Have you ever wondered how the Blue Mountains came to be? Or pondered what shaped our fabulous views?
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Now there is a new book that explains all this and more, filling a gaping hole in publications about the area. The Blue Mountains: exploring landscapes shaped by the underlying rocks, uplift and erosion is now available from local booksellers and online at ianbrownphotography.com.au.
Hugh Durrant-Whyte, NSW Chief Scientist and Megalong resident, said: "Here is something exhilarating and inspiring for every Blue Mountains lover...a new way of understanding and participating in the history of this beautiful landscape".
The 204-page hardback is aimed at the general reader and lavishly illustrated with photographs, explanatory diagrams and original maps based on airborne LiDAR survey. The illustrations help readers understand the geological processes and locations in the mountains, both familiar and unfamiliar.
The book starts with the geological history, the rocks and land-shaping processes, followed by chapters on how these influence the ecology and traditional Aboriginal life.
The second half of the book is a comprehensive guide to all the main landscapes of the Blue Mountains, from the Bindook Highlands through the central areas to the Wolgan and Capertee valleys. Views from roadsides, lookouts and many popular walking tracks are explained.
Geophysicist, bushwalker and main author Peter Hatherly has spent decades exploring and studying the landforms of the Blue Mountains, publishing important research to resolve age-old puzzles.
"There's been a long debate about the timing and impacts of the geological uplifts which led to the formation of the Blue Mountains. Our book explains the three main phases and how their effects can be seen in today's landscape," he said.
The effects of the different rock types are also important and clearly described, along with the erosion that has created the clifflines and scoured out the gorges.
Co-author, naturalist and photographer Ian Brown said he was always frustrated that material on the Blue Mountains landscape was hard to come by and often confusing.
"We hope our book will become an essential reference enjoyed by everyone who wants to know more about the Blue Mountains," he said.
