VANIMAN’S LOOKOUT KATOOMBA
The name “Melvin Vaniman” is hardly well known
today, yet in 1903 the opposite was true.
I’ve been familiar with Vaniman’s Lookout at
Katoomba for the past 60 years but until we came to live at Lithgow I assumed
that Vaniman was a local dignitary or politician of some sort. The first
inkling that this was not the case came when I read that he was an American
photographer who visited the Blue Mountains in the early years of the 20th
century.
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| Melvin Vaniman and Kiddo the Cat |
He certainly was that, but perhaps “American
adventurer” would be a better description. Here are a few lines from Wikipedia
(here) used to describe him. “Chester
Melvin Vaniman (1866 – 1912) was
an American photographer, adventurer and businessman who specialized in panoramic
images taken from height and was nicknamed the "Acrobatic
Photographer." Other descriptions refer to him as a
competent opera singer and a pioneer aviator.
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| Newspaper article about the Akron |
It was in this latter role that his life ended in a
fiery accident in which the hydrogen-filled airship “Akron” caught fire and crashed on July 2nd 1912. It had
been intended to use the craft in an attempt to be the first to fly across the
Atlantic Ocean.
Vaniman’s association with the Blue Mountains
occurred in November 1903. He was engaged in taking large photographs of
interesting places around the world. When I say “large”, imagine a glass photographic plate
“48 by 16 inches and embracing a panorama
of over 190 degrees” (Mountaineer (Katoomba, NSW : 1894 - 1908), Friday 27
November 1903, page 3) according to Trove (reference here).
The article goes on to say “Some idea of
the vastness of the panorama can be obtained when we explain that a picture was
obtained of Katoomba Falls and the surroundings, which takes in the top
Lookout, the Falls, the Three Sisters, the Broken Wall, Mount Solitary and
round to the Orphan Rock.”
I believe that this particular photograph was taken from what we now know as
“Vaniman’s Lookout”, which had acquired this name by 1905. I have yet to find
any other mention of such a photograph.
The photograph which the Mountaineer article was
mostly interested in is the one shown below, taken from atop a pole 80 feet
high near Gearin’s Hotel, which can be seen in the right foreground.
I read somewhere that a copy of this photograph had
been purchased by the Katoomba Council and was to be displayed in a public
building in the town. Where is it now?
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| Taken around 1940 by Wallace Green |
The pictures illustrating this blog show the typical
development of a mountain lookout. (Thank you to the photographers and the
current owners of these). At first, the railings were made of locally cut
poles. Later these were replaced by steel posts and chicken wire. More recently
came the sturdy structures seen in the present day throughout the area.
Presumably in the near future there will be more of the fencing currently seen
around Katoomba Cascades – effective, but not as photogenic as the earlier
fences were. Missing today is the bench on which to sit and marvel at the
scenery.
https://johnsbluemountainsblog.blogspot.com/2013/12/links-to-all-blog-entries-and-relevant.html All Blue Mountains blogs and videos
All New England and other Geology blogs and videos
Limestone Caves of NSW
Song Studies. Bible studies based on hymns and songs
Shoalhaven District Geology
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| Photograph taken in 1905 |
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| Photo by John Paix 2014 |
See also my YouTube videos and Blogs:
The Round Walk Katoomba Falls Blog: here
The Round Walk: here
