Grose Valley
Grose | |
---|---|
Area | 50,200 km2 (19,400 sq mi) |
Geography | |
Country | Australia |
State | New South Wales |
Regions | |
Local government area | Blue Mountains |
Mountain range | Explorers Range, Great Dividing Range |
River | Grose River |
The Grose Valley is a rugged valley in the
Grose wilderness features
The Grose Wilderness contains some of the most dramatic gorge and canyon landscapes of the entire Sydney basin sandstone region. The Grose also constitutes one of the most accessible wilderness areas for bushwalking or public observation from its escarpment margins.
Geology
The geology of the area consists of
Flora
The bulk of the vegetation in the wilderness is dry open forest and woodland, dominated by
Fauna
The river is known habitat for
History
Aboriginal history
Aboriginal artefacts have been found close to the Blue Gum Forest.[citation needed]
European history
The Grose River has cut a deep gorge through the area as it makes its way east towards the
Charles Darwin described the Grose Valley as "stupendous… magnificent" when he visited in 1836. In 1859 some of the first photographs in Australia were taken in the valley. At various times there were proposals for rail lines and dams but these have not proceeded. In 1931, the valley was the subject of one of Australia's first forest conservation battles.[3][4]
Within the valley, the Blue Gum Forest is one place that stands out from the rest of the valley. It consists predominantly of towering Blue Gum trees (Eucalyptus deanei, also known as Deane's Gums, or Broad-leafed gums), with a thin understorey because the tall trees inhibit the growth of ground cover by blocking most of the sunlight. Protected by the Blue Mountains National Park, the forest can be accessed only on foot, with several trails from different parts of the Grose Valley and adjacent canyons meeting in the forest.[2]: 264
Bushwalking trails
There are a number of walks through the valley, with various entry, exit points and valley arms offering a range of permutations to explore. A moderate-grade day walk covering approximately 10 kilometres (6 mi) in five hours starts at
The valley has been affected by bushfires at various times, notably in 1982 and in November 2006. In particular the Blue Gum Forest was damaged by back burning. Owing to the harsh bushfires in 2006, the Blue Gum forest and other walking tracks in the valley were closed to bushwalkers to allow the regrowth of vegetation. As of March 2009, all tracks in the Grose Valley are open, with the exception of the Rodriguez Pass into the valley from Evans lookout and the Grand Canyon, closed due to a landslide.[3][6][7]
Conservation
The Grose Valley arguably became the cradle of the modern conservation movement in NSW when Blue Gum Forest was saved from threatened destruction in 1931-32. A group from the Sydney Bush Walkers club, led by Alan Rigby, were camped in the forest when they chanced upon a Bilpin farmer, Clarrie Hungerford. Hungerford had a lease of the forest and told the bushwalkers he planned to clear the blue gums to plant walnuts. The bushwalkers went away and started a campaign to stop him. Eventually, they raised £130 which they paid Hungerford in exchange for his relinquishing the lease. It was a substantial amount at the height of the great depression. 80 pounds came in the form of an interest-free loan from James Cleary, then head of the NSW railways and subsequently chairman of the Australian Broadcasting Commission. Cleary was also a bushwalker.[8]
One of the key activists in the campaign was Myles Dunphy, who at the time was developing his plans for the Blue Mountains National Park.
During the 1800s there were various proposals to dam the Grose Valley, and one such dam would have been at the forest. The area was also the subject of a number of proposed coal and shale mining ventures, and in the 1850s it was planned that the main western railway line would be routed up the Grose River and through the forest.[9]
In 1875 Blue Gum Forest was the scene of an artists’ camp established by Eccleston Du Faur, of the Academy of Art. Several magnificent photographs by Joseph Philip Bischoff and drawings and paintings by William Piguenit resulted. Another outcome was that the whole Grose Valley and surrounds was reserved from alienation because it was ‘a national spectacle’. At the time there was no national park in Australia, and indeed Australia was not even a nation—but the reservation in essence was the country’s first national park.[10]
Gallery
Major tracks
The Blue Mountains National Park contains the following heritage-listed major walking tracks:
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Major lookouts
- 33°35′44″S 150°20′22″E / 33.595487°S 150.339451°E - Anvil Rock
- 33°35′04″S 150°18′52″E / 33.584383°S 150.314383°E - Baltzer Lookout
- 33°38′49″S 150°19′36″E / 33.647019°S 150.326796°E - Evans Lookout
- 33°37′41″S 150°18′41″E / 33.627926°S 150.311518°E - Govetts Leap Lookout
- 33°36′00″S 150°21′36″E / 33.600000°S 150.360000°E - Grose Valley
- 33°37′39″S 150°21′26″E / 33.627546°S 150.357330°E - Lockley Pylon
- 33°35′05″S 150°22′06″E / 33.584716°S 150.368240°E - Mount Banks
- 33°36′01″S 150°20′49″E / 33.600139°S 150.346972°E - Perrys Lookdown
- 33°39′19″S 150°19′43″E / 33.655324°S 150.328705°E - Point Pilcher
- 33°37′15″S 150°19′40″E / 33.620800°S 150.327792°E - Pulpit Rock Lookout
- 33°34′21″S 150°20′23″E / 33.572391°S 150.339799°E - Walls Lookout
- 33°34′24″S 150°17′37″E / 33.573196°S 150.293493°E - Victoria Falls Lookout
See also
- List of Blue Mountains articles
References
- ^ a b c "Grose". NSW Wilderness Red Index. Colong Foundation for Wilderness. 1999. Retrieved 24 December 2013.
- ^ a b Paton, Neil (2004). Sydney and Blue Mountains Bushwalks. Kangaroo Press.
- ^ a b Borschmann, Gregg (11 December 2006). "The burning question". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 December 2006.
- NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service. 2002. Archived from the originalon 3 October 2006. Retrieved 12 December 2006.
- ^ Duffy, Conor (17 May 2012). "Toxic metal contamination found in Grose Valley". Lateline. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
- ^ Borschmann, Gregg (11 December 2006). "The ghosts of an enchanted forest demand answers". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 December 2006.
- ISBN 978-0-646-47695-7
- ^ Macqueen, Part IV
- ^ Macqueen, Parts I-II
- ^ Macqueen, Parts III-IV
- .