Megalong Valley is part of the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia. It is located west of Katoomba. On its eastern side, the valley is separated from the Jamison Valley by Narrow Neck Plateau. The Shipley Plateau overlooks part of the valley.
The name Megalong Valley is said to be derived from an Aboriginal word thought to mean 'Valley Under The Rock'. [1] Megalong Valley is Gundungurra country. The first record of a European coming to the valley was of Thomas Jones, a natural history specimen collector, who followed the course of Coxs River from Hartley, New South Wales to Burragorang in 1818. The first land was taken up in 1838, by settlers who travelled from Burragorang and Camden, New South Wales. [2]
Later in the 19th century, an oil shale mine was operated by one J. B. North. He named a nearby glen after his daughter Nellie and it is still known as Nellies Glen today. [2] The shale mine operated from 1886 to 1896, until the reserves were exhausted. Shale was mined and taken by a horse-drawn tramway that ran in a tunnel under Narrow Neck. On the other side, it connected with the tramways from nearby coal mines and other oil shale mines at Ruined Castle. The shale then went via an inclined railway at Katoomba. In 1903, the tramway was relaid to allow stockpiled shale to be removed from the old mine site, the last activity at the old mine. There was a village, Megalong, that was associated with the shale mine; it was in ruins by the mid 1930s. [3] [4] [5] [6]
Today the valley is still used for farming, but tourism has increased since the historic Six Foot Track was restored. This track was marked out in the 19th century as a bridle trail from Katoomba to Jenolan Caves. It was called the Six Foot Track because it had to be that wide in order to accommodate two to three riders riding abreast[ citation needed ]. It fell into disuse eventually but was restored as a walking trail by the Department of Lands in 1984. [7] It begins at the Explorers Tree at Katoomba, goes down through Nellies Glen and across Megalong Valley to Coxs River. On the other side of the river, the trail crosses some ranges before reaching Jenolan Caves Road. It then heads south to finish at Jenolan. [8]
The Blue Mountains are 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 centre of the state capital, close to Penrith on the outskirts of Greater Sydney region. 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. As defined in 1970, 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 National Park is a protected national park that is located in the Blue Mountains region of New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The 267,954-hectare (662,130-acre) national park is situated approximately 80 kilometres (50 mi) west of Sydney, and the park boundary is quite irregular as it is broken up by roads, urban areas and inholdings. Despite the name mountains, the area is an uplifted plateau, dissected by a number of larger rivers. The highest point in the park is Mount Werong at 1,215 metres (3,986 ft) above sea level; while the low point is on the Nepean River at 20 metres (66 ft) above sea level as it leaves the park.
The Nattai National Park is a protected national park that is located in the Macarthur and Southern Highlands regions of New South Wales, in eastern Australia. 48,984-hectare (121,040-acre) It is situated approximately 150 kilometres (93 mi) southwest of the Sydney central business district and primarily encompasses the valley of the Nattai River, which is surrounded by spectacular sandstone cliffs. The park is covered in dry sclerophyll forest – mostly eucalypt and has fairly frequent forest fires. It is largely an untouched wilderness area and receives very few visitors, as it has virtually no facilities and is fairly remote, despite its proximity to Sydney.
Lake Burragorang is a man-made reservoir in the lower Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia, serving as a major water supply for greater metropolitan Sydney. The dam impounding the lake, the Warragamba Dam, is located approximately 60 kilometres (37 mi) southwest of the Sydney central business district.
The Jamison Valley forms part of the Coxs River canyon system in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia. It is situated approximately 100 kilometres west of Sydney, capital of New South Wales, and a few kilometres south of Katoomba, the main town in the Blue Mountains.
Medlow Bath is an Australian small town located near the highest point of the Blue Mountains, between Katoomba and Blackheath. Its altitude is about 1,050 metres (3,440 ft) AHD and it is about 115 kilometres (71 mi) west-north-west of the Sydney central business district and 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) north-west of Katoomba. At the 2016 census, Medlow Bath had a population of 611 people.
The Six Foot Track was originally a bridle trail from Katoomba to the Jenolan Caves, and is now a walking trail of 44.3 kilometers.
The Jenolan Caves are limestone caves located within the Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve in the Central Tablelands region, west of the Blue Mountains, in Jenolan, Oberon Council, New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The caves and 3,083-hectare (7,620-acre) reserve are situated approximately 175 kilometres (109 mi) west of Sydney, 20 kilometres (12 mi) east of Oberon and 30 kilometres (19 mi) west of Katoomba.
The Narrow Neck Plateau, an eroded remnant of a sandstone layer situated at an elevation of 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) above sea level that is part of the Blue Mountains Range which is a spur line off the Great Dividing Range, is situated immediately south-west of Katoomba in New South Wales, Australia, located within the Blue Mountains National Park. The neck separates the Jamison Valley from the Megalong Valley.
The Katoomba to Mittagong Trail is a long-distance walking trail of 132km that starts in the Blue Mountains at Katoomba and finishes at Mittagong in the Southern Highlands.
Wolgan Valley is a small valley located along the Wolgan River in the Lithgow Region of New South Wales, Australia. The valley is located approximately 32 kilometres (20 mi) north of Lithgow and 150 kilometres north-west of Sydney. Accessible by the Wolgan Valley Discovery Trail from the Castlereagh Highway, the road travels through the valley leading onto the historical village of Newnes and its extensive industrial ruins.
The Coxs River, a perennial river that is part of the Hawkesbury-Nepean catchment, is located in the Central Tablelands, Blue Mountains, and Macarthur regions of New South Wales, Australia.
Megalong is a small rural community in the Megalong Valley in the state of New South Wales, Australia in the City of Blue Mountains. At the 2006 census, Megalong had a population of 164 people.
Mount Solitary, a mountain that is part of the Blue Mountains Range, a spur off the Great Dividing Range, is situated within the Blue Mountains National Park, New South Wales, Australia. Mount Solitary is located approximately 100 kilometres (62 mi) west of Sydney, and a few kilometres south of Katoomba, the main town in the Blue Mountains.
Hartley Vale is a small village in the Blue Mountains area of New South Wales, Australia. It is approximately 150 kilometres west of Sydney and 12 kilometres south-east of Lithgow. It is in the local government area of the City of Lithgow.
The Ruined Castle is a rock formation in the Jamison Valley area of the Blue Mountains, in New South Wales, Australia. There are campsites nearby and this site can be visited as part of a multi-day hiking expedition. From the top of the Ruined Castle amazing 360 degree views can be seen over the Jamison Valley and the surrounding Blue Mountains
The Kings Tableland is a plateau, located in the Blue Mountains in Wollondilly Shire, New South Wales, Australia. The ridge is an eroded remnant of a sandstone layer that is approximately 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) AMSL, situated immediately south of Wentworth Falls. The Tableland is the major southerly spur of the main spine of the Blue Mountains Range and forms the beginning of the Southern Escarpment, an unbroken series of tall sandstone cliffs which fringes the Jamison, Megalong, Kanimbla and Hartley Valleys.
The Six Foot Track Marathon is a 45 km annual foot race along the Six Foot Track, a historical trail between Katoomba and the Jenolan Caves and is described as "the toughest marathon in Australia". The ultramarathon was founded in 1984 to mark the centenary of the track, and raises funds for the Rural Fire Service & Six Foot Track Heritage Trust. The women's race record of 3:34:50 is held by Hanny Allston and the men's record of 3:14:14 is held by Stuart Gibson.
The Coxs River track is a heritage-listed former walking track and road and now walking track at Cox's River Arms, Lake Burragorang/Warragamba Dam, City of Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia. The track is also known as the Warragamba Dam - Burragorang Valley - Wentworth Falls Track. The property is owned by the Sydney Catchment Authority, an agency of the Government of New South Wales. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 18 November 1999.
Coordinates: 33°44′00″S150°15′00″E / 33.73333°S 150.25000°E
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