St Hilda’s Church of England, Katoomba was designed by prominent 20th century architect John Burcham Clamp, a partner of Walter Burley Griffin, and built by a Mr. Johnson of Leura. At about 4.00 pm on Sunday 10th May 1959, John (Jock) Reynolds, a 36 year old cook from the Gearin Hotel, accompanied by his baby… Read More »
In the 1800’s, if you were travelling down Victoria Pass at night, there was the added risk of encountering the Ghost of Victoria Pass, which haunted Mitchell’s viaduct, also known as the second bridge, on Victoria Pass on the eastern side. Travellers reported that their horses would become restless as they approached the bridge, then… Read More »
Echo Point is probably the most visited attraction in the Blue Mountains yet few people have ever heard an actual echo from this location. There are in fact a number of Blue Mountains locations named for and associated with echoes. The traditional method to test for an echo was to shout Coo-ee and wait. In… Read More »
Galahs are in the cockatoo family, although they look very different from most other species of cockatoo. They have pink feathers on their chest, sides, and back and grey feathers on their heads and wings, as well as large bright red patches on their cheeks. They’re known for being one of the smallest cockatoos, with… Read More »
Walking tracks and Lookouts in the Blue Mountains are managed by National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and the Blue Mountains City Council (BMCC). There is no single list that shows who manages what, and neither organisation sends out alerts, so the only way to know what’s open or closed is to check via the… Read More »
NOW ON DISPLAY – Review of Environmental Factors (REF) and concept design for the proposed Katoomba to Blackheath Upgrade JUST ANNOUNCED – Blackheath to Little Hartley preferred option. Together the Australian and NSW Governments are investing $2.5 billion towards upgrading the Great Western Highway between Katoomba and Blackheath, and between Little Hartley and Lithgow, respectively.… Read More »
The Green Tree Frog (Litoria caerulea), also known as simply green tree frog in Australia, White’s tree frog, or dumpy tree frog, is a species of tree frog native to Australia and New Guinea. It is one of the largest frogs found in Australia, growing up to 10cm long. They can come in a variety… Read More »
Select a location from the dropdown menu About Blue Mountains weather: The climate varies with elevation. At Katoomba, (1,010m or 3,314ft) 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… Read More »
The Eastern Spinebill is a common bird in the Blue Mountains, but it’s also one of the most mysterious birds in the world. With only one living species and several subspecies, it can be difficult to identify these birds when you see them on your travels in the mountains. Their physical characteristics are almost identical… Read More »
Mountains Tales is a Blue Mountains owned business offering well researched, quality village walking tours of the upper mountains. Whether you are a mountain local, or a visitor to our backyard, join Sue from Mountains Tales and you will learn so much about our villages. The Leura Story, looks at the history of the village, focusing… Read More »