men were killed at Gallipoli and 21 survived. Up to 1000 indigenous people fought for Australia during World War I.
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| Avoca Free Press and Farmers' and Miners' Journal (Vic. : 1900; 1914 - 1918), Wednesday 18 December 1918 |
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| Freeman's Journal (Sydney, NSW : 1850 - 1932), Thursday 1 May 1919 |
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| Blue Mountain Echo (NSW : 1909 - 1928), Friday 1 November 1918 |
1920s
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| Panoramic view of the main street in Katoomba, New South Wales, 1920 / EB Studios, National Library of Australia |
.jpg) |
| Eleanor Dark and Napier "Evangeline", circa 1922, The vehicle may be a 1919 T75 Napier 40/50 hp, 6 cyl. 6105. The acclaimed author of The Timeless Land (1941), Eleanor Dark (1901-1985) moved to Katoomba in 1923, with her husband. Her house, Varuna, designed in 1939, in which she lived for most of her adult life is now a residential writers' centre. |
Jackie Brooks was the first Aboriginal first-grade rugby league player for the Katoomba Federals. He began playing rugby league for the Katoomba Federals in 1923. Read about Jackie Brooks
here He is also notable for his role in the rescue of two friends in November 1912 after climbing up the Narrow Neck cliffs.
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| Jackie Brooks of Katoomba Federals, NSW, first-grade rugby league player 1920s-1930s |
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| The reserve was previously known as Railway Park, Garden Park, Katoomba Park, The Crushers. Acquired by Council 1928 for 800 pounds to be developed as Russell Hawke Park. Blue Mountains Library |
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Katoomba St from Railway, Katoomba, NSW, between 1900-1927
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| Katoomba St Katoomba, NSW. Sometime between 1900-1927 |
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| The crowds at Katoomba Train Station to welcome the Duke and Duchess, Sydney Mail (NSW : 1912 - 1938), Wednesday 6 April 1927 |
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| Daily Telegraph (Sydney, NSW : 1883 - 1930), Friday 22 June 1928 |
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| Katoomba Street, Katoomba, NSW, 27th November 1929, Blue Mountains Library |
1930s
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| Katoomba St, Katoomba, NSW, in 1930 |
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| Katoomba Daily (NSW : 1920 - 1939), Tuesday 20 September 1932 |
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| Embassy Theatre, Katoomba, 73-75 Katoomba St, Blue Mountains, NSW, 1938. The original Empire Theatre was built on this site by AH Small and A Seller in 1914 in a Federation Free Style design by prominent cinema architects Guy Crick and Bruce Furse, and opened 16 January 1915. In 1920 Seller sold the property to Katoomba Theatres, part of the Joynton Smith Management Trust, who later acquired the Kings Theatre, and the Savoy, across the road. Blue Mountains Library, Local Studies |
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| Kingsford Smith Memorial Park, 1938, Katoomba NSW, Blue Mountains Library, Local Studies |
1940s |
| Dining Room, Palais Royale, Katoomba, N.S.W. - 1940s, Kaye |
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| Carpark at Echo Point, Katoomba, Blue Mountains, N.S.W. - circa 1940, Kaye |
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| Kingsford Smith Memorial Park, Katoomba, NSW in 1940. The park was initially named Jubilee Park in 1935, for the Silver Jubilee of King George V. This, however, was changed only a year later to Kingsford Smith Memorial Park and Playground, in honour of the pioneer Australian aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith (1897-1935). Blue Mountains Library, Local Studies |
WWII
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| Daily Telegraph (Sydney, NSW : 1931 - 1954), Friday 16 August 1940 |
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| Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld. : 1872 - 1947), Monday 19 August 1940 |
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| Narromine News and Trangie Advocate (NSW : 1898 - 1955), Friday 7 August 1942 |
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| Sun (Sydney, NSW : 1910 - 1954), Monday 23 September 1946 |
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Alice Duchess of Gloucester, Henry Duke of Gloucester, Mayor Freelander on right, PM Ben Chifley behind the Duchess, at top of Katoomba St. On the right is Joseph Jackson MLA NSW. 1946, Blue Mountains Library, Local Studies
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1950s
In 1957, a racetrack was built at Catalina Park (the Gully), and many Aboriginal people were forcibly removed from the area, causing immense trauma.
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| Catalina Park, Katoomba c. 1950, Blue Mountains, NSW. The land was purchased by Horace Gates owner of the Homesdale Guest House and Wentworth Cabaret who, in 1946, felt that a new attraction was needed to bring tourists back to the Blue Mountains after peace was declared. Accordingly he dammed Katoomba falls creek and had an ornamental lake and amusement park constructed offering "every facility for fun and food". Blue Mountains Library, Local Studies |
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| Scenic Railway near Katoomba, NSW, early 1950s |
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| School children preparing for the arrival of Queen Elizabeth II at Katoomba Railway Station, NSW, 12 February 1954, NSW State Archives |
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| Old Postcard Katoomba St, Katoomba NSW, 1950s |
1960s
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| Three trainee nurses keep their eyes on sister as she demonstrates care of the patient at the Nursing Training School, Katoomba Hospital, NSW. The nurses are identified as L Scanlon, S Clark, and S Smith. Blue Mountains Library, Local Studies |
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| Katoomba Scenic Skyway, Katoomba, NSW, in 1968, Blue Mountains Library, Local Studies |
1970s
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| Railway crossing and James' Corner Katoomba, NSW, c.1970, Blue Mountains Library, Local Studies |
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| Great Western Highway, Katoomba, NSW, 1972. On the right, the Echo Point Motel sign is visible in front of H & J Muir's Katoomba Garage. Blue Mountains Library, Local Studies |
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| Blue Mountains City Council, Katoomba, NSW, in 1972, Blue Mountains Library, Local Studies |
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| Swiss Inn Nightclub, Katoomba, NSW, 1973. The Swiss Inn nightclub operated under the management of Mr Joe Goddard. It was located in the basement of the Clarendon Hotel/Motel during the 1960s and into the early 1970s. Blue Mountains Library, Local Studies |
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| Katoomba St, Katoomba, NSW, 1970s. Source unknown |
1980s
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| Katoomba Street, Katoomba, NSW in 1983. Fosseys was established in 1926 at George Street, Sydney by Alfred Bristow Fossey and grew to 148 stores throughout Australia, with an annual turnover of $300 million. Blue Mountains Library, Local Studies |
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| Golden Fleece, Katoomba, 1983, NSW, Blue Mountains Library, Local Studies |
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| Katoomba Street, Katoomba, NSW in 1983. Blue Mountains Library, Local Studies |
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| Katoomba Level Crossing, Katoomba, NSW, 1983, Blue Mountains Library, Local Studies |
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| Blue Mountains City Council, Admin HQ 1984, Katoomba, NSW, Blue Mountains Library, Local Studies |
2000s
The Gully was declared an Aboriginal Place on 18 May 2002.
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| Aboriginal man at Winter Magic Festival 2008, Katoomba NSW, Brian Yap |
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| Winter Magic Festival 2008, Katoomba NSW, Brian Yap |
The iconic and beautiful site of the Three Sisters was recognised as an Aboriginal place by the New South Wales government in 2014.
Gary Oakley of Gundungura heritage from Katoomba was the first Indigenous Liaison Officer employed at the Australian War Memorial.
2020
In the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, it is estimated that over 838,000 hectares have been burnt as of 13 January 2020 and 140 million reptiles, birds and mammals (excluding bats) have been impacted. See
here |
| A bird’s eye view of the “Ruined Castle Fire” shows the rough terrain of this section of the Blue Mountains, near Katoomba in New South Wales. 2020, National Interagency Fire Center |
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| Street art, Katoomba, NSW |
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| Street art, Katoomba, NSW |
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| Social housing built in Katoomba, NSW, 2020 |
Katoomba retains many of its wonderful buildings of Art-Deco character and is well worth a visit.
Around Katoomba
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| Convict graves on Pulpit Hill, Katoomba, NSW |
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| The Paragon Café in Katoomba was named by Zacharias Simos in 1916. |
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| Timber-panelled walls are decorated with alabaster friezes depicting classical Greek figures. Paragon Cafe, Katoomba NSW |
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| The Art Deco family home of the Simos family "Olympus" on Cliff Drive at Echo Point, Katoomba, NSW |
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| A view of the town of Katoomba, NSW |
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| In 1882 The Great Western Hotel, Katoomba NSW, was built (the name changed four years later to The Carrington) |
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| Lilianfels in Katoomba, NSW, built in 1889 by Sir Frederick Darley, Chief Justice of NSW, as his mountain retreat. Designed by architect Varney Parkes (son of Henry Parkes). |
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| The Ginger Bread House Cafe located in a 100 year old former church, Katoomba NSW |
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| Balmoral House, circa 1876. Owned by The Twelve Tribes, formerly known as the Vine Christian Community Church, Katoomba NSW |
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| Street in Katoomba, NSW, showing Art Deco era shops |
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| The Café Niagara, Katoomba NSW, is an intact and particularly fine example of an inter-war functionalist building. |
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| Hotel Gearin, Katoomba, NSW, established 1881, with additions in 1919 and 1927 |
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| Harp & Fiddle (Carrington Hotel), Katoomba, Blue Mountains, NSW |
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| The former Embassy Hotel, Katoomba NSW, circa 1930s |
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| Carrington Cellars & Deli. Under the Chimney. Entry via Parke Street, Katoomba NSW |
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| The Old City Bank Brasserie, circa 1912, Katoomba NSW |
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| Real Estate House Katoomba Street, Katoomba NSW |
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| The service and sacrifice of local Aboriginal soldiers who served in World War I. 35 Darug and Gundungurra Aboriginal soldiers have been etched onto ironbark plaques. Katoomba, NSW |
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| View of the Three Sisters, Katoomba, NSW (Echo Point lookout) |
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| Busy Katoomba St, Katoomba, NSW, during the annual Winter Magic Festival |
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| Federation style home and restaurant at 132 Lurline Street, Katoomba NSW |
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| View from the Metropole Hotel, Katoomba NSW |
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| Snow at katoomba Train Station, Katoomba NSW |
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| Snow in the Main Street of katoomba, NSW |
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| Froma Court is a two-storey Federation arts and crafts style house. The land on which Froma Court stands was part of the large group of ten allotments of James Neale’s estate which Michael Metcalfe bought in 1883. George James, the prominent butcher and politician in Katoomba built the present house some time between 1908 and 1910. |
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| Lurline House, Katoomba, NSW, was built in 1910, in the Federation style |
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| Katoomba guesthouse known variously as Wahgunyah, Crystal Lodge and more recently Bedford Manor, built in the early 1900's, NSW |
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| The Metropole Guesthouse was built in 1933 by Mrs Godsell, replacing a mountain home built on the site in 1880 by Rev. Barber. Katoomba NSW |
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| Formerly Presbyterian Church, katoomba, NSW, about 1913 |
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| Convict road builders Memorial commissioned by the Rotary Club Katoomba, Katoomba NSW |
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| Varuna, katoomba, NSW, built 1939 |
Things To Do and Places To Go
Books To Read
The Service of Clouds, by Delia Falconer. Set in 1907 and involving the Hydro Majestic Hotel.
Seven Little Australians, is a classic Australian children's literature novel by Ethel Turner. Judy is sent away to boarding school in the Blue Mountains.
Murder in the Blue Mountains, (the true story of Frank Butler one of Australia's most notorious criminals). By Robert Travers, 1932
_Mount_St_Marys_Convent.JPG)
