John's Blue Mountains Blog

Friday, 2 December 2016

HARRY PHILLIPS – RENOWNED BLUE MOUNTAINS PHOTOGRAPHER

HARRY PHILLIPS – RENOWNED BLUE MOUNTAINS PHOTOGRAPHER

The Phillips Family

Of all the photographers who set up business in the Blue Mountains of NSW, none has left a legacy to compare with that of Harry Phillips.

He was born in Ballarat, Victoria, in 1873 and settled in Katoomba with his family in 1908. He had previously been a printer machinist with an interest in photography. He must have sensed that there was a great demand for postcards and view folders, because he quickly entered the field both as a photographer and printer.

Over the years he produced vast numbers of postcards and view books but making money was not the driving force behind him. He was an enthusiastic promoter of the Blue Mountains and a

Postcard - around 1910

search through the newspapers of the day will reveal his unrelenting pressure on the local council to attract more visitors and to look after them better.

Watch the slide show I have put together to illustrate his work. (here) These photographs show that Phillips wanted the most dramatic and stimulating views he could get . Some of these pictures reappeared in postcards and view books over and over again. I’m certain he would have replaced them with better ones if

Newspaper advertisement from 1923

he had been able to take them.

His 80+ known view books include places well beyond the Mountains, but the majority are of “home”.

When he died in 1944, apart from a simple newspaper notice in the Sydney Morning Herald classifieds (repeated in the local Katoomba paper) there were no verbose obituaries to honour him. We’ll excuse the residents of the Blue Mountains for this lapse on the grounds that there was a war on at the time.

To view or download copies of the three works available through Trove, firstly go to the website (here) and select the category “Books”. The three titles to use in the search box (one at a time, of course) are: Historic Blue Mountains, Blue Mountains Gems, and Jenolan Caves Phillips. When the work appears, you will find instructions on how to download a copy for your private reference.

There is also the book by Phillip Kay titled “The Far-Famed Blue Mountains of Harry Phillips” (1985). You can try Megalong Books of Leura (here) or Lamdha Books of Wentworth Falls (here) for a copy.

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https://johnsnewenglandminerals.blogspot.com/2013/12/list-of-all-blog-entries-to-date.html
All New England and other Geology blogs and videos
https://www.blogger.com/blog/posts/1325599670344725659?pli=1
Limestone Caves of NSW
https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/1147003616874115974/2430103125095714141
Song Studies. Bible studies based on hymns and songs
https://www.blogger.com/blog/posts/1515863000684737715
Shoalhaven District Geology

Friday, 10 June 2016

DOWNLOADING A 1955 BOOKLET: THE STORY OF MT WILSON IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS

DOWNLOADING A 1955 BOOKLET: THE STORY OF MT WILSON IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS

If you haven’t visited Mt Wilson yet, this 1955 tourist booklet will make you want to! You can download it from Trove here. If you have trouble finding it, try a search in the “Books” category, using “The Story of Mt Wilson in the Blue Mountains” in the search box, then following the prompts. The link to Trove is here.

You will be able to make more sense of the 1955 book if you have the modern information and map to locate many of the places mentioned.

Mt Wilson is a very special place, being a fertile, elevated piece of land in the sandstone wilderness of Wollemi National Park. I have made several videos and blogs on Mt Wilson already and I am hoping to do more.

St Basil's Church Mt Wilson 1953

Here is a list:

The Waterfall Track here.

Wynne’s Rocks and Du Faur’s Rocks Lookouts here.

The Cathedral Reserve here.

Blog: The Geology of Mt Wilson here.

I’ve also made a slide show using the illustrations from The Story of Mt Wilson (here).

At Wynne's Rocks Lookout 2014

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Saturday, 4 June 2016

NELLIES (NELLY’S) GLEN KATOOMBA

NELLIES (NELLY’S) GLEN KATOOMBA

1909 Map of the Bonnie Doon track network

Both spellings have been used over the years, so I’ve used both in this Blog!

Located on the western side of Katoomba, Nelly’s Glen provides a way into the Megalong Valley from the plateau. It was no doubt used by indigenous people as one of their many routes up the barrier of sandstone which surrounds all the Blue Mountains valleys. When coal and kerosene shale mining became profitable enterprises (around 1870), the Glen provided one of the safest routes up to the railway and the western road. All this happened before the establishment of the township of Katoomba.

The expansion of mining under the leadership of John Britty North (1879/80) and the subsequent growth of Katoomba led to the Glen being visited by a growing number of visitors (tourists, we would say). The first reference in print to the name “Nellie’s Glen” that I have found is in a real estate advertisement for the sale of subdivided land owned by JB North, in the Sydney Morning Herald, Saturday 25^th August 1883. The Glen appears to have been named for one of North’s daughters.

The growth of tourist numbers to Jenolan Caves led to the construction of a bridle track linking it with Katoomba. These were the days when horses were indispensable in moving people around. The Tarana and Mt Victoria routes were the most commonly used and it was becoming clear that the Mt Victoria route via Hartley and the present Jenolan Caves road was superior and that this would lead to more and more tourists using Mt Victoria as a base.

Nelly's Glen from Cahill's Lookout

A glance at any map will show that, as the crow flies, Katoomba is the closest mountain town to the Caves. However, the valley of Cox’s River lies in between, making it unlikely that a road for wheeled vehicles could be built to the Caves that way.

The entrepreneurial leaders of the Katoomba community saw that a bridle track, descending into the valley via Nelly’s Glen, could provide a way of drawing visitors to Katoomba. This was the origin of today’s “Six Foot Track”, which is now used by pedestrian traffic only.

Nelly's Glen from North's Lookout

A report and rough survey was commissioned by the NSW government in 1884. We are fortunate that Mr WM Cooper (described as “Surveyor of Public Parks”) wrote a report in 1885 titled “Track from Katoomba to Jenolan Caves”. You can download a copy from Trove here. Cooper does not use the name Nelly’s Glen, referring only to “Megalong Cleft”, which I understand to mean the narrow gap in the cliffs where today’s steps lead down into the valley below. “Nelly’s Glen” includes the Cleft and the widening valley below it where Megalong Creek runs down to join Cox’s River, though where the Glen becomes Megalong Valley I can’t say.

From the Sydney Mail 4th October 1890

The track was quickly constructed and soon in use by those looking for an adventurous route to the Caves. The name “Six Foot Track” was given later because it was constructed wide enough for two horses to pass without requiring a rider to dismount. The illustrations shown here are of the section immediately below the cliff line, in the vicinity of Ethel Waterfall. Naturally most of the route was not constructed to this standard. The main descent down the Cleft was built as a zig-zag to lessen the grade. Nearly all of this track was destroyed by the ravages of time and the misguided attempt by the Blue Mountains City Council to construct a fire road down the Glen in the 1960’s.

More recently, the entire Six Foot Track route was reconstructed and has become a very popular walking (and running) track. Where the zig-zag track descended through Megalong Cleft there are now hundreds of well-made steps. If you are planning to visit the place, make sure it’s not at

Katoomba Leura Tourist Guide 1905

the same time as one of the running events which bring crowds of athletes pounding up and down the steps. To me, such activities are akin to staging a race through a public library or a cathedral. They have no place in what should be the peace and quiet of our National Parks and reserves.

More reading material: From Katoomba to Jenolan Caves The Six Foot Track, 1884-1984 by Jim Smith. You can try Megalong Books in Leura or Lamdha Books in Wentworth Falls for a copy.

Bush walking guides: WildWalks - Nelly's Glen Lookout (here), Nellies Glen and the Devil's Hole (here).

Tourist Sketch Map Showing Paths at Nelly’s Glen or Megalong Pass 1909 (here). If you look carefully you will see that there are 2 tracks shown into Megalong Cleft – the present route and another which appears to descend the cliffs from the Bonnie Doon track network (which has mostly been lost over the years).

My videos:Nelly's Glen Katoomba (here), Explorers Tree to Bonnie Doon (here), Bonnie Doon Track (here).

The top of the Megalong Cleft steps

Ethel Waterfall

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Wednesday, 6 January 2016

DOWNLOADING THE BLUE MOUNTAINS AND JENOLAN CAVES MOTOR GUIDE (1934)

DOWNLOADING THE BLUE MOUNTAINS AND JENOLAN CAVES MOTOR GUIDE (1934)

This is a little book of 66 pages charged with the “spirit of the age” – the Great Depression was slowly lifting, private car ownership was growing apace and the tourist areas close to Sydney were all chasing the pounds, shillings and pence.

Katoomba was in the forefront of the chase. It was an era of house parties in the many guest houses (with more and more people arriving in motor cars) and the opening of some of the Blue Mountain’s greatest attractions, including the Scenic Railway, The Prince Henry Cliff Walk, floodlighting at Leura and Katoomba, the Giant Stairway and the Projecting Platform at Echo Point.

The NRMA (National Roads and Motorists Association) is still the most influential motoring organisation in Australia. It operated a camping ground at Katoomba Falls (still there today, but controlled by the Blue Mountains City Council). It produced a series of strip maps of highway routes for its members, some of which are contained in this booklet). These were still around when I was a boy and I learned a lot from them. I wonder how many children study maps today like I did then!

There are also maps produced by the firm of HEC Robinson Ltd which are full of interesting details. Another pleasure of mine when I was at University was to visit their shop in lower George St Sydney, not far from Circular Quay.

You will find my video which illustrates what’s to be found in the book here.

You can download it from Trove here. Select the download link at the bottom of this page.

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Wednesday, 25 November 2015

THE EMPIRE PASS, NORTH LAWSON PARK BLUE MOUNTAINS NSW AUSTRALIA

THE EMPIRE PASS, NORTH LAWSON PARK

BLUE MOUNTAINS NSW AUSTRALIA

North Lawson Park (on the northern side of the railway line at Lawson) has a long history extending back to the late 1870’s, when most of what we now know as Katoomba and Leura was only just being explored. It would be useful at this stage to check out my video on Dante’s Glen (here) and the blog which goes with it (here). There are many links in the blog to sites which will help you understand the place better.

The construction of walking tracks, steps, shelter sheds and all that goes with getting the public to visit these beauty spots was not just a matter of local pride but of economics. The upper mountain communities (Wentworth Falls, Leura, Katoomba,

Extract from the 1938 Railway "Walking Tours" map

Blackheath and Mt Victoria) were all after the tourists’ pounds as well. They had grander scenery, higher elevation and in particular round walks, where walkers didn’t need to retrace their steps. The Rodriguez, Federal and National Pass were, and still are, hard to beat for a great day’s walking. The Empire Pass at Lawson was Lawson’s attempt to capture more of this market.

We need to remember that, in those early stages of development, most of the money and labour required was donated by the local community. They did a remarkably fine job with very limited resources and we should honour the pioneer track designers and builders for the amazing things they achieved. At North Lawson Park, the main attractions lay on the western and eastern sides –Dante’s Glen and Fairy Falls on the one and Frederica Falls on the other. The “pass” (probably named to make it seem more impressive than it actually is) was constructed to join these two areas. It was 30 years after the initial track work in Dante’s Glen before the Pass was completed in October 1910. We don’t know who named it, but patriotism and loyalty to the British Empire was the order of the day and the appeal would be the same 4 years later when the Great War broke out in Europe – for God, the King and the Empire. You only have to look at coins of the day (King Edward VII, 1910) to see the inscription (in Latin, of course) “DEI:GRA:BRITT:OMN:REX:FID:DEF:IND:IMP”, which reads in English “By the Grace of God, King of all the British people, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India”. Most of that continued in use on Australian coins until 1966.

The people of Lawson were justly proud of their achievement. They not only constructed hundreds of stone steps, but put up sign posts in many places, built fire places and erected shelter sheds (at least 5 of them). Nothing remains today except the steps (and the seat at Lucy’s Glen, which I missed seeing this time) – and they blend perfectly into what is a beautiful environment, worth preserving for all time.

May I recommend Keith Painter’s Pocket Pal series of booklets (the relevant one being “North and South Lawson Walks”), which you can order from Mountain Mist Books (here). An extract appears opposite. A heritage study by the NSW Department of the Environment (here) contains lots of valuable information.

I’ll conclude with a little about Frederica Falls, which has given its name to the creek which the Pass follows for most of its length. Frederica was the eldest child of local pioneers Benjamin and Alice Roberts (born April 25, 1882).

Her birth name was “Effie Alice Frederica Chilvers Roberts”; Frederica was what she was actually called. It seems that the land where the waterfall is located was owned by Benjamin Roberts at that time and the name was in use soon after her birth. This information comes from a biography of Roberts by Brian Fox in the Blue Mountains History Journal for October 2013 beginning on page 68. (Here). It may not be a great waterfall, but it is a great story.

https://johnsbluemountainsblog.blogspot.com/2013/12/links-to-all-blog-entries-and-relevant.html All Blue Mountains blogs and videos

My grandmother (Annie Hayward) and my mother (Vera Paix) in 1957

From the 1927 "Mountaineer" tourist guide

Tuesday, 7 July 2015

WALKING TRACKS AT GORDON FALLS RESERVE LEURA BLUE MOUNTAINS NSW AUSTRALIA

WALKING TRACKS AT GORDON FALLS RESERVE LEURA BLUE MOUNTAINS NSW AUSTRALIA

The picnic area at Gordon Falls, Leura, is a great base for exploring some of the best tracks the Blue Mountains has to offer. It’s a stopping place for the buses which do the Katoomba-Leura circuit many times every day so you can easily get there from Katoomba or Leura railway stations, do a walk and then move on to other places like Echo Point and Scenic World. Note 2024. You now must pay to park here.

I suggest you view my earlier video about Gordon Falls Reserve here and the blog here. There many other videos and blogs dealing with the area. These are listed below.

My recent video on walking tracks at Gordon Falls Reserve is here.

Videos

Katoomba Holiday 2007 Part 4

Gordon Falls to Tarpeian Rock

Sublime Point Road to Golf Links Lookout

Spencer St Leura to Lyrebird Dell

Leura Cascades to Olympian Rock

Gordon Falls to Golf Links Lookout

Leura Cascades to Tarpeian Rock

Gordon Falls Lookout and Elysian Rock

The Pool of Siloam and Lyrebird Dell

Blogs

Download a copy of the “Mountaineer Tourist Guide” (1908)

Leura Cascades to Tarpeian Rock

Gordon Falls Lookout and Elysian Rock

https://johnsbluemountainsblog.blogspot.com/2013/12/links-to-all-blog-entries-and-relevant.html All Blue Mountains blogs and videos

Wednesday, 1 July 2015

DOWNLOADING “THE SCENIC RAILWAY” SOUVENIR BOOKLET (1937?) KATOOMBA

DOWNLOADING “THE SCENIC RAILWAY” SOUVENIR BOOKLET (1937?) KATOOMBA

The Scenic Railway at Katoomba was often called “The Mountain Devil” when I was young.

This was before the Skyway and more recently the Cableway were added to the present Scenic World complex. The connection is that visitors to the Blue Mountains often bought (or made) little horned figures out of the hard fruits of the honey flower (Lambertia) which is plentiful in the upper mountains. You will notice the “devil” images in the book and the name on the side of the carriage in photographs.

It’s not my intention to write a history of the place – others have already done a great job of that. I’ll let this little book tell the story itself, which is why you need to download a copy. According to “Trove” (the National Library of Australia’s online search facility), this publication is out of copyright so you are free to download a copy for your own use. The link with Trove is here. Go to the bottom of the page which loads up and click on the download link there. It begins with “View at …”.

At the time of publication the operation of the Scenic Railway was still under the control of the Katoomba Colliery Limited; subsequently the whole site was bought by the Hammon family and developed into the world class tourist attraction it is today. For more information on the origins of the present day Scenic World, see “The Burning Mists of Time” written by Philip J Pells and Philip J Hammon (2009). The book has its own website which I can't locate.

My video which accompanies this blog is here. It contains more photographs from the Scenic Railway booklet.

Here is a list of some of my videos and blogs (with links) which make reference to Scenic World:

Videos

To the Bottom of the Scenic Railway Via Furber Steps 21st November 2015

Katoomba Falls Walking Tracks 25^th June 2015

Katoomba Holiday Part 1 15^th May 2015

Cascade St to Katoomba Falls Reserve 17^th January 2015

The Cableway Scenic World 16^th December 2014

The Rainforest Walkway Scenic World 10^th December 2014