BLUEHISTORY MOUNTAINS JOURNAL Blue Mountains Association of Cultural Heritage Organisations Issue 3 October 2012 I Blue Mountains History Journal 3: 2012 THE BLUE MOUNTAINS: WHERE ARE THEY? Andy Macqueen PO Box 204 Wentworth Falls NSW 2782
[email protected] Abstract When the name ‘Blue Mountains’ was first applied in New South Wales in 1789 it referred to the extensive ranges that were visible from, and bounded, the colony. It was widely considered in the nineteenth century that the Blue Mountains extended from the Goulburn area in the south to the Hunter Valley in the north. Today the name is applied in various ways, but usually in a very local sense. This evolution reflects the cultural history of the region. Today’s official definition validates the evolved narrative that Blaxland, Wentworth and Lawson completely crossed the Blue Mountains in 1813. Key Words: Blue Mountains, definition, Greater, National Park, maps, explorers. Introduction If people standing at Echo Point or Mount Tomah are asked where they think the Blue Mountains extend to in the landscape before them, a very diverse response is obtained. Few people today have a clear idea of the coverage of the Blue Mountains (Figure 1), and that has been the case since the colony began. It is not a trivial question. For over two centuries the name ‘Blue Mountains’ has been entwined with the story of the region, and indeed of New South Wales. But if the name has had different meanings at different times or in different contexts, it is necessary to understand those meanings if history is to be properly interpreted.