Blue Mountains (New South Wales)
The Blue Mountains is a mountainous region in New South Wales, Australia. It borders on Sydney's metropolitan area, its foothills starting approximately 50 kilometres (31 mi) west of the state capital. The area begins on the west side of the Nepean River and extends westward as far as Coxs River. Geologically, it is situated in the central parts of the Sydney Basin.
Consisting mainly of a sandstone plateau, the area is dissected by gorges up to 760 metres (2,490 ft) deep. The highest point of the range is Mount Werong at 1,215 metres (3,986 ft) above sea level. 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 includes the local government areas of the City of Blue Mountains, the City of Hawkesbury, the City of Lithgow and Oberon.
Read more about Blue Mountains (New South Wales): Aboriginal Inhabitants, European History, Etymology, Physiography, Climate, Geography, World Heritage Listing, Fauna, Tourist Attractions, Recreational Activity
Famous quotes containing the words blue, mountains and/or south:
“The blue and the gray. Let us march together beneath the star- spangled banner.”
—Laurence Stallings (1894–1968)
“Did you ever hear tell of Sweet Betsy from Pike.
Who crossed the wide mountains with her lover Ike,”
—Unknown. Sweet Betsey from Pike (l. 1–2)
“Biography is a very definite region bounded on the north by history, on the south by fiction, on the east by obituary, and on the west by tedium.”
—Philip Guedalla (1889–1944)