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The Blue Mountains

To the west of Sydney, the foot of the Blue Mountains is less than an hour either by train or car.

The Blue Mountains covers an area of around 1436 square kilometres. The population of the Blue Mountains as recorded in the 1996 is 72,506.
The Blue Mountains is surrounded by several areas which also provide a vast array of tourist attractions and places of interest. Surrounding areas include Penrith, Richmond, Lithgow and Oberon. Several days are required to experience the whole region!

History of the name

In 1788 the Blue Mountains were originally named "Carmarthen Hills" and "Landsdowne Hills" by Governor Phillip, however, it wasn’t long after, that the distinctive blue haze surrounding the area saw the change in name to the Blue Mountains.
The Blue Mountains is densely populated by oil bearing Eucalyptus trees. The atmosphere is filled with finely dispersed droplets of oil, which, in combination with dust particles and water vapour, scatter short-wave length rays of light which are predominantly blue in colour.

Climate and Temperatures

The climate of the Blue Mountains is somewhat more temperate than the lower Sydney region. There is generally a 2°C drop in temperature every 300 metres increase in altitude. Therefore with Mount Victoria being over 1000 metres above Sea Level, you would expect the temperature to be around 7°C lower than Sydney. During the winter months (June, July August), the average temperature in the Upper Mountains is around 5°C while in Summer (December, January February), the average temperature is around 18°C.
The Lower Blue Mountains has a much warmer climate. Lapstone is only 160 metres above sea level through to Faulconbridge which is 446 metres. The average temperature is 16°C in winter and 29°C during the summer months.

Snowfall

The Blue Mountains generally has a reputation for snow in winter, however, despite the cool temperatures there are only around 5 snow days per year in the upper mountains.
It is extremely rare to see snow below Lawson, though it is not unusual to see white blankets of frost covering the ground in the early morning hours. Sleet is also extremely common.

Of an evening, thick coverings of ice can form on car windscreens. The crisp cool air of winter makes the Blue Mountains an ideal location for Yulefest. Cosy log fires can be found in many fine establishments.

Rainfall

The Blue Mountains also has a higher rainfall than Sydney. The uplifting air masses come into contact with the Mountains contributing the increase in rainfall. The Upper Blue Mountains receives on average of around 1050mm per year while the Lower Blue Mountains receives around 850mm per year.

Below is a graph of the average rainfall for each month of the year in Katoomba.