Blue Mountains Icons 10

It must be understood that the Blue Mountains is actually a string of villages, spaced out along the Great Western Highway. They occupy the high ground of an east/west ridge headed up into that part of the "Great Divide" which is west of Sydney. When we look toward a view in the Blue Mountains, we are invariably seeing into the valleys which are mostly part of the National Park which surrounds us.

The end of the ridge, right here, is a place named Mt York which was the most westerly reach of Blaxland, Wentworth and Lawson's explorations back in 1813. They had effectively plotted the way inland for the settlers who would follow them toward Bathurst, Orange and the vast spaces beyond.

Here we are looking south west over the Hartley Valley. Beyond the distant hills and the plunging cloud is the Kanimbla Valley.

Out of sheer bone idle whimsy, here is the other contender for today's blip which is a cloudscape shot looking directly west of here.