Three Sisters (Australia)
Three Sisters | |
---|---|
Rock formation | |
Unit of | Great Dividing Range |
Lithology | |
Primary | Sandstone |
Location | |
Coordinates | 33°44′8″S 150°18′52″E / 33.73556°S 150.31444°E |
Region | Blue Mountains |
Country | Australia |
Type section | |
Named for | Indigenous mythology |
The Three Sisters are an unusual
The formation receives more than 600,000 visitors per year.[3]
Formation
The Three Sisters were formed by land
When the Blue Mountains were covered in seawater, the ocean carried large amounts of sediment that gradually sunk to the floor in crosswise layers. These layers later created rock beds and shales. Around 200 million years ago, volcanoes erupted through the coal, sandstone and shale layers, forming the ridges and the shape of the Three Sisters.[4]
Aboriginal legend
The commonly told legend of the Three Sisters is that three sisters, Wimalah, Meeni, and Gunedoo,[5] lived in the Jamison Valley as members of the Katoomba tribe. They fell in love with three men from the neighbouring Nepean tribe, but marriage was forbidden by tribal law. The brothers were not happy to accept this law and so decided to capture the three sisters. A major tribal battle ensued, and the sisters were turned to stone by an elder to protect them, but he was killed in the fighting and no one else could turn them back.
This legend is commonly claimed to be an Indigenous Australian
The
The Three Sisters were declared an Aboriginal Place in January 2014, making it the 98th place in New South Wales to be declared as such.[3]
Giant Stairway
From nearby
References
- ^ "Three Sisters in the Blue Mountains - Katoomba". VisitNSW.com. Archived from the original on 1 December 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
- ^ "The Three Sisters". Stralia Web. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
- ^ a b "Three Sisters declared an Aboriginal Place". Department of Planning and Environment. Government of New South Wales. 19 January 2014. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
- ^ The Three Sisters, Blue Mountains Sightseeing Tours Australia
- ^ "The Three Sisters". Sydney Morning Herald. 30 May 1931.
- ^ Sarzin, Anne (3 November 2003). "Myth and meaning in the Blue Mountains". UTS: Newsroom > U:Read it. University of Technology. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
- ^ Burge, Michael (15 April 2013). "The tale of a legend". Michael Burge Media. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
- ^ Burge, Michael (2017). Creating waves : critical takes on culture and politics.
- ^ "Gundungurra Tribal Council Aboriginal Corporation". Baddog Productions. Retrieved 18 November 2012.