Katoomba, New South Wales

From Freepedia

Image:KatoombaScenicSkywayRemoved.jpg Katoomba is the chief town of the City of the Blue Mountains in New South Wales, Australia and the administrative headquarters of Blue Mountains City Council. It lies on the Great Western Highway 110 kilometres west of Sydney and is well known for spectacular mountain views, extensive bush and nature walks and its alternative lifestyles.

Tourism

Katoomba's main industry is tourism based on spectacular mountain scenery. The rock formation known as the Three Sisters, viewable from Echo Point about two kilometres south of the main town, is the most famous feature. Other features of the Jamison Valley visible from Echo Point include Mt Solitary and the Ruined Castle. A short walk from Echo Point leads to The Giant Stairway which provides access to a number of nature walks through the Valley. Some of these are quite rugged and not recommended for inexperienced walkers. Several of the Jamison Valley tracks including the Stairway itself were closed in recent years due to maintenance, but most have since been re-opened. The section of track between the Ruined Castle and Mt Solitary is not well marked, and recommended only for experienced bushwalkers. Bushwalkers in the area will be much rewarded as the local geography includes extensive areas of dense sub-tropical rainforest, hanging swamps and a series of spectacular waterfalls (albeit with a relatively low water volume).

Other attractions include the Katoomba Scenic Railway (originally built to facilitate coal and oil shale mining in the Jamison Valley), the steepest funicular railway in the world, and the Scenic Skyway cable car, which extends over an arm of the Jamison Valley and offers views of Katoomba Falls and Orphan Rock. As of September, 2004 the original Skyway car was replaced by a new car with a clear bottom.

Katoomba is well-served by hotels and guest-houses, the oldest and most prominent of which is the Carrington Hotel, established in 1882 and occupying the highest point in town. The nearby village of Leura also features numerous well-appointed hotels and health spas and Medlow Bath boasts the grand Hydro Majestic Hotel, originally built in 1891. The busy town centre, centered on Katoomba Street, features dozens of cafes and restaurants, including the Paragon which dates the early 1900s, as well as a number of second-hand book and antique stores.

History

Katoomba and nearby Medlow Bath were first developed as tourist destinations towards the end of the 19th Century when a series of grand hotels, notably the Carrington and the Belgravia (later the Hydro Majestic) were built and then repeatedly extended. The Paragon restaurant also dates from the same period. Coal and shale mining was also carried out in the Jamison Valley for many years, but the seams were completely exhausted by the early 20th Century and Katoomba was established as a resort town. By the 1960s, Katoomba had somewhat declined, and several of its guest houses were converted for other purposes including convalescent hospitals. Some even succumbed to arson. Housing was inexpensive, allowing many young families to establish themselves; many of whom still live there.

In the 1980s, the guest houses and hotels again became fashionable and many were restored to their former glories, however since the late 1990s tourism to the area has once again levelled off. Housing in the Katoomba region has become more expensive, but in general housing prices in the district are still markedly lower than those in Sydney.

People

Until recently the area's beautiful scenery and colourful art-deco style shops and houses attracted an alternative and somewhat eccentric subculture. Poets, artists, environmentalists and numerous, eccentric characters still reside there, and the town hosts the well-patronised winter solstice festival, Winter Magic, that features local talent, art and handicraft.

Local cryptozoologist Rex Gilroy, the "Yowie Man", is known for his belief in the Yowie or hairy man-like monster (similar to the Abominable Snowman or Sasquatch) that is said to leave large footprints in the bush. Another local eccentric, the "Cat Man", is known for promoting a one-man campaign against the decimation of native wildlife by feral cats. He wears a cap made of cat skin and has bought and fenced off areas of bushland to exclude cats.

Eleanor Dark is a well-known historian who wrote "The Storm of Time". Her husband Dr Dark was a communist and was concerned about persecution in the 1950s. The Darks are reputed to have built a refuge in the Grose Valley to the north of Katoomba.

In addition to its ever-publicised, 'alternative' sub-culture, the area is home for a large number of families, including many culturally diverse, non-nuclear households. The town also boasts a significant Aboriginal population. There are a large number of schools that are well-attended. There are also many celebrities and affluent people who have built or restored houses with magnificent views, especially in Leura, just to the east of Katoomba.

External links

• Community, Information & Tourism Website
• Blue Mountains Tourism
• Blue Mountains City Council
• Blue Mountains Community Radio