lamdha books -
Catalogue of books on the Blue Mountains

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97753 Allen, Alfred (Jim Smith, ed.) A Correct & Faithful Account of a Journey to the "Fish River Caves" by the "Pickwick Corresponding Club" in 1886 Den Fenella Press, Wentworth Falls NSW, 2012. Quarto; paperback; 78pp., with many colour and monochrome illustrations. New. In 1886 seven members of Australia's own 'Pickwick Corresponding Club' set out to walk the then uncompleted 46 km bridle track between Katoomba and Jenolan Caves. After a stay of several days they walked back to Katoomba. The track they followed later became well known as the Six Foot Track. The club members adopted the names of their favourite characters from Charles Dickens's Pickwick Papers and the three young ladies of the party became the first women to walk the track (two of them later became prominent feminists). Alfred Allen, the leader of the group and a well-known and controversial member of the Quakers, styled himself Samuel Pickwick. The family members and friends accompanying him adopted the following names from Dickens's book: Nathaniel Winkle, Tracey Tupman, Samuel Weller, Mrs Bardell, Aunt Rachael, and Arabella Allan. Alfred Allen's full diary of this trip, illustrated with his many drawings and photographs is published in this book for the first time, together with a detailed commentary by Blue Mountains' historian Dr Jim Smith. The diary includes many humorous references comparing the adventures of the Australian Pickwick Corresponding Club with those of Charles Dickens's characters. Alfred Allen's photographs were the first to be taken of people walking, picnicking and camping on the track. The interior and exterior photographs of Jenolan Caves are of considerable historical importance. The detailed descriptions of the party's stay at Jenolan Caves house, their cave tours and meetings with the cave guides, including the eccentric Jeremiah Wilson, provide a detailed account of what it was like to visit Jenolan Caves 125 years ago. Click here to order $30

33759 Armitage, Audrey The Katoomba - Leura Story Rotary Club, Katoomba NSW, 1998. Quarto; hardcover, with gilt spine-titling and illustrated endpapers; 192pp., with a map and many monochrome illustrations. Dustwrapper. New. "Katoomba should never have been built. It's no place for a town. And by rights it should have died about five times. You know why it didn't? Sheer bloody tenacity." With this pithy quote, Armitage kicks off her history of the town of Katoomba and its close neighbour, Leura. This is the second stab by the Rotary Club community of the Upper Blue Mountains to pen an informative history of the area for local residents: chairman of the project, Reg Mitchell, states in his introduction that the previous attempt suffered by not being the work of a single author; and so he called in the assistance of Audrey Armitage with whom he had previously written a local history of the Newcastle region. Armitage's status as an outsider pays off in this work: coming fresh to the area, she easily sifts the historical information into what is crucial and interesting, from what is banal and of little consequence; thus, her questions are also those of the visitor passing through and therefore, the book accords more strongly with that disposition. She touches on all the relevant issues from King Billy to the Leura Bushfire in 1950s, from Harry Phillips to Harry Hammon. She even includes the "Legend of the Three Sisters", an old chestnut created by visitors in the 30s and purportedly (erroneously) the indigenous take on the rock formation. I wonder if she knew? Nevertheless, the hoary tale is a mainstay of local folklore and its inclusion - like much of the information selected here - eloquently sums up the character of these two tenacious Blue Mountains towns. Click here to order $34

91766 Austin, J., B. Craven & G. Silvey A Brief History of the Township of Wentworth Falls Blue Mountains Historical Society, Wentworth Falls, NSW, Australia, 2016. Octavo; stapled booklet; 25pp., monochrome illustrations. New. Click here to order $10

12303 Baker, Margaret & Robin Corringham Native Plants of the Blue Mountains - second edition Bower Bird/Three Sisters Productions Pty. Ltd., Winmalee NSW, 2004. Octavo; paperback; 112pp., with map and full-colour illustrations. New. A handy - and the best - guide to the vegetation of the Blue Mountains, this is a highly functional presentation for walkers and fieldwork botanists. The book is divided into the major environmental landscapes that cover the Blue Mountains - both wet and dry sclerophyll forest terrains, as well as the hanging swamp and eucalypt forest ranges - and discusses the plants in three categories based upon their height within the bush: canopy, undergrowth and groundcover. In this way, the plant spotter is able to speedily find and identify the plants they encounter, from the tallest eucalypts to the tiniest fragile plant assemblages of the cliff faces. A ruler is included on the back cover for quick size comparisons. Click here to order $18

58339 Barrett, Jim Cox's River Discovery, History and Development. Neville Bush Holdings, Glenbrook, NSW, Australia, 2009. Octavo; paperback; 117pp., with many maps and monochrome illustrations. New. Whilst outlining the history of the Kowmung River and the Burragorang region, author Jim Barrett realised that there was a need to document the history of the Cox's River into which drain three of the major rivers of the Blue Mountains area. The river and its valley were discovered by Blaxland during his trek over the Blue Mountains, but for various reasons, it was named after William Cox who built the road in his footsteps, much to Blaxland's chagrin. Barrett takes us from this point through the development of the surrounding region, noting its uses under indigenous husbanding and then during European occupation up until today. This includes the extensive flooding which was instigated in 1958 by the Sydney Water Board during the construction of the Waragamba Dam. Click here to order $15

60300 Barrett, Jim The First Bushwalker The Story of Fred Eden Jim Barrett, Glenbrook, NSW, Australia, 1996. Octavo; paperback; 90pp., with many maps and monochrome illustrations. New. Fred Eden was a British citizen who arrived in Australia in 1889. For twenty-five years he walked widely around the country particularly the Eastern coastal regions, South Australia and Tasmania, before settling in the Blue Mountains in the early 1900s. During his walks he kept extensive journals of his experiences, only a few of which have, unfortunately, survived. Jim Barrett edits his way through this material to highlight the adventures of this pioneering bushwalker. Fred Eden left Australia to administer his mother's estates in Switzerland and died in 1948, and wasn't able to get back to this country; nevertheless he left a fascinating legacy in his footsteps. Click here to order $15

89241 Barrett, Jim Gandanguurra: The Language of the Mountain People... and beyond Neville Bush Holdings, Glenbrook NSW, 2015. Quarto paperback, 131pp., monochrome illustrations. New. " 'I am always sorry when any language is lost, because language is the pedigree of nations.' This quote, attributed to Samuel Johnson during a tour of the Hebrides, occurred about the same time as the first real British contact with the Australian Aborigine - at the Endeavour River in northern Queensland in 1770. Cook's party then recorded the first Australian Aboriginal words, including 'gangurru' (kangaroo). When Governor Phillip arrived in Australia he brought with him the Aboriginal word lists collected by Cook's party. At this time it was assumed that there was only one Australian language. The early Sydney settlers used the Endeavour River words in conversation with the local people around Sydney Harbour who knew the kangaroo as 'buurruu' and, as a result, the local natives thought that 'kangaroo' was the English word for their 'buurruu'. In fact the number of Australian languages was considerable, such as in New South Wales where there were probably about forty. Sadly, in this state where the collision between white settler and Aboriginal dweller was the most disruptive, the ancient languages are now virtually extinct... No adjective could adequately describe the enormous difference between the growth of English and Gandanguurra in terms of their vocabularies. The Oxford English Dictionary has over 60,000 entries; Gandanguurra - like other Australian languages - is believed to have a vocabulary of about 10,000 words. Furthermore, Gandanguurra (like its neighbours) suffers a consistent loss of words through the practice of taboo-ing the name of a person who dies..." - from the Preface. Click here to order $25

42445 Barrett, Jim Kanangra Walls Discovery and History Neville Bush Holdings, Glenbrook NSW, 2009. Octavo; paperback; 58pp., with many maps and monochrome illustrations. New. Adding his voice to an ever-increasing community of people who claim that the Kanangra Walls are the most spectacular landscape in the country, Jim Barrett laments the fact that, despite being only a short drive from Sydney, the region is most often overlooked by visitors to the Blue Mountains. In this booklet he outlines the discovery of the area and reproduces some of the earliest maps of the Walls region, along with a plethora of photographs from across the years. From there he discusses walking trails and points of access to the Kanangra Walls, in the hope that it won't be the Blue Mountains' "forgotten destination" for too much longer. Click here to order $15

60301 Barrett, Jim The Kills of Kedumba The Story of a Blue Mountains Pioneering Family Neville Bush Holdings, Glenbrook NSW, 2008. Octavo; paperback; 54pp., with many maps and monochrome illustrations. New. In 2005, Jim Barrett visited the area where settler George Kill built his farm on the banks of the Cox's River. Since 1960 and the flooding of the Warragamba Dam catchment area, only members of the Sydney Water Catchment Area (SCA) are allowed within the three kilometre exclusion zone promoted by the Authority. Accompanying George Kill's modern-day descendants, Barrett was chosen to document the settling and development of the region, instigated and largely led by the Kill family. George Kill emigrated to Australia from England in 1893; in 1900, he married Mary Ann Hunt, herself a descendant of the earliest convict settlers of the Burragorang district, and they retired to the Kill landholding to begin their married life. That life was documented by George in a journal which has become known as the "Kill Diary" and which forms the guide and the key to Barrett's investigation of the life and progress of the family. Needless to say, that lifestyle was hard in the extreme, a subsistence living which involved grubbing for cedar and droving bullocks through the harsh terrain. Including a short history of the Kedumba Valley, this story is a fascinating glimpse into the lives of the earliest Blue Mountains settlers. Click here to order $15

58340 Barrett, Jim Kowmung River Discovery, History and Development Neville Bush Holdings, Glenbrook, NSW, Australia, 2009. Octavo; paperback; 86pp., with many maps and monochrome illustrations. New. The Kowmung river has its start south of the Jenolan Caves area where it traverses wild and rugged country, passing through plateaus of over 4,000 feet in height before joining Cox's River at its headwaters. The first white man to see the Kowmung was Francis Barralier in 1802, followed by George Caley in 1806; but it wasn't until 1833 that W.R. Govett finally succeeded in surveying the entire area, including the Kowmung, especially the lower 24 mile stretch. Aboriginal assistants to these exploring parties have contributed to some confusion regarding the naming of the river, but then again, none of the early mappers were accompanied by the local Gundunggurra tribespeople for whom the river is known as the Barnalay. In 1833, H.C. White named the river Kowmung after questioning his Dharug and Tharawal guides, and this name may have been either their own term for what the Gunduggura called Barnalay, or their own tribal word for the Cox: the real reason is lost in time. In the years since then, the river has been the site of cattle speculation and various attempts to forge stock routes; the logging range of cedar cutters; and the location of limestone mines. Nowadays it is best known for its spectacular bushwalking possibilities, most of which are attempted only by the very experienced. Click here to order $15

91770 Barrett, Jim Life in the Burragorang Jim Barrett, Glenbrook, NSW, Australia, 2016. Revised edition. Octavo; paperback; 122pp., with many maps and monochrome illustrations. New. With this title, Jim Barrett tries to make up for an oversight which he made in his earlier title, "Shack Country and the Old Burragorang". In that book, Barrett declares, any references to the Burragorang people and the surrounding landscape were supplemental to the work's main issues and he saw the passing out of print of that book as an opportunity to redress the oversight. The Burragorang region, which was mostly flooded when the Waragamba Dam construction was completed, was an area of relative isolation, canyoned in as it were by unrelenting walls of stone. Barrett argues that this isolation, while still only 60 miles from the heart of Sydney, informed the lifestyle of all who lived there. Escaped cattle seems to have been the first to drive through the gorges of this terrain and break through into the west, followed by settlers who - for reasons that are all too obvious - kept the nature of these trails a secret. Life in the Burragorang was hard and frugal, a living eked out of a grudging soil and an uninviting bushland; that a community of individuals grew there and prospered is cause to declare them special people and to laud their history. Click here to order $15

57840 Barrett, Jim Narrow Neck and the Birth of Katoomba Jim Barrett, Glenbrook, NSW, Australia, 1996. Octavo; paperback; 64pp., with many maps and monochrome illustrations. New. Prior to 1874 there was nothing at Katoomba except for a railway siding known as "The Crushers", after the rock crushing equipment that was situated nearby. In the period 1879 to the late 1880s, John Britty North, a local engineer, made an extensive survey of the landforms which comprised Orphan Rock and Narrow Neck, and found deposits of shale oil and coal beneath them which opened up the possibility of profitable industry in the region. In this evaluation, Barrett makes the claim that without this early mining endeavour, Katoomba might not have risen to the prominence that it enjoys to this day, citing such developments as the Scenic Railway, which grew out of the old shale coal transport bucket system used to bring the ore up from the valley floor. This is an insightful short history of the town which links its foundation and development to the presence of those early mines and the people who worked them. Click here to order $15

94774 Barrett, Jim Place Names of the Blue Mountains and Burragorang Valley ... from Aboriginal and Convict Origins Neville Bush Holdings, Glenbrook NSW, 2016. Reprint: octavo; paperback; 117pp., with many maps and monochrome illustrations. New. The naming of locations in the Greater Blue Mountains region has been a haphazard affair comprising the emotional remembrances of convict settlers and misheard or mistranscribed Aboriginal dialectical references. Formalised on maps by Sir Thomas Mitchell (Surveyor-General 1828-1855) and Myles Dunphy (in the post-1932 years of codification) much of the meaning behind the origins of these names was in danger of being lost. To this end, Jim Barrett has put together this wide-ranging catalogue which aims to pin down as much material as possible - both indigenous and from white sources - to preserve the links of nomenclature that bind all those who dwell in and who visit the region. Click here to order $15

42446 Barrett, Jim Shack Country ... and The Old Burragorang Guntawang Catholic Youth Centres, Emu Plains, NSW, Australia, 2009. Octavo; paperback; 80pp., with maps and monochrome illustrations. New. For some 150 years, from the 1820s to the 1950s, the Burragorang Valley lay in idyllic solitude, virtually on the outskirts of Sydney. Part One of this book is the story of five priests from Sydney who acquired Kiaramba, 174 acres on Scott's Main Range, in 1940 and who built a shack there as a retreat from their parochial duties. The flooding of the Burragorang as part of the Warragamba scheme seemed to spell the demise of Kiaramba, but the emergence of the Catholic Bushwalking Club gave it new life. Part Two is a nostalgic look back on the Old Burragorang. Click here to order $15

61562 Barrett, Jim Through the Years with the Catholic Bushwalking Club Catholic Bushwalking Club, Strathfield, NSW, Australia, 2008. Quarto; paperback; 114pp., with many maps and monochrome illustrations. New. The Catholic Bushwalking Club (CBC) was established at the end of the Second World War as a community and pastoral organisation under the oversight of an appointed chaplain. Under the direction of its Walks Secretaries (including, at one time, the author), much exploration of the surrounding bushland was undertaken with an aim to training club members in the skills of endurance, confidence, self-reliance and leadership. The range of exploration and trekking that the Club has undertaken is faithfully recorded by Barrett in these pages, showing the dedication and doggedness of the CBC members over some unforgiving and downright unfriendly terrain. Click here to order $15

42444 Barrett, Jim Yerranderie Story of a Ghost Town Jim Barrett, Glenbrook, NSW, Australia, 2005. Octavo; paperback; 72pp., with many maps and monochrome illustrations. New. Between 1890 and 1950, the township of Yerranderie was a booming miners' town, bringing up silver and lead from within the earth. In those days it was a major thoroughfare and a hive of commercial activity; however, when the boom ended, like many such communities predicated on a finite resource, its days were numbered and the long slide into obscurity began. Nowadays, Yerranderie is a hive of another type of activity, one that is much kinder to the environment: from trails that start at such diverse points as Kanangra Walls, Katoomba and Mittagong, the bushwalking and trekking community have dragged this sleepy ghost town back from the brink and have made it a centre for nature walkers and campers. Within these pages is the complete story of this much overlooked hamlet on the shores of Lake Burragorang in the southern Blue Mountains. Click here to order $15

71826 Bayley, William A. Blue Mountains Railways Locomotion Productions, Mount Victoria, NSW, Australia, 2011. Reprint: octavo; paperback; 79pp., with many maps and monochrome illustrations. New. Before trains could take passengers and goods over the Blue Mountains, rail lines had to be built from the coast to the foothills. Although the Blue Mountains were crossed for the first time in 1813, and coal and shale oil haulage had begun by 1815, it wasn't until 1830 that the first passengers began to make their way by train up into the mountains and beyond. Cox's first road across the Great Divide, built by convict chain gangs, followed the tracks of Blaxland, Wentworth and Lawson; later alterations were made to accommodate horses and bullock drays. When Lt. Major Mitchell took over as Colonial Surveyor in 1828, the proposed line he plotted to allow trains over the Blue Mountains followed suit. Much of what went on in terms of railway infrastructure development was motivated by trends in steam technology and its applications in England: whatever Britain had, we had to have as well. However, the challenges of the Australian bushland environment and the underpinning geography made the progress of rail transport here particularly unique. This booklet, first published in 1980, is a goldmine of information on these and other issues of the Australian railway phenomenon. While the original proofs were destroyed in a house fire, the Locomotion Productions group at Mt Victoria in the Blue Mountains of NSW, have resurrected it and now oversee its continuing availability. A must for local railway buffs. Click here to order $15

71824 Bayley, William A. Lapstone Zig Zag Railway Blue Mountains - New South Wales Locomotion Productions, Mount Victoria, NSW, Australia, 2011. Reprint: octavo; paperback; 68pp., with many maps and monochrome illustrations. New. While many people are aware of the Zig-zag Railway which connected trains to Lithgow from Sydney, few know that at one stage there were two of these constructions bookending the Blue Mountains in NSW, the first of them being built in Lapstone on the eastern side of the range. Only 40 miles from Sydney, after it was first opened it became "the thing" to ride to Lapstone and try out the Zig-zag. At the time, such devices to move trains up or down steep mountain slopes were relatively rare; in fact, the man who designed both of these rail sections, John Whitton, told an inquiry in 1894 that he had heard of them in other parts of the world but had never actually seen one. The zig-zag is a short course of track with reversing points on one end which, after the train has moved onto the points, allows the train to proceed backwards up an intersecting piece of track, moving once more onto another set of points; these in turn allow it to move forwards again onto a higher elevation of track. An American term for them is a "switchback", however true switchbacks have turns at each extreme of the 'Z' rather than points. Two years after the Lithgow Zig-zag opened for operation, the Lapstone Zig-zag was shut down due to extensive roadworks and tunnelling in the region which made it obsolete. Without Bayley's history of the line, few would be aware of its existence at all, and that is why the Locomotion Productions people of Mt. Victoria have resurrected this 1975 booklet (after the original proofs were lost in a house fire) and are keeping it in print. Click here to order $15

71825 Bayley, William A. Lithgow Zig Zag Railway Blue Mountains - New South Wales Locomotion Productions, Mount Victoria, NSW, Australia, 2005. Third, expanded edition: octavo; paperback; 64pp., with many maps and black & white illustrations. New. The Zig-zag Railway near Lithgow in the Blue Mountains, was the second and largest of such constructions in Australia, designed to move trains and their cargoes up or down steep slopes where straight tracks could not be laid. The Little Zig-zag in Lapstone was a tourist attraction in its own right after it opened, and the super-sized Lithgow version was set to be even more popular. Two years after the Lithgow Zig-zag opened in 1869, the Little Zig-zag was decommissioned, replaced by a series of tunnels and deviations; by 1910, the Great Zig-zag itself was mothballed, as railway technology leapt beyond the restrictions of 1860s track design. Despite not being used in the general run of transporting people and goods, the decommissioned section of track still proved popular with tourists and the site has been a drawcard for railway enthusiasts ever since. In 1973, William A. Bayley wrote this comprehensive history of the Great Zig-zag and the Locomotion Productions people of Mt. Victoria NSW, have ensured that it has remained in print (despite the loss of the original printing proofs due to a house fire). Coming years may see a revised edition come out, especially after the destruction of the Great Zig-zag site during the bushfires in 2013, but time alone will tell. Click here to order $15

97377 Bennett, Joseph Ralph, & Philip J. Hammon (Erik Halbert, ed.) John Britty North & The Katoomba Coal Mine Blue Mountains Historical Society, Wentworth Falls, NSW, Australia, 2017. Octavo; paperback; 105pp., monochrome illustrations. New. A more appropriate paper could not be written on Katoomba than that of John Britty North, so aptly named "The Father of Katoomba" and his enterprise of opening up the coal mine in South Katoomba. It is not quite known when he first came to the Blue Mountains, but it would be about the year 1870. Possessing boundless energy, incomparable courage coupled with an indomitable will, he laid the foundation of this city which we now proudly boast of as "The Premier Tourist Resort of the Commonwealth". Click here to order $15

67924 Bentley, S.J "Christmas Swamp": A History of Lawson Springwood Historical Society, Springwood, NSW, Australia, 1986. Octavo; paperback; 96pp, with many maps and monochrome illustrations. New. Click here to order $15

212692 [BMHS] The Children's Alphabet Book of Katoomba Queen City of the Hills Blue Mountains Historical Society Inc., Wentworth Falls NSW, 2020. Facsimile reprint: duodecimo; paperback, stapled booklet with illustrated wrappers; 28pp., on coloured stock, with many monochrome illustrations. New. Click here to order $15

208399 Boldiston, Bill Katoomba? Yeah! 90 Years of Blue Mountains Stories and Pictures to Stir Your Memories! Bold'Or Publishing, Leura, 2019. Quarto; paperback; 143pp., with many full-colour and monochrome illustrations. New. "Most people live perfectly ordinary lives and derive comfort from the fact that it is thus. Not so in the case of Bill Boldiston. His life story and any suggestion of mediocrity have never encountered each other. The scope and the substance of this book will surprise those who read it for it provides quite a deal of contextual history. Throughout it, we are projected into various social and economic scenarios of the 20th century, as seen and interpreted through the writer's eyes at different times in his life and we learn much of the whys and wherefores in both Sydney and the Blue Mountains as we travel with him." - Dr. Wayne Hanley Click here to order $39

80595 Bolotin, Yuri, and Michael Keats Wollemi National Park The Complete Wollemi North-South Traverse Design Portfolio Pty. Ltd., Redfern NSW, Australia, nd. (but 2014). Octavo: paperback; 424pp., many full-colour photographic illustrations. New. Twenty years ago the Wollemi National Park was a blip on the radars of only the most dedicated of bushwalkers. Then suddenly the discovery of the world's most ancient tree - the Wollemi Pine - made world headlines and the area has since become something of a magnet for trekkers and those with a yen to see the living fossils. This walking guide contains the most complete collection of facts concerning the region and those who are familiar with the other guide-books of Michael Keats and Co., will certainly not be let down by the detail contained here. Unfortunately, as of 2014, the numbers of Wollemi Pines in the area have been steadily declining due to virus outbreaks brought into the Park by well-meaning adventurers, and emergency provisions have been set in place to prevent further outbreaks. Thus, if reading about it is the only option, the precious Wollemi can now be explored without even setting foot out of doors. Click here to order $55

212068 Bolotin, Yuri, Michael Keats & Brian Fox Wollemi National Park The Complete Wollemi East-West Traverse Design Portfolio Pty. Ltd., Redfern NSW, Australia, 2020. Octavo: paperback; 368pp., many full-colour illustrations. New. Twenty years ago the Wollemi National Park was a blip on the radars of only the most dedicated of bushwalkers. Then suddenly the discovery of the world's most ancient tree - the Wollemi Pine - made world headlines and the area has since become something of a magnet for trekkers and those with a yen to see the living fossils. This walking guide contains the most complete collection of facts concerning the region and those who are familiar with the other guide-books of Michael Keats and Co., will certainly not be let down by the detail contained here. Unfortunately, as of 2014, the numbers of Wollemi Pines in the area have been steadily declining due to virus outbreaks brought into the Park by well-meaning adventurers, and emergency provisions have been set in place to prevent further outbreaks. Thus, if reading about it is the only option, the precious Wollemi can now be explored without even setting foot out of doors. Click here to order $55

205330 Bolotin, Yuri, Michael Keats & Brian Fox Wollemi National Park Day Walks from Newnes - Part 1; Plus a Concise History of the Wolgan Valley Design Portfolio Pty. Ltd., Redfern NSW, Australia, nd. (but 2019). Octavo: paperback; 448pp., with many full-colour photographic illustrations. New. The ghost town of Newnes provides one of the most accessible entry points into the spectacular and wild Wollemi National Park, part of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area. What sets this region apart is the amazing and unique geology, history, flora and remote pristine places. And yet it is located within a couple of hours drive out of Sydney. This book is about a spectrum of walking opportunities around Newnes that can be accomplished in a day or two from Sydney or other parts of the Blue Mountains. It features spectacular lookouts, cliffs, rock formations, slots, passes, caves, overhangs, rainforest ravines, ledges and traverses, as well as a concise history of the Wolgan Valley. The walks described in the book range from the very easy to the extreme. The great thing about a visit to Newnes is that you can be as energetic or as laid back as you wish. Click here to order $55

208734 Bolotin, Yuri, Michael Keats & Brian Fox Wollemi National Park Day Walks from Newnes - Part 2; Plus an Abridged Social History of Newnes Design Portfolio Pty. Ltd., Redfern NSW, Australia, nd. (but 2019). Octavo: paperback; 530pp., with many full-colour photographic illustrations. New. The ghost town of Newnes provides one of the most accessible entry points into the spectacular and wild Wollemi National Park, part of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area. What sets this region apart is the amazing and unique geology, history, flora and remote pristine places. And yet it is located within a couple of hours drive out of Sydney. This book is about a spectrum of walking opportunities around Newnes that can be accomplished in a day or two from Sydney or other parts of the Blue Mountains. It features spectacular lookouts, cliffs, rock formations, slots, passes, caves, overhangs, rainforest ravines, ledges and traverses, as well as a concise history of the Wolgan Valley. The walks described in the book range from the very easy to the extreme. The great thing about a visit to Newnes is that you can be as energetic or as laid back as you wish. Click here to order $55

35343 Brownscombe, Ross Blue Rivers A Narrative of Time in the Blue Mountains Forever Wild Press, Kingsdene, NSW, Australia, 1997. Octavo; paperback; 182pp., with black & white illustrations. New. The record of the author's solo raft trips down the five wild rivers of the Blue Mountains. Click here to order $15

10711 Brownscombe, Ross On Suspect Terrain Journals of Exploration in the Blue Mountains 1795-1820 Forever Wild Press, Kingsdene NSW, 2004. Quarto; paperback; 337pp., with maps. New. Sale price. History has a way of choosing certain notable figures over others; some adventurers gain prominence and become household names while others are consigned to the mists of time and the occasional dry academic work. We always hear of Blaxland, Wentworth and Lawson, for example, or Cox and Macquarie, but rarely are the names Caley, Barallier, or John Wilson, so lauded. In this work, Ross Brownscombe seeks to address the imbalance by re-printing all the journals of the little-known explorers of the Blue Mountains region. In doing so, he reveals the overlooked contribution of the indigenous inhabitants and explodes the myth that these men were mere "agents of Empire" working for the vested interests of the Colony. Click here to order $50

79133 Cameron, Bruce A History of the Blue Labyrinth: second edition Blue Mountains National Park The author, Sun Valley, NSW, Australia, 2014. Quarto; hardcover, with illustrated boards; 352pp., with many monochrome and full-colour illustrations. No dustwrapper as issued. New. "As we destroy our bush land environment we destroy just so much of ourselves. The balance of Nature is finely adjusted; upset it, and there will a desert on our doors. All the glory of the canyons, caves and rolling plateaus of our great Blue Mountains is not nearly so much a commercial asset as it is Nature's Heritage for legitimate enjoyment, and our own gift to posterity." - Katoomba Daily, 1934. From this prescient statement the current volume springboards its history of the Blue Mountains National Park, covering all aspects of the establishment and development of the "Blue Labyrinth" from the earliest days. Anyone interested in the history of the region should think of this work - now in a new updated edition - as their first port of call. Click here to order $65

78111 Campbell LS, FRAHS, J.F. Historical Notes on the Earliest Days of Springwood and District Springwood Historical Society, Springwood, NSW, Australia, 1986. Octavo; paperback, staple bound in decorated wrappers; 20pp., with monochrome illustrations. New. Facsimile reprint of the original 1937 publication; limited edition print run of 1,000 copies. Click here to order $8

86986 Carter, Simon, et al. Blue Mountains Climbing 2015 Edition Onsight Photography and Publishing, Leura, NSW, Australia, 2015. New edition (previously published 2010). Octavo; paperback, with illustrated gatefold wrappers; 392pp., with maps and full-colour illustrations. New. To photograph some of the most talented rock climbers plying their craft amid stunning backdrops and light you not only need skill, experience and patience, but also a willingness to dangle from a rope for hours to find the perfect vantage point. It's a rare form of making a living that Leura resident Simon Carter does particularly well. This guidebook's 392 pages feature hundreds of spectacular action illustrations matched with maps, practical information and insightful descriptions of 3,200 climbing routes in 55 areas across the Blue Mountains. Carter used two approaches when shooting for the guidebook - ' documentary one and a creative one, where I'd find a climb that I felt is really spectacular to shoot and then ask a climber to go there and be a subject. The guidebooks have become a way for me to use my skills to provide a really important resource for the climbing community. Since the last [2010] edition of this guidebook, the Blue Mountains climbing scene has grown and a lot more people have moved into the area who are into climbing and wanting that lifestyle. The really positive thing is many old, established routes are being rebolted by experienced volunteers.' - Simon Carter Click here to order $60

92671 Cawthorne, Magda Hidden History of the Blue Mountains JP Solutions, Hazelbrook NSW, 2016. Square quarto gatefold paperback; 207pp., colour and monochrome illustrations. New. Who were the Three Sisters? Who was 'Blind Freddy' and where did he die? Does the ghost of a teenage girl haunt the Mt. Victoria bridge? Why did Govett Leap? Why is the Hydro majestic? Whether you live in the Blue Mountains, come to visit or are just driving through, you will be surprised by what you discover in this book. "Hidden History" explores each of the villages along the Great Western Highway, many of them tucked away from the traveller's view. Inside you will find many beautiful buildings and places, and read of fascinating folk. Much more than a travel guide or a tourist brochure, and generously illustrated with more than 500 photographs, the book reveals how each village started, how it was named and the stories behind many of the buildings and landmarks that people drive past each day. "Hidden History" tells of crimes and criminals, accidents and feats, and the local characters who have battled nature to build a community and leave their mark. Click here to order $45

214525 Coleby, David Twenty-Five Years of Bushcare at Sublime Point Reserve, Leura A History of the Sublime Point Bushcare Group, 1996-2021 David Coleby: Convenor of the Sublime Point Bushcare Group (SPBG), Leura NSW, 2021. Octavo; paperback; 40pp., with maps and many full-colour illustrations. New. Click here to order $20

88957 Colley, Alex & Henry Gold Blue Mountains World Heritage Colong Foundation for Wilderness, Sydney, 2004. Large quarto hardcover; 126pp., colour illustrations, dustwrapper. New. Special price. Over more than seventy years, from the early visionaries to the negotiators and advocates of recent times, this book describes the campaigns for preservation of the Blue Mountains. It records the determined efforts of volunteers against seemingly impossible odds to secure bit by bit a 240 kilometre long chain of national park reserves across the Blue Mountains. Without these efforts many environmentally damaging proposals would have prevailed over any possibility of World Heritage Listing. This is their story. Click here to order $25

98646 Collier, Robyn (Foreword by Bob Brown; Essay by Jim Smith) Paintings from Burragorang the Lost Valley Auspress Publishing, Katoomba NSW, 2017. Quarto; hardcover, full leather with upper board titles; 168pp., with many colour and monochrome illustrations. Dustwrapper. New. A keen bushwalker and conservationist, Robyn Collier has lived in the Blue Mountains since 1975 and has found inspiration for her paintings there from that time. Her subjects are the features and vistas which she encounters on her rambles through the wilderness and she delights in bringing those views back to those unable to go out and discover them on their own. This book contains a wide selection of her work from over the years and is prefaced by the writing of conservationist and former senator Bob Brown, as well as local historian Dr. Jim Smith. Click here to order $68

69545 Cox, Richard William Cox Blue Mountains Road Builder and Pastoralist Rosenberg Publishing Pty. Ltd., Dural NSW, 2012. Octavo; paperback; 312pp., with colour and monochrome illustrations. New. William Cox (1764-1837) was soldier, road builder and pioneering pastoralist in the colony of New South Wales. He made his name building the road across the Blue Mountains in 1814. In just over six months, his team of 30 convicts hacked out 163 kilometres of road through appalling terrain, without serious accident. Cox was also the builder of some of our finest buildings, including Windsor Court House and St Matthews Rectory, both designed by Francis Greenway. He was the first president of the Windsor Benevolent Society, chairman of the local Macquarie Memorial fund, and a vice-president of the Agricultural Society. He was also a popular magistrate and a champion of rights for emancipists. However he had a dark side: as Paymaster of the New South Wales Corps, he was accused of using the regimental funds to buy his first farms, resulting in dismissal from the army. When rehabilitated by Macquarie as a magistrate, he used his position to favour his own interests, and while recognising that farming deprived the Aborigines of their livelihood, he did little about it. This book by his great-great-grandson, Richard Cox, is the first to be published on the subject of the man remembered as "Cox the builder". According to the publisher, it "spares no blushes". Click here to order $30

91765 Duvollet, Mindah A Place Called Weatherboard - Second Edition Reminiscences of Old Wentworth Falls Blue Mountains Historical Society, Wentworth Falls, NSW, Australia, 2016. Octavo; paperback; 83pp., monochrome illustrations. New. New edition with note on the author and the addition of an index. Click here to order $15

214726 Emilsen, William W., & Eugene Stockton (eds.) Sacred Ways and Places in the Blue Mountains Blue Mountain Education and Research Trust, Lawson NSW, 2021. Octavo; paperback; 190pp., with many full-colour illustrations. New. "Sacred Ways and Places in the Blue Mountains" is about the spirituality of place. Its contributors introduce readers to special places in the lower, middle, and upper Mountains, along the main east-west highway, as well as places to the north in the Wollemi and to the south in Kiaramba Country. It offers ways to understand more about Aboriginal sites, discover places of resting and receiving, and appreciate the impact of place upon spirituality and identity. This book aspires to encourage readers to take seriously the idea of the Blue Mountains as a sacred place. Click here to order $40

200522 Fox, Brian & John, & Michael Keats Blue Mountains Geographical Encyclopaedia Keats Holdings Pty. Ltd., St. Ives NSW, 2018. Octavo; hardcover; 544pp., with many full-colour illustrations. New. Between the Nepean River and Mount Victoria is sandwiched over 200 years of NSW history and some 2700 names have been applied to the places in between. This book is about those names, the men and women who named them, why and when they did. Lead author Brian Fox has been on the job for over 20 years, systematically collecting and documenting every fact and every event. Researching and honing the text has been the role of co-authors John Fox and Michael Keats respectively. The result is a text of compelling reading enhanced by the best photography available. Click here to order $50

90264 Gibson, Colin (ed) (Lloyd Jones, illus.) Song of the Wild (100 Bushwalkers' Poems) Greenaissance, Panania NSW, 2015. Octavo; paperback; 176pp, with many monochrome illustrations. New. 'Song of the Wild contains verse by some of the writers who appeared in Sing with the Wind - its precursor - including Dorothy Lawry, Marie Byles, and Roy Davies (to whom the book is dedicated), with many more recent contributors as well. Song of the Wild contains a generous selection from a century of poetry and verse out of the hearts of bush-walker poets. The lines herein celebrate nature and the experience of places untouched by the march of civilization: experiences that give us an appreciation of ourselves in connection to the natural world, of which poetry is the expression.' - Colin Gibson. Considerable Blue Mountains content and inspiration. Click here to order $20

85501 Goldney, David Cox's Road Dreaming Guide Book A Natural History of Cox's 1814/15 Road - Australia's First Inland European Road Land and Property, Bathurst, 2015. Quarto; paperback; 96pp., with many colour and monochrome illustrations, and eight maps on three separate fold-out sheets in a plastic envelope. New. In the years 1814 to 1815, Lt. William Cox pushed a road across the Blue Mountains in the wake of Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth's controversial traversing of the "impenetrable" barrier. In doing so, he created the first European inland road in Australia, and set the scene for those about to follow. In this work, David Goldney turns a gimlet eye on all things to do with Cox's Road, creating for readers a broad tapestry of investigation. Nothing escapes him: scenic and historical sites; museums and galleries; areas of importance to the land's traditional owners; and the ranges of some well-known wildlife. If they lie along the line from the Flag Staff on the Macquarie River to Emu Ford on the Nepean, it will be mentioned in this book and its eight accompanying maps - along with map co-ordinates and estimated travel times. And if that wasn't enough, the material is all backed up by a website providing updated and further information. This is Cox's Road Dreaming indeed! Click here to order $35

89819 Goodlet, Ken Hazelbrook and Woodford Ken Goodlet, Hazelbrook, NSW, Australia, 2016. Third edition: quarto; paperback; 189pp., with many maps and monochrome illustrations. New. Out of print. Click here to order $30

206556 Gorjan, Paul Geology of the Blue Mountains: A Tourist's Guide A Geological Guide to Echo Point, the Three Sisters Walk and Giant Stairway Yarnspinners Press Collective, Wentworth Falls NSW, 2019. Octavo; paperback; 44pp. with maps, diagrams and many full-colour illustrations. New. Click here to order $15

211670 Halbert, Erik & Ross Ellis Sandstone Caves of Blackheath: Sydney Speleological Society Occasional Paper No. 20 people, tracks, history, access, maps & mystery Sydney Speleological Society, 2020. Quarto paperback; 190pp., colour illustrations. New. This is the second book in the series investigating sandstone caves in the Blue Mountains. It includes the more than 53 named caves in the area. Many of these appear on old maps, some buried in old texts, some are known by one name and some have several, some are formally named as caves yet others only through their association with a local feature such as a bower, cascade, dell or waterfall. In these latter cases the cave has been given a name related to the location. Discussed here then are the Greaves Creek caves, those on the Western and Eastern Escarpment, Mount Boyce and Blackheath Glen - in all more than fifty caves as well as numerous arches, culverts and other sandstone 'points of interest'. Fascinating historical documentation and references have been thoroughly researched and included. Click here to order $50

73927 Halbert, Erik & Ross Ellis Sandstone Caves of Mount Victoria People, Tracks, History, Access, Maps & Mystery Sydney Speleological Society, Broadway, NSW, Australia, 2012. Quarto; spiral-bound paperback; 180pp., monochrome illustrations & maps. New. "What immediately springs to mind when most people hear the word 'cave', is Jenolan, and rightly so as it is one of Australia's iconic cave systems. However, what most people do not realise, is that not all caves are of limestone origin and that our sandstone caves and overhangs, while not as famous and elaborate, are more prolific across a wider expanse of the Blue Mountains. It is our sandstone caves which have played a pivotal role in Aboriginal occupation and in recent times as a haven to bushwalkers and rock climbers for rest and shelter" (Brian Fox). The authors focus on those in the Mount Victoria area, researching and recording in detail not just the physical details but also the history and usage of the caves. Click here to order $32

78591 Halbert, Erik and Ross Ellis Doing the Grand Canyon Blackheath Sydney Speleological Society Occasional Paper no. 18, 2014 Sydney Spelelogical Society, Broadway, Sydney, NSW, Australia, 2014. New: stapled octavo booklet; 55pp., colour illustrations and maps. Taking its line from the years of tourist invasion of the Grand Canyon walk in Blackheath, this guide compares the faded postcards of the halcyon days of the Twenties and Thirties with the current state of this wilderness retreat. It reveals that the environment is thriving as it always has, and is slowly erasing the signs left by previous visitors: rusted post holes, worn sandstone steps, the occasional section of ragged fencing - all of these clues serve to point the way for the authors to revealing the hidden delights of this often-overlooked walk. As a publication by the Sydney Speleological Society, there are aspects of this trail - those which involve dangling over cliff faces, specifically - which will not suit every adventurer; however, there is plenty in this guidebook to assist those keen to throw on their boots and walk. Click here to order $18

79132 Hallinan, Mark Jenolan Caves The Complete Guide Critical Concepts, Brisbane, Qld., Australia, 2013. Quarto; hardcover, with illustrated boards and endpaper maps; 268pp., with many monochrome and full-colour illustrations. No dustwrapper, as issued. New. The Jenolan Caves complex is not particularly well-known outside of Australia; however, it is a world-class limestone formation on a par with anything on offer elsewhere in the world. Along with the crystalline brilliance of stalactites and stalagmites are an abundance of curtain and pillar formations in a veritable labyrinth of caves, some of which yet remain unexplored. All of this geological magic is presented against a colourfully historic backdrop involving Aboriginal culture, horse and cattle rustlers from the earliest days of white settlement, and of course the revelations of the first European explorers and entrepreneurs, determined to unearth Jenolan's secrets and present them to the wider public. However, the true history of the area begins over 40 million years ago with the creation of the caves from an extensive southern ocean and the development and evolution of the natural environment which still flourishes in the bushland surrounds to this day. All of this fascinating knowledge is presented in this mammoth undertaking, the veritable 'final word' on the Jenolan Caves. Click here to order $65

77921 Hertog, Sonja den (ed.) Walking the Valley - Sydney Speleological Society Occasional Paper, No. 11 An Oral Record of Caving and Bushwalking in the Burragorang and Beyond, during the 1930s The Sydney Speleogical Society, Broadway, NSW, Australia, 1994. Octavo; staple-sewn booklet with illustrated wrappers; 62pp., with maps and black & white photographic illustrations. New. This paper from the Sydney Speleological Society (SSS) is almost unique in that it contains no caving information at all; rather, it discusses exploration and hiking through the Kowmung River region and Burragorang Valley region of the Blue Mountains area in NSW, areas often trekked through en route to caving sites. In this work Sonja den Hertog has edited the transcriptions of oral statements provided to fellow Society member Ron Mills, turning these reminiscences into a highly readable overview of the sometimes harrowing journeys these long-time bushwalkers undertook in the early days of settlement in the area. Although the Burragorang Valley has been flooded to form the Waragamba Dam, the Kowmung River Valley and other wildernesses mentioned in this work are still undeveloped and as wild as they were back in the 1930s, progress through them - to known caving and other speleological sites - is still daunting; thus this guide might be seen as a veiled warning to those who would cross this wilderness to reach caving adventures! Click here to order $16

76578 Jamieson, Rick Canyons Near Sydney Fifth Edition Rick Jamieson, Grose Vale NSW, Australia, 2012. Octavo; paperback; 96pp., with maps and monochrome illustrations. New. In the fifth edition of this canyoning guide to the Blue Mountains, the author presents a plethora of canyon walks in the Blue Mountains region, detailing their stunning sights and their potential dangers to those walkers who aren't afraid of mixing their trail-tramping with the occasional abseil, or river swim. This edition revises the information presented in the first four editions, in line with recent changes in the area (not only those imposed by the National Parks Service), to ensure preparedness for all who brave these breath-taking environments. Click here to order $17

10968 Johnson, Dianne Sacred Waters The Story of the Blue Mountains Gully Traditional Owners. Halstead Press, Broadway, NSW, Australia, 2007. Quarto; hardcover; 237pp., with many monochrome and colour illustrations. Dustwrapper. New. This is the story of the Gundungurra and Darug people of the Burragorang Valley and lower Hawkesbury, commemorating their survival in a changing world and their ongoing struggle to protect their sacred lands and waters. The Blue Mountains were occupied as a summer camp by the tribespeople before white settlement. After colonization, an exodus began from the valleys and their homelands with many people being pushed into makeshift camps as land development started to encroach on the traditional ranges. Eventually, most families moved to the Gully, in Katoomba, when the Burragorang was flooded in the 1950s to create the Waragamba Dam. This, along with the impact of a new racetrack in 1957 impeded access to the tribal lands. The emotions and impact of history are conveyed through the voices of those who lived through the loss of their traditional lands, and through their descendants, in this moving collaborative effort. Click here to order $60

204105 Jones, Gil Powers of Nature Spirits of flood and fire, thunder and lightning across Sydney's Sandstone Country Bulga Books St. Albans NSW, 2018. Quarto; paperback; 51pp., with colour illustrations. New. Gurangaty, Ghindarun and Daramulan - manifestations of the energies inherent in flood, fire, thunder and lightning - are the names of spirit beings once familiar to Aboriginal people of Sydney's sandstone country. Guragaty we know of through a Gandanguurra legend, Ghindarun through a unique record of Darginyung initiation, and Daramulan largely through accounts of initiation among tribes beyond the sandstone country - particularly the Wiradjuri and Gamilaroi. For Gurangaty and Ghindarun, what we know comes from the invaluable research of a surveyor-turned ethnographer writing at the turn of the Nineteenth Century - Robert Matthews - who also contributed substantially to our understanding of Daramulan. By the time Matthews came to record what he could of the language, lore and rites of the Aboriginal people of the sandstone country, they had experienced dispossession and cultural disintegration for most of the Nineteenth Century. For Matthews' anthropologist contemporaries working in Central Australia, on the other hand, Aboriginal dispossession was much more recent and pre-contact culture less damaged - as for their successors working in northern Australia through the 1900s. Given the many clear similarities between the cultures of the first peoples across the continent, I have felt it legitimate to draw on such parallels to illuminate the often sparse evidence afforded by the records and relics of the first peoples of the sandstone country. "Wasteland, Wilderness, Wonderland" is a book in which I explore the landscape of Sydney's sandstone country, and touch particularly on the culture of one of its first peoples, the Darginyung - as that culture can be read from rock engravings and cave paintings in the light of Matthews' research. That reading is amplified in a second book - "Bulga Bala Boree". The essays I present here summarise and further amplify my previous readings of the nature of Daramulan and Ghindarun of the Darginyung, and of Gurangaty of the Gandanguurra. Click here to order $35

76854 Jones, Gil Wasteland Wilderness Wonderland Getting to Know Sydney's Sandstone Country Blue Mountain Education and Research Trust, Lawson NSW, 2013. Quarto; paperback; 140pp., with maps and colour and monochrome illustrations. New. 'Sydney's sandstone is here explored by Gil Jones as a geologist, historian, poet and, above all, lover. Is it Wasteland, Wilderness or Wonderland?' - Eugene Stockton. This is local history literally from the ground up: Gil Jones describes the geomorphology of Sydney - essentially a huge bowl of sandstone extending north to Newcastle, south to the Illawarra escarpment and as far west as Lithgow - and examines its impact upon all aspects of the environment which it underpins. This sweeping analysis looks at the evolution of the flora, fauna and local weather systems and also encompasses the human impacts, from the activities of the indigenous caretakers to the ravages of those who brought about their disenfranchisement. Click here to order $25

32488 Keats, Michael Day Walks in the Lower Grose River and Tributaries (with particular reference to the Engineers Track) Keats Holdings Pty. Ltd., Pymble, NSW, Australia, 2011. Reprint: octavo; paperback; 61pp., with maps and black and white illustrations. New. Michael Keats has spent a lot of time in the bushland of the Blue Mountains, tracking its walking trails, unearthing their history and co-ordinating activities among the numerous local organisations which dedicate their time to the signposting, preservation and upkeep of the region's bush trails. Over time, Keats (and later, with another local author, Brian Fox) has written many authoritative guides of the various walking areas that the Blue Mountains have on offer. This title, one of his first, covers a region of river tributaries relatively close to Sydney but often overlooked by walkers. The book takes the form of a written record of executed walks undertaken by members of the Bush Club, under Keats' supervision; these diary notes clearly explain each stage of the track, highlighting treacherous crossings, local fauna and flora and handy references to local resources. While not for the novice bushwalker - using as it does, some fairly rigorous topographical map work - it is a wealth of information for the experienced hiker and a fascinating read for the armchair traveller. Click here to order $18

32487 Keats, Michael Day Walks in the Therabulat Country also known as the Wild Dog Mountains in the Greater Blue Mountains National Park Keats Holdings Pty. Ltd., Pymble, NSW, Australia, 2006. Octavo; paperback; 200pp. with many maps and full-colour illustrations. New. Following on from his previous publications, Michael Keats takes the reader deep into Therabulat Country for another gruelling series of fascinating bushwalks. As with his previous effort, this book takes the form of a series of diary entries tracking the progress of sorties made by members of the Bush Club under Keats' oversight. While outlining the events of those particular treks, these epistolary reports detail the conditions and encounters which other bushwalkers can likely expect, whilst following in Keat's footsteps. Unlike Keats' previous efforts, the book is organised in discrete sections which concentrate on the flora, fauna and local history of the area covered: these historical notes make for fascinating reading in themselves, and cover the sorts of local minutiae that grander histories would sweep over. While not a guide for the inexperienced walker, it is a wealth of information for experienced hikers. Click here to order $30

69599 Keats, Michael & Brian Fox The Gardens of Stone National Park and beyond Book 2: Bushwalks at Newnes and along the Wolgan-Capertee Divide; plus Regional Climate Keats Holdings Pty. Ltd., Pymble, NSW, Australia, 2012. Octavo; paperback; 492pp., with maps and many full-colour illustrations. New. "One can look at the pagoda country in two ways, first as a scientist, and second as a poet. As a scientist I see the biodiversity and geodiversity side of the pagodas. They are hotspots of both. Like remnants of lost peoples in the Himalayas, the pagodas are rich in rare and threatened species. The species themselves change from north to south, but you always find rare species there....As a poet, these are places of magic and mystery. They abound with lost cities, temples, tables and chairs, stone bells and pulpits... mysterious winding rock passages, the overwhelming honey scent of spring myrtles and mint-bushes, lone pools set in rocks plated with dark ironstone the texture of dragon's skin, vistas for kilometres beside intimate miniature works of ikebana in stone combine with the ever present calls of lyrebirds and honeyeaters.... it is a symphony in stone we should witness and feel wonder in - and keep in trust for the future" (Haydn Washington, from the preface). Click here to order $50

72891 Keats, Michael & Brian Fox The Gardens of Stone National Park and beyond Book 3: Bushwalks at Donkey Mountain, Carne Creek, South of the Wolgan River and Mount Cameron; plus regional Aboriginal History and Historical Maps Keats Holdings Pty. Ltd., Pymble, NSW, Australia, 2013. Octavo; paperback; 448pp., with maps and many full-colour illustrations. New. In this third collaboration between the authors, they extend their coverage of the Gardens of Stone National Park north of Lithgow, this time narrowing their focus to the walks and trails around the impressive plateau known as Donkey Mountain. Again, the use of the word "trails" for some of these treks is perhaps overstressed: these are outings designed to be undertaken by bushwalkers of no small ability and much experience. The use of a topographical map and a compass is required to navigate these missions and swimming and climbing (with or without ropes) is often par for the course. As an added feature for this instalment, the book reproduces old maps of the area, executed by the original settlers of the region, and there is also a chapter outlining the indigenous historical perspective on the area. As we've come to expect with this series of books, here is local knowledge and history of a high order, and a useful resource for anyone with an interest in the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area. Click here to order $50

75354 Keats, Michael & Brian Fox The Gardens of Stone National Park and beyond Book 4: Bushwalks in the headwaters of Bungleboori Creek, Wollangambe River, Nayook Creek and Dingo Creek; plus regional River Catchments and Water Pollution. Keats Holdings Pty. Ltd., Pymble, NSW, Australia, 2013. Octavo; paperback; 932pp., with maps and many full-colour illustrations. New. Out of print. To be reprinted in two parts. This guidebook focusses upon various creek and river tributaries of the Gardens of Stone National Park, part of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area. Following in the tradition established by Keats in his earlier books, the walks outlined within these pages are diarised re-tellings of hikes made into these regions by the Bush Club under the authors' supervision. In this style, a sense of the landscape and of the terrain to be traversed is conveyed with a sense of immediacy to the reader. Much of the area covered in this book requires skills and equipment far above a willingness to walk and a good pair of boots. Topographical map skills, the ability to swim and climb - with or without ropes - are all features of the "walks" revealed here. Along with these diarised descriptions are discrete sections outlining the flora and fauna of the region, along with notes on the local history and geology, including an assessment of the levels of water pollution through the region and into the Western Blue Mountains area, provided by Dr. Ian Wright. As far as walking guides go, this is not for the faint-hearted; but the sheer wealth of information captured within these pages makes this a compelling resource for anyone with interests in the wilderness areas of the Blue Mountains. Click here to order $50

79091 Keats, Michael & Brian Fox The Gardens of Stone National Park and beyond Book 5: Bushwalks in the Ben Bullen Ranges; and Local Place Names Keats Holdings Pty. Ltd., Pymble, NSW, Australia, 2014. Octavo; paperback; 680pp., with maps and many full-colour illustrations. New. The latest in the ongoing series of collaborations by Michael Keats and Brian Fox, this instalment of the Gardens of Stone National Park guidebooks concentrates on walks within the Ben Bullen ranges. As usual, the walks outlined within these pages are diarised re-tellings of hikes made into these regions by the Bush Club under the authors' supervision. In this style, a sense of the landscape and of the terrain to be traversed is conveyed with a sense of immediacy to the reader. These are walks for the experienced hiker: topographical map skills, the ability to swim and climb - with or without ropes - are all features of the "walks" revealed here. Along with these descriptions the authors have this time focussed on the human history of the areas they wander through, as well as highlighting the various types of fauna that inhabit these regions. Typically for the series, the walks outlined are of the kind not lightly undertaken; but the sheer wealth of information captured within these pages makes this a compelling resource for anyone with interests in the wilderness areas of the Blue Mountains. Click here to order $50

82965 Keats, Michael & Brian Fox The Gardens of Stone National Park and beyond Book 6: Bushwalks on the northern Newnes Plateau; plus regional Flora and Fauna Keats Holdings Pty. Ltd., Pymble, NSW, Australia, nd. (2015). Octavo; paperback; 676pp., with maps and many full-colour illustrations. New. Michael Keats and Brian Fox go once more into the breech and have produced a further instalment of their Gardens of Stone bushwalking series. In this volume they traverse the Newnes Plateau, highlighting all of the walks in that vicinity for the purposes of letting avid walkers follow in their footsteps. Included in this instalment is a listing of all the flora and fauna in the region - possibly the most complete privately-compiled gathering of such information to have seen print. Click here to order $50

87730 Keats, Michael & Brian Fox & Yuri Bolotin The Gardens of Stone National Park and beyond Book 7: Bushwalks on the Southern Newnes Plateau: plus the Last Three Centuries of European Settlement Keats Holdings Pty. Ltd., Pymble, NSW, Australia, 2016. Octavo; paperback; 744pp., with maps and many full-colour illustrations. New. This latest instalment of the Gardens of Stone project begins with an observation that the areas covered by the Gardens of Stone National Park are due for an upgrade which may see the incorporation into the park of many intervening parcels of land that have been developed by private concerns. With this in mind, the writing team has used this volume to focus on the human heritage of the National Park, cataloguing almost three hundred years of industry, construction, development and usage by human communities in the region. Everything is examined here, from indigenous shelters and manufacture, through to coal and diamond mining, forestry and recreational businesses. Once more, this is a book that will serve the owner well if taken out into the wilds which it covers; but it will also greatly entertain any reader who chooses the comfort of their own home as their adventure playground. Click here to order $50

67059 Keats, Michael and Brian Fox The Gardens of Stone National Park and beyond Book 1: Bushwalks in the North West section, including Mugii Murum-ban (Mount Airly - Genowlan) mesas; plus regional Geology and Geomorphology Keats Holdings Pty. Ltd., Pymble, NSW, Australia, 2011. Octavo; paperback; 400pp., with maps and many full-colour illustrations. New. After their success with "The Passes of Narrow Neck", the authors team up once more, this time to explore the area known as the Gardens of Stone National Park, north of Lithgow in NSW, and its surrounding region. The area they take us adventuring through is replete with strangely-formed rock pagodas and other twisty stone formations, upon which a fevered (and Classically-trained) mind has conferred such names as the Poseidon Arena, Hades and the Underworld, and Hecate's Cauldron. As usual with these authors' works, the trails (a word used here in its broadest sense) are presented by means of diarised extracts, showing the experiences of the authors and their Bush Club associates during their own explorations. Infused with a wealth of local history and a wide knowledge of the local fauna and flora, the guide provides a prospective walker with enough information to set out on their own travels. These treks are not for lightweight bushwalkers and some serious preparation is warranted! Click here to order $50

56885 Keats, Michael and Brian Fox The Upper Grose Valley Bushwalkers' Business Keats Holdings Pty. Ltd., Pymble, NSW, Australia, 2010. Octavo; paperback; 567pp., with many maps and full-colour illustrations. New. Taking a break from the Gardens of Stone National Park (an undertaking expected to be covered by eight titles all up), the authors pull back into the Blue Mountains proper, and take on some serious "bushwalker's business" in the Grose Valley near Blackheath. As we've come to expect from Messrs Keats and Fox, the walks that they describe are based upon their own experiences in re-tracing old trails with their associates from the Bush Club. These are presented as diarised excerpts, showing the progress of the group along the planned routes. Along the way there are discussions of local history, geology, geomorphology and wildlife, including - in this case - extensive examinations of the local fungi and snail species. These walks are definitely not for the faint of heart, or the walker without some miles beneath their boots: some of the trails are barely signposted and some involve rock-climbing experience, or someone who knows their way around a compass and a topographical map. Nevertheless, this guide (and the others that this collaboration has produced) are full of interesting details and their chatty narrative structure makes for some pleasant, informative reading. Click here to order $50

91075 Keats OAM, Michael & Brian Fox & Yuri Bolotin The Gardens of Stone National Park and beyond Book 8: Bushwalks on the headwaters of Deanes Creek, Rocky Creek and Budgary Creek; plus, Threatened Environments and Threatened Species within the region. Keats Holdings Pty. Ltd., Pymble NSW, 2016. Octavo; paperback; 604pp., with maps and many full-colour illustrations. New. The eighth title in this open-ended series of guides to the Gardens of Stone National Park and surrounds, this volume continues the tradition and the level of detail which we've come to expect from this intrepid team. As an additional element, the book takes a look at the threatened environments and species within the region, highlighting the need to protect and conserve the natural wilderness that offers so much to so many. Click here to order $50

81308 Kilbey, Russell The Man from Cox's River: DVD Umbrella. New. All regions. This movie follows the adventures of Luke Carlon, descended from a family of horse trainers who settled in the Cox's River district in the 1820s. Time and the policies of nature preservation saw the Carlon family slowly driven off the land in the face of the establishment of the National Park and the construction of the Waragamba catchment zone. Ranger Chris Banffy contacts Luke and, with him, outlines a plan to lead feral horses - brumbies - out of the Burragorang Valley region, a means of pest control vastly more preferable to the use of shooters in helicopters which had caused public outcry in the past. The film follows Luke and his hand-picked gang of stockmen as they take on this gruelling task, entering a largely uncharted wilderness, capturing and breaking-in horses, then leading them out to safer pastures. This is a beautifully-shot film which reveals the rich untrammelled wilderness of the Blue Mountains and was written with the assistance of local historian, Jim Barrett. Click here to order $20

85006 Knapman, Leonie Glen Davis in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales A Shale Oil Ghost Town and its People 1938-1954 Halstead Press, Ultimo, NSW, Australia, 2010. Quarto; hardcover, with illustrated boards and endpaper maps; 270pp., with full-colour and monochrome photographic illustrations. New. The town of Glen Davis nowadays is a ruin, a ghost town nestled and forgotten within the remote Capertee Valley. However, 60 years ago it was a bustling hive of activity, the home and livelihood of thousands of miners, industrial chemists, engineers and their families, and the businesses which supported their lifestyle. Built upon one of the richest oil-shale deposits in the world, Glen Davis was, at one time, the backbone of Australia's pioneering industrial infrastructure. Over time though, federal policy shifted and pushed the town into the shadows; wartime restrictions and rationing brought the death knell and the settlement was abandoned by those who felt that they had been as equally abandoned by the economic counsellors of their day. This is the complete history - social, industrial and political - of this lost town by someone who knew the place and grew up there as one of its citizens. Click here to order $50

205515 Knox, Kelvin, & Eugene Stockton (eds.) Aboriginal Heritage of the Blue Mountains Recent Research and Reflections Blue Mountains Education and Research Trust, Lawson NSW, 2019. Quarto; paperback; 256pp., with maps and many monochrome and full-colour illustrations. New. People have inhabited Australia for thousands of years. At the foot of the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, human occupation is dated at up to 50,000 years ago. In 1788, the way of life for Aboriginal people living in the Mountains irrevocably changed. However, their cultural heritage, handed down from ancient generations, has remained in the form of occupation sites, art, artefacts, axe-grinding grooves, scarred trees, stone arrangements and other physical traces of their presence in the landscape. "Aboriginal Heritage of the Blue Mountains" gathers together some new research, stories and reflections about the Mountains' Aboriginal inhabitants and their heritage, perhaps what could now be understood as Australia's shared heritage. Click here to order $50

74926 Leckbandt, Ollie Convict Stockades From Mount Walker to Mount Victoria The Author, Lithgow, 2010. Quarto paperback, 146pp., colour illustrations. New. This book describes the historical remains and artefacts found at stockade sites along the old Mitchell's Road to Bathurst. These stockades housed convict road gangs and their regiment guards building the Mitchells Road and bridges over the Cox's River in the 1830s. These little-known sites are located just south of Lithgow, NSW, between the townships of Rydal and Mt Victoria. In particular, this book focuses on Bowen's Hollow Stockade, Hassan's Walls Stockade and Mount Victoria Stockade. It includes detailed maps and photographs of each site, along with over 70 photographs of coins, military buttons and domestic buttons, musket rounds, buckles, insignia, clay pipes, bottles, pottery, nails and many other fascinating relics. This well researched book delves also into the lives of the convicts and soldiers whose grim lives have left their marks on the historical narratives of the court houses, memoirs of government officials and early travellers. Click here to order $35

74927 Leckbandt, Ollie The Forgotten Stockade Old Bathurst Road The Author, Lithgow, 2002. Quarto paperback, 76pp., monochrome illustrations. New. This book describes the historical remains and artefacts found along the Old Bathurst Road. This includes Mount Kirkley Stockade - a relatively small workcamp though vital to colonial road building; Hassan Walls and the Mt Victoria and Mt Walker stockades. These stockades housed convict road gangs and their regiment guards building the Mitchells Road and bridges over the Cox's River in the 1830s. The author notes that the last recorded colonial regiments in the Lithgow district were the 80th and 28th at Hassans Walls, in 1839 and 1840 respectively. Major Mitchell's road from Mount Victoria Pass to Bathurst, is rich in colonial history, particularly old road works; convict stockades; military stations; road camps and inns. All of these were an integral part of colonising the west. As Ollie Leckbandt writes, "Not all history is contained in library records; it is also concealed in the ground." Finds of coins, military buttons and domestic buttons, musket rounds, nails and brass name plates provide a sense of this hidden record. A wide variety of historical documents give insight into the colonial lives of the protagonists at these stockades, who have left behind their nameplates in the earth. Click here to order $20

79942 Leckbandt, Ollie Heritage Without Recognition Lithgow District The Author, Lithgow, 2013. Quarto paperback, 132pp., colour illustrations. New. In Ollie's previous volumes he has outlined the locations and histories of the various convict and military stockades scattered across the Lithgow landscape. In this book, he examines the impact across the region of the creation and development of residential estates, infrastructural relocations and roadworks, particularly upon the heritage sites involved. He compares the state regulations which define objects removed from the earth - for example decimal coins dating from 1966, some of which are still in circulation - as of heritage value, but which completely ignore structures and foundation works which comprised Nineteenth Century beachheads of early Settlement occupation. As usual, many intriguing and pertinent colour photographs help underscore his compelling case. Click here to order $35

79104 Leckbandt, Ollie The Mount Walker Stockade Cox's River The Author, Lithgow NSW, 1998. Quarto; paperback, cloth spine; 76pp., with many monochrome illustrations. New. The Mount Walker Stockade was the largest and most complex of the convict stockades established in the 1830s. Convict iron gangs were moved here from Mt Victoria after difficulties at Mt Victoria Pass had been overcome and the road made. Mt Walker Stockade had many auxiliary buildings and accommodated up to 500 people at its peak: convicts, military guards, surveyors and other officials. The stockade enclosure, built on the bank of the Cox's River and had rows of convict huts with skillion roofs, elevated security lanterns and flogging triangles. The convicts spent their days in chains while they worked on the roads, and were then locked up at night. These were some of the hardest criminals, repeat offenders who were considered as a scourge on society, unsuitable even to be assigned to a land owner. They worked in a range of three miles in either direction from the stockade. In the morning they would be handed their tools and marched to their place of work under supervision of soldiers. In the evening, after a day of back-breaking labour, they would be marched back and locked up again. There were two classes of convict who worked on the roads. The more trusted among them worked as carpenters or stonemasons further away, living in huts along the road and working free of irons. Ultimately, through good behaviour and hard work in these trying conditions, many of these convicts would earn their freedom. Along with the stockade, there were overseers' huts, a guard house, barracks, sergeants quarters and store, military officers quarters, two hospitals, a cooking hut, blacksmith shops, a butcher's shop and a baker's shop. There is a unique artist's impression of Mt Walker Stockade, attributed to Major General James Pattison Cockburn, 1832. It shows the high slab wall surrounding the rows of convict huts, and an array of small buildings covered by the haze of smoke from their chimneys. A military guard keeps watch and a convict work gang plods around a bend in the Mitchell's Road under construction. This painting is now in the Mitchell Library. Convicts stationed on this site built bridges over the Cox's River and Farmer's Creek, and constructed road buttresses and several difficult road cuttings up to 1835. The stockade was also used as an administrative centre with a weekly Court session. In its final years, the site was mainly used as medical, stores and administration facility. In this book, Ollie Leckbandt documents a wide range of historical relics found on this site including: coins, buttons, insignia, buckles, name plates, musket rounds, thimbles, pieces of spoons, knives and forks, and tool fragments. There are also many site photographs, maps and historical notes about the stockade. Click here to order $20

85522 Lollback, Suzanne with Helen Drewe, Robert Coveny & Ken Durie Native Plants: Hassans Walls Reserve Lithgow Lithgow and District Community Nursery, Lithgow, 2014. Ringbound paperback, octavo; 161pp., colour illustrations. New. This book features 390 native plants and lists another 97 in Sections on Wildflowers, Orchids, Grasses, Rushes, Sedges, Eucalypts, Ferns, Liverworts and Mosses. With this number of native plants, which includes over 70 orchids and four plants listed as threatened on the listing of Rare or Threatened Australian Plants, the Reserve is a special place. While primarily about Native Plants the book also includes a sample of other forms of life such as Fauna, Fungi and Lichens. Click here to order $23

215435 Low, John Blue Mountains Byways Second Back Row Press, Katoomba, 2021. Square octovo paperback, 136pp., b&w photographs. New. In the Blue Mountains, the interaction of a dramatic and inspiring 'natural' landscape record of human presence has produced a wealth of stories, many of which remain untold. Everywhere you walk, if you look hard enough, you will find them. Originally written for small, local newsletters, the stories collected here are often told in the hope they might lead readers down some of these 'hidden' historical byways and see something new and interesting that will enhance their own experience of the splendid Heritage Blue Mountains of New South Wales. Click here to order $25

36749 Low, John & Jim Smith The Prince of Whips The Life and Works of the Blue Mountains Pioneer Harry Peckman Den Fenella Press, Wentworth Falls, NSW, Australia, 1993. Octavo; paperback; 112pp., with many maps and monochrome illustrations. New. Author's remaining copies. The 'whips' were the men who drove horse teams along the roads of the developing colonies. Peckman, 'Prince' of them, was witness to many of the changes that affected the mountains, whose beauty he celebrated in verse "tuned to the beat of his horses' hooves". Click here to order $6

202970 McClelland, Matt and the Wildwalks Team The Six Foot Track - second edition Katoomba to Jenolan Caves/Jenolan Caves to Katoomba Woodslane, Sydney NSW, 2018. Octavo; paperback; 124pp. [81pp. + 43pp.], with many full-colour photographic illustrations and maps. New. Presented as two books in one - the trip from Katoomba to Jenolan Caves and the one from Jenolan Caves to Katoomba - this walking guide takes the hiker step-by-step through this classic Blue Mountains long-distance track. Included are details for making the trek in one three-day hike or in a series of half- or one-day legs, with notes for planning to stay at campsite or lodge accommodation along the way. Topographical maps and plenty of photographs make this the essential guide for an iconic Blue Mountains journey. Click here to order $20

91764 McLaurin, M.D. Old Katoomba The 1860s to the 1900s Blue Mountains Historical Society, Wentworth Falls, NSW, Australia, 2016. Octavo; paperback; 34pp., monochrome illustrations. New. Click here to order $15

10592 Macqueen, Andy Back from the Brink: second edition Blue Gum Forest and the Grose Wilderness The author, 1997. Quarto paperback, 347pp, monochrome illustrations. New. The forest stands as the Cradle of Conservation in New South Wales. This is its story from when it was first reserved in 1875 as a national spectacle, the threats to its existence and those who have preserved and been part of it. Click here to order $40

60032 Macqueen, Andy Frederick Robert D'Arcy Colonial surveyor, explorer and artist, c1809-1875 Andy Macqueen, Wentworth Falls, NSW, Australia, 2010. Quarto; hardcover; 272pp., with many maps, monochrome illustrations and 16pp. of full-colour plates. New. Frederick D'Arcy arrived in New South Wales in 1828 and embarked upon a long career as a surveyor. Descended from a long line of military antecedents, he threw himself into a long and arduous work routine, surveying country that few other cartographers until that point had dared attempt. Much of his greatest efforts were centred around the Colo River country - a tangled and tortuous wasteland at that point - and his maps helped open that territory up to further settlement and cultivation. But it was not only the landscape which threatened him with disaster: recalcitrant convicts, mutinous assistants and the demands of his long-suffering wife and children all played their part in his unfolding story. There are those who would say that he was, in part, his own worst enemy, becoming embroiled in scandals and disputes in such far-flung parts of the opening territories as Tasmania and in Queensland; however, some say that much of this notoriety was the invention of his superior officer, the domineering Major Mitchell. Andy Macqueen pulls all of the threads of this man's story together into one coherent narrative, ably marshalling his facts together to support his case that D'Arcy may well have been cruelly defamed (as much as he was prone to gambling and drinking). Along the way he reveals several intriguing paintings and ink drawings now attributed to the surveyor, including an early portrait of a Port Phillip Aboriginal man, discovered by the author. Click here to order $45

11199 Macqueen, Andy Somewhat Perilous The journeys of Singleton, Parr, Howe, Myles & Blaxland in the Northern Blue Mountains Andy Macqueen, Wentworth Falls, NSW, Australia, 2004. Quarto; paperback; 192pp., with many maps and monochrome illustrations. New. After crossing the Blue Mountains, explorers set out to find other approaches not only to the far side but to northern expansions of the white settlement, to Windsor, north to the Hunter Valley, and to the opening territories around Newcastle. In this work, Macqueen provides a full transcript of the explorers' journals and letters and determines a range of facts which overturn several previously-held notions, while simultaneously shedding light on some heretofore unconsidered material, including indigenous burning regimes and bushfire maintenance. This is a thoughtfully-considered study, penned by a descendant of the men involved in this "somewhat perilous" undertaking. Click here to order $30

98352 Macqueen, Andy Wayfaring in the Wollemi Stories of people in wilderness Andy Macqueen, Wentworth Falls NSW, 2017. Quarto; hardcover, with illustrated boards and endpaper maps; 352pp., with many maps and monochrome illustrations. No dustwrapper, as issued. New. Wayfaring in Wollemi celebrates the human side of wilderness. It presents the stories of 28 people: colonial explorers and surveyors, wanderers, cattlemen, would-be developers, adventurers and conservationists. For one reason or another they each spent a part of their life in the Wollemi, the largest declared Wilderness in New South Wales. What took them there and what did they get up to? Did the experience change their lives? In telling their stories, the author follows their footsteps through the gorges, over the mountains and into the hideaways. Along the way he weaves some of his personal story, revealing how he, like many of his subjects, has been touched by a landscape largely unaffected by transient modern society Click here to order $40

202527 Martyn, John Rocks and Trees A photographic journey through the rich and varied geology, scenery and flora of the Sydney region STEP Inc., Turramurra NSW, 2018. Quarto; hardcover, with illustrated boards and endpapers; 311pp., with many full-colour illustrations. No dustwrapper as issued. New. The perfect way to learn about the geology that underpins the landscape and diverse flora of the Sydney region, "Rocks and Trees" captures the dramatic scenery of the Greater Blue Mountains, the beauty of the coastline and the great sweep of plains west of the CBD; but its main purpose is to highlight the geology and flora and their interrelationships. The book journeys from the Illawarra along the coast to Newcastle and inland to the Greater Blue Mountains, staying within the framework created by the massive sandstones and conglomerates of the Triassic Narrabeen Group. Click here to order $60

55583 Painter, Keith Centennial Glen and Porters Pass Blackheath, Blue Mountains Mountain Mist Books, Raglan, NSW, Australia, 2009. Duodecimo; paperback; 40pp. with many maps and full-colour illustrations. New. Those looking for bushwalking adventure beyond Katoomba at the Grose Valley end of the ranges, will find this Pocket Pal of great use. On the western side of Blackheath a group of walking tracks provide access to sights that, though not as spectacular in size as the Grose Valley side of the town, are nevertheless awe inspiring. Starting with some essential safety tips this guide reveals the secrets of Centennial Glen, The Grotto with its Slippery Dip Falls, and the Birdwood Headland Track. Click here to order $7

214978 Painter, Keith The Coal Bubble Blair Athol No.4 Colliery, Mount Victoria NSW Mountain Mist Books, Raglan NSW, 2021. Quarto; paperback; 132pp, with many full-colour and monochrome illustrations. New. Tucked away in a gully a short distance from the village of Mount Victoria in the Blue Mountains of NSW there's an almost century-old mine tunnel that is open to the public. In the vicinity of the tunnel is a sparse collection of relics from the mine's heyday in the early 1920s. Known locally as the Blair Athol Mine, it was actualy the "Blair Atol No.4 Colliery". The name came from its developer, the Blair Athol Coal and Timber Company which operated three mines on the famous Blair Athol coal field of central Queensland. "The Coal Bubble" reveals how a former Lithgow coalminer and his links to the Queensland Blair Athol company brought about this enterprise at Mount Victoria. Author Keith Painter shows how the company spent a fortune driving the tunnel through hazards such as ironstone bands, rising water, unreliable electric power, to finally be brought to a halt by a shortage of capital and support from directors and shareholders. Read how Eli Deeley became a virtual millionaire; how Jack Roberts nearly lost his life; how John Hetherington's visions for the Mount Victoria mine and an open-cut at Blair Athol failed in his lifetime. Click here to order $50

12126 Painter, Keith Federal Pass Leura - Katoomba, Blue Mountains, Australia Mountain Mist Books, Raglan, NSW, Australia, 2003. Duodecimo; paperback; 36pp. with many maps and colour and monochrome illustrations. New. The Federal Pass is a challenging walk for any explorer, wending its way from Leura across the Jamison Valley to Katoomba, via the Golden Stairs; the experience however is well worth it. You'll find the Federal Pass (named to honour the federation of the Australian states on January 1, 1901) in the Jamison Valley below Leura and Katoomba: the original section of the Federal Pass extended only from Leura Forest to Katoomba Falls. Later it was extended, first to the Scenic Railway and later to the Ruined Castle along the old mine tramway via the Landslide. Some people prefer not to call these additions part of the Federal Pass; however these extensions and revisions provide the intrepid walker with a number of approaches to the main walk and the ability to edit the trek according to the time available. As usual, the information about the walks is prefaced the with some useful safety tips for bushwalkers, both novices and aficionados. Click here to order $7

208262 Painter, Keith Fifty Blue Mountains Openings Tracks, Lookouts, Monuments and a Few Surprises! Mountain Mist Books, Raglan, NSW, Australia, 2019. Quarto; paperback; 152pp, with maps (plus transparent overlays), colour and monochrome illustrations. New. Royal visitors, Prime Ministers, Premiers, Governors, Members of Parliament, Councillors, Residents, Men, Women, Children... All have played a part in the opening ceremonies of Blue Mountains tracks, lookouts, monuments (and a few surprises) that in most cases have endured through the years and remain with us today. "Fifty Blue Mountains Openings" covers 50 significant events with over 280 illustrations of the ceremonies, the people who took part, the documented records and current views. Some historic photos have never been published before. Come on a journey from 1898 through to 1991 and learn more about the Blue Mountains and its amazing scenery. Learn of the people who made possible what others said could not be done. Read about the visions fulfilled. And then there are the promised surprises! Click here to order $35

12125 Painter, Keith The Giant Stairway Katoomba, Blue Mountains, Australia Mountain Mist Books, Raglan, NSW, Australia, 2005. Duodecimo; paperback; 28pp. with many maps and colour and monochrome illustrations. New. One of the great man-made icons of the Blue Mountains has to be the breathtaking Giant Stairway; it is practically the quintessential walk for visitors to the Blue Mountains. The best known of the tracks which link the clifftop with the valley below, this Pocket Pal covers the Echo Point area, the Giant Stairway and the Dardanelles Pass which links the stairway to the Federal Pass. The Giant Stairway and the Dardanelles Pass both belong to the same era of walking track construction although, due to lack of funds, the Giant Stairway was not completed until 17 years after the Pass was opened. Included are safety tips for those willing to brave this trek and reap the reward of breathtaking views and magical bushland experiences. Click here to order $7

70718 Painter, Keith Great Walks at Mount Victoria Blue Mountains Mountain Mist Books, Raglan, NSW, Australia, 2012. Duodecimo; paperback; 56pp. with many maps and full-colour illustrations. New. One of Keith Painter's aims in producing the Pocket Pals series is to rediscover and renovate old walking tracks with have "vanished" over the years through disuse and which are on their way to passing from living memory. This guide features the southern area of Mount Victoria with over 12 kilometres of historic walking tracks that hold many fascinating secrets. Working from oral history, local tradition and slight map and other references, Keith reveals tracks and geological features of the area which had long since disappeared from view: Solitary Rock is revealed; the lost steps into Fern Cave have reappeared; the century-old track beyond Dunns Leap has been restored and connected to the end of Hourn Point; and the engineer of Engineer's Cascade and the Little Zig Zag has been researched and named. Along with a myriad of caves to encounter, the contents of this guide provide more than enough material to keep any trekkers occupied for up to five days. Click here to order $7

12127 Painter, Keith More Katoomba Walks Blue Mountains, Australia Mountain Mist Books, Raglan, NSW, Australia, 2004. Duodecimo; paperback; 32pp. with many maps and colour and monochrome illustrations. New. There's more to Katoomba than just the Three Sisters and Echo Point - this Pocket Pal will lead the way! Scattered along the western side of Katoomba, from just past Scenic World all the way around to the Explorers Tree, are many lesser known walking tracks, some of which date back to the 1880s or even earlier Aboriginal use. Just a few hundred metres beyond Scenic World is Eagle Hawk Lookout and a short distance further is Malaita Point which has a historical connection with the island of that name in the Solomon Islands. Cyclorama Point, Landslide Lookout, Hildas Lookout, O'Sullivans Road, Boars Head Rock, Cahills Lookout and Peckmans Plateau are all covered in this book with insights into the history of their names and locations. Longer walks include the fascinating and historic Devils Hole Track and the Nellies Glen and Bonnie Doon area. Click here to order $7

12124 Painter, Keith North and South Lawson Walks Blue Mountains, Australia Mountain Mist Books, Raglan, NSW, Australia, 2004. Duodecimo; paperback; 36pp. with many maps and colour and monochrome illustrations. New. While not loudly heralded in the tourist literature, Lawson offers the bushwalker a number of intriguing options for exploration. Just a few minutes from the town centre is a peaceful area of waterfalls and bushland made accessible by many kilometres of easy walking tracks. As revealed in this guide, several variations of circuit walks are possible on the north of Lawson and one on the southern side: numerous waterfalls, quiet secluded gullies, gurgling creeks and, in season, spectacular waratahs and Christmas bush - you'll find all of these as you meander along Lawson's gentle tracks. After a brief discussion of safety tips to observe whilst walking in the Blue Mountains, this Pocket Pal guide leads the intrepid bushwalker to such alluring places as Adeline Falls, Dante's Glen and the enigmatic Turtle Rock. As usual Keith Painter outlines his rediscovery of a number of "lost" tracks, including the old Lucy's Glen loop track - a must-do walk for all fans of Blue Mountains walks. Click here to order $7

203676 Painter, Keith Padley of the Pedestal James McMillan Padley Mountain Mist Books, Raglan NSW, 2018. Quarto; paperback; 208pp., on coloured stock, with many colour and monochrome illustrations. New. "This book is more than just a biography. Within its pages over 500 photos, news clips, documents, maps, and transcripts will take you on a journey with the Padley family from 1801 Yorkshire, England, through the Victorian gold rush at Castlemaine, followed by the heady days of Melbourne's boom years, then 'home' to England. But the great Southern land of opportunity called the family back in the 1880s. For James there were shop ventures in Sydney, Windsor, and northern NSW, followed by a ten-year yo-yo relationship with Windsor, finally settling in Lithgow in 1902. Here he put down roots and was soon the driving force in the Lithgow Progress Association and the chief instigator of the development of Hassan's Walls. He left his mark on Lithgow in many ways..." - from the blurb. Click here to order $40

12129 Painter, Keith Prince Henry Cliff Walk Leura - Katoomba, Blue Mountains, Australia Mountain Mist Books, Raglan, NSW, Australia, 1994. Duodecimo; paperback; 64pp. with many maps and colour and monochrome illustrations. New. Dozens of scenic lookouts; hundreds of breathtaking views; open forest, heath, rainforest and hanging swamp; sheer cliffs and fascinating rock formations; tumbling waterfalls and gurgling streams; unique plants and mimicking birds - the Prince Henry Cliff Walk has all of these and more. This clifftop walk stretches from Leura's Gordon Falls Park to the Scenic World tourist centre at Katoomba. You can access Prince Henry Cliff Walk at more than 20 points: choose small sections or the whole walk; take walks that last five minutes or a full day; or use it to link with other tracks: at most starting points you have a choice of going in either direction. Whether you are a visitor or a resident, you should experience for yourself at least a part of this clifftop wonderland. Click here to order $7

12128 Painter, Keith Terrace Falls South Hazelbrook, Blue Mountains, Australia Mountain Mist Books, Raglan, NSW, Australia, 1997. Duodecimo; paperback; 32pp., with many maps and monochrome illustrations. New. Walking tracks in the mid mountains are generally not as strenuous as those in the upper mountains. Try the gentle walks of South Hazelbrook where for over a hundred and fifteen years walkers and nature lovers have been inspired by the majestic scenery of Terrace Falls Reserve. Here you will find a historic and complex layout of walking tracks. Thoughtful walkers will appreciate the effort that went into creating the beautiful stone steps and gently-sloping paths that give access into this wonderland of tumbling waters, sandy "beaches", still pools, peaceful rainforests and strangely shaped rocks. The old track layout had eight bridges providing easy access over Terrace Falls and Bedford Creeks at various points: all have been lost through floods or bushfires, but the watchful eye can spot the remains at creek crossings. The track plan originally consisted of paths on both sides of the creeks from Terrace Falls to Bedford Pool: the western track fell into disuse, largely because of the loss of the bridge over Bedford Creek near Picnic Point; however, since the publication of this Pocket Pal guide, renewed interest has seen it again signposted. Click here to order $7

208261 Painter, Keith Wilson Glen and Gypsy Cave Woodford, Blue Mountains Mountain Mist Books, Raglan, NSW, 2019. Duodecimo; paperback; 40pp. with many maps and full-colour illustrations. New. This ninth Pocket Pal covers the Wilson Glen and the Gypsy Cave on the southern side of Woodford NSW. The first of these reserves was gazetted in 1880 making it one of the earliest surviving reserves for public recreation. Nowhere else has there been a combination of a memorial welcome arch; two named shelter sheds; three man-made water features; "imported" tree ferns; a combination of donated, purchased and reserved land; and a wide variety of ecosystems, vegetation and birdlife. Click here to order $7

67131 Pells, Philip J., & Philip J. Hammon (with contributions from Amanda Mackie, Karen Carlson and Brian Fox) The Burning Mists of Time - signed copy A Technological and Social History of Mining at Katoomba Philsquare Publishing, Katoomba, NSW, Australia, 2009. Quarto; hardcover; 258pp, with many maps, and colour and monochrome illustrations. Minor wear; signed in ink to the flyleaf by Philip Hammon. Dustwrapper now professionally protected by superior non-adhesive polypropylene film. Very good. Brings together disparate information to tell the fascinating story of the establishment of the town of Katoomba and the present day Scenic World. It traces the people, the geology and the visions that led to the creation of an amazing infrastructure for mining of oil shale and coal in the Jamison and Megalong Valleys, infrastructure that today forms the basis of one of Australia's major tourist attractions. Click here to order $50

58915 Pembroke, Michael (Libby Raines, illus.) Trees of History and Romance - signed Essays from a Mount Wilson Garden Bloomings Books Pty. Ltd., Melbourne, Vic. Australia, 2013. Third edition: octavo; hardcover; 266pp., with many duotone illustrations. Dustwrapper professionally protected by superior non-adhesive polypropylene film. New. The author's subjects are the deciduous trees and conifers thriving in the cool-climate, basalt soil and altitude of Mount Wilson. He draws from history, literature, poetry, mythology, botany, and folklore to meditate upon a deeply felt connection with the land and its nature. Click here to order $40

60765 Ralston, Basil The Men of Jenolan Caves: third revised edition 1838-1964 Sydney Speleological Society, Broadway, NSW, Australia, 2010. Quarto; paperback; 82pp., with many maps and monochrome illustrations. New. This is the story of the men who explored, guided and helped with the development of the Jenolan Caves in the Blue Mountains. Officially discovered in 1838, some question remains as to whether this complex of limestone caverns was encountered by earlier European visitors with the distinct possibility that it may have served as a hideout for bushrangers. Of course, indigenous explorers have known about the caves for a longer period than that, but this is not the scope of the present work: rather, it looks at the custodial and exploratory services rendered by scientific and community-minded individuals who took upon themselves the task of mapping, examining and preserving the complex for the benefit of all comers. Basil Ralston was uniquely able to provide this perspective as a long-time guide, conservator and explorer of the caves. Within these pages are many photographs and reproduced documents revealing everything from great moments of discovery to the tourist paraphernalia generated by the site over the years. This revised third edition expands the older versions with new scientific material and more photographs, some never before published. Click here to order $28

214674 Ridge, Robyne (Foreword by Erik Halbert, ed.) Memorable Moments in the Blue Mountains Blue Mountains Historical Society, Wentworth Falls NSW, 2021. Octavo; paperback; 124pp., with many monochrome illustrations. New. Collecting Robyne Ridge's Gazette articles about the region. Click here to order $15

206004 Ridge, Robyne (Foreword by Erik Halbert, ed.) Once Upon a Time in History - The Lower Blue Mountains & Remembering 150 Years of Railways Blue Mountains Historical Society, Wentworth Falls NSW, 2019. Octavo; paperback; 119pp., with many monochrome illustrations. New. Collected stories of the towns along the railway line from Emu Plains to Bullaburra. Click here to order $15

97634 Ridge, Robyne (Foreword by Erik Halbert, ed.) Once Upon a Time in History - The Upper Blue Mountains Blue Mountains Historical Society, Wentworth Falls NSW, 2017. Octavo; paperback; 101pp., with many monochrome illustrations. New. Click here to order $15

57520 Silvey, Gwen The Healing Mountains Tuberculosis in the Blue Mountains, 1882-1959 Blue Mountains Historical Society, Wentworth Falls, NSW, Australia, 2009. Octavo; paperback; 74pp., with a map and monochrome illustrations. New. The Healing Mountains describes a time when tuberculosis sufferers were first cared for in rented cottages, private homes and then sanatoria in the Blue Mountains. 'Such a climate as that of Australia may save him the constant sorrow of seeing his family drop one by one into their early graves'. This is how an old world physician saw the new world and, as it transpired, the Blue Mountains, as a prospective healer for tuberculosis sufferers. Gradually the location of tuberculosis caring changed from city to alp. Ethel Robison began to care for tuberculosis sufferers in a Leura cottage in 1900. She practised open-air treatment for the disease, the standard practice for consumptives from 1897. The promotion of healthy constitutions with more 'airy rooms' on offer, the development of X-ray treatments and the provision of new drugs - all contributed greatly to the development of the Blue Mountains region. Click here to order $15

204738 Smith, Jim The Aboriginal People of the Burragorang Valley: revised, second edition "If we left the Valley our hearts would break" Blue Mountains Education and Research Trust (BMERT), Lawson NSW, 2018. Revised and expanded: Quarto; paperback; 340pp., with maps, 198 full-colour and monochrome illustrations and index. New. "Burragorang Valley is unlike any other place in Australia. Every part of Aboriginal land was touched by invasion, and Gundungurra Country was no different. Some areas experienced violent conflict, or were almost immediately wiped out by sicknesses that native immune systems could not cope with. Some communities were flushed out by sending Aboriginal people to missions and alternate settlements to make way for 'progress' and 'colonisation'. Burragorang was different, and this is what made the Valley so special. The black and white people lived together in relative harmony. The patchwork of my heritage is one of many colours, and I am proud of each and every black and white relative who lived and worked in the Valley. Jim Smith captures the beauty, and also the fiery will and perseverance of the Valley's people, living through some very tough times. Burragorang Valley bred strong and formidable, hard-working people who didn't want to leave the Valley as my family were forced to do when the Dam was built. On behalf of my family we would like to thank Jim Smith for the work he has done for us and for out community. His passion for research and conserving history has been such an asset and a privilege for us, as without his tireless effort, we would surely not have compiled such an extensive family and community history." - Taylor Clarke Click here to order $50

208245 Smith, Jim The Curiosity of Melbourne Ward and his Great Barrier Reef & Blue Mountains Museums Lindeman Island; Hydro Majestic - Medlow Bath; Echo Point - Katoomba Den Fenella Press, Wentworth Falls NSW, 2019. Quarto; paperback; 88pp., with many colour and monochrome illustrations. New. For over 20 years, an unassuming shed in the grounds of the Hydro Majestic hotel offered visitors access to one of Australia's greatest private collections of anthropological artefacts and biological specimens. Entering its dim interior, tourists would be greeted by the curator Melbourne Ward, a man as unusual as his eclectic assemblage. His 'Gallery of Natural History and Native Art' opened in 1943 and closed in 1965. A branch Museum at Echo Point called Pyala stayed open until 1972, being run by Mel's wife Halley after his death in 1966. This book relates the curious story of Mel Ward's life, including his early theatrical career, and recreates through photographs something of the experience of walking through his densely packed displays of arts and crafts from indigenous peoples in Australia, New Guinea, Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. These were intermingled with stuffed and pickled fauna and Australian convict and colonial era artefacts. Mel was fascinated by the mythology and legends of tribal people and was the first to publicise widely the best-known version of the Aboriginal legend of the Three Sisters at Katoomba. Mel Ward's enthusiastic presentations and charismatic personality made a lifelong impression on those who were lucky enough to meet him. Click here to order $25

215394 Smith, Jim The Hydro Majestic The story of Mark Foy's 'Palace in a Wilderness', Blue Mountains, Australia Den Fenella Press, Wentworth Falls NSW, 2021. Quarto; paperback; 476pp., with many full-colour and monochrome illustrations. New. Intended by its builder, Mark Foy, to be an antipodean health resort in the style of Smedley's hyropathic treatment centre in England, it instead became a venue for more hedonistic pleasures. In place of cold-water baths, strict dietary rules and 'lights out at 10.30 pm', guests often partied on into the small hours of the morning. The Hydro developed a reputation as a place where people could lose their inhibitions, as well as discreetly meet their secret lovers. Some say that the 'ghosts' of these past revellers can still be seen and heard in the hotel's corridors. Mark Foy built not only a quirky accommodation and entertainment complex, but transformed over 1000 ha of his surrounding land into a unique cultural landscape, the earliest Australian example of a self-contained resort, which included its own farm providing produce for the Hydro's cuisine. The Hydro Majestic is a great survivor; it was reborn in 1922, after half of the original buildings were destroyed, and again in 1942, after its conversion into an American military hospital. The hotel has been through bushfires, blizzards, economic depressions and periods of severe financial losses, including the bancruptcy of one of its lessees. This is the third volume by Jim Smith on the iconic Blue Mountains resort. The hotel's evolving architecture, through the Art Nouveau and Art Deco periods to the present is illustrated in detail. The author began researching the Hydro Majestic 30 years ago in association with the late Mary Shaw, Mark Foy's granddaughter. He was given permission to copy thousands of pages of letters, diaries, photographs and other records relating to the life of Mark Foy and the Hydro. In addition, Jim has accumulated the largest private collection of postcards, photographs, menus and other memorabilia associated with the Hydro Majestic, amounting to over 1000 items Click here to order $50

211492 Smith, Jim The life and loves of Mark Foy Creator of the Hydro Majestic Hotel, Blue Mountains Den Fenella Press, Wentworth Falls NSW, 2020. Quarto paperback; 164pp., with many colour and monochrome illustrations and a folding genealogical chart. New. The eccentric entrepreneur Mark Foy made his fortune in the Victorian era, with the profits from Sydney's Mark Foy's department store. Always a hypochondriac, he came to believe that all diseases could be cured by bathing in cold water. In 1904, he put most of his money into building a hydropathic treatment centre in Medlow Bath. Referred to as "Foy's Folly", it became known as the Hydro Majestic hotel. Described as "a palace in the wilderness, the Hydro became known as a place where guests (like Mark Foy himself) engaged in adulterous affairs. Here, people felt safe to "let their hair down", disguising themselves in masks and opposite-sex clothing, while acting out their fantasies during elaborate fancy-dress balls, guests and staff role-reversed nights and "mad hatters" contests. During the Edwardian era Mark Foy experienced a "mid-life crisis" and wanted to sell up everything he owned and live in Algiers. He had a 10-year relationship with the Hydro Majestic's entertainer, with whom he had an illegitimate daughter. Mark Foy spent the rest of his life in restless travels, regularly avoiding his wife Elizabeth and their four children. His finances were often in crisis and he embarked on many unsuccessful business ventures including land sub-divisions, mining, cotton growing in America, horse breeding and patenting inventions. Mark Foy may not have succeeded in his search for happiness, but the enduring monument to his life is the Hydro Majestic hotel, a place where millions of guests, over the last 116 years, have enjoyed escapes from their everyday lives. Click here to order $35

42751 Smith, Jim Lindeman Pass: The Blue Mountains Mystery Track A History of the Jamison Valley, Volume 1 Three Sisters Productions Pty. Ltd., Winmalee, NSW, Australia, 1990. Quarto; paperback; 112pp., with maps, illustrations and 16pp. of monochrome plates. New. Author's remaining copies. Between 1909 and 1911 a 6km walking track was built at the base of the cliffs between Wentworth Falls and Leura. It was never opened and long lay neglected. The book tells the story of its rediscovery and restoration. Click here to order $6

208019 Smith, Judy and Peter (Kate Smith, illus.) Native Fauna of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area P & J Smith Ecological Consultants, Blaxland NSW, 2019. Quarto; paperback; 172pp., many colour illustrations. New. This book describes the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area and the status, local distribution and ecology of each of its 68 mammal, 254 bird, 74 reptile and 36 frog species, an outstanding native fauna whose diversity, scientific value and conservation importance are of recognised international significance. The authors, Dr. Judy Smith and Dr. Peter Smith, are ecologists who have lived in the Blue Mountains for forty years. Kate Smith is a visual artist who grew up in the Blue Mountains and now lives in Canberra. Click here to order $35

208004 Stanton, Craig Mountain Deviltry Chilling Tales of the Blue Mountains MoshPit Publishing, Hazelbrook NSW, 2019. Octavo; paperback; 265pp. New. "Mountain Deviltry" takes, as its canvas, the Blue Mountains region of NSW with its sleepy villages, its colourful past and, especially, its quirky populace, who operate in the glare of the tourist-trap workaday routine that funds the region, as well as in the shadows of their own private worlds. The various villages are an eclectic mix of the retired, the unemployed, the hardscrabble and the New Age: it's neither Western Sydney nor the Dubbo Plains but both areas wash up onto its shores and leave their traces. The mystery of the Bush is never far away either, often dangerous and veiled in the perpetual mists - into this terrain who wouldn't expect to meet a ghost or two? Quite apart from spectres, there are other horrors of an all-too-human sort that exist alongside them, rubbing uncomfortably against the flash and spectacle laid on for the tourists: homelessness, poverty and addiction. These opposing worlds meet and are examined in a second-hand bookshop, the owner of which values his privacy as much as his books (and his cat), and are investigated by him and his eccentric friends in an effort to bring peace and rest to those "Beyond the Veil", as well as to those living people they've left behind. Click here to order $25

82699 Stevens, Brian (Barney) Cycle Across the Blue Mountains Without Using the Highway Author, Springwood, 2014. Second edition. Stapled booklet; octavo, 27pp., colour illustrations. New. With the general completion of the highway upgrades providing greater vehicular access to the Blue Mountains, bicycle enthusiasts have also leapt at the chance to use the bitumen to get out into the wild. However, not all cyclists are keen to go one-on-one with the traffic and so this invaluable little guide comes into its own. Back roads, footpaths and dirt tracks are all highlighted to give the avid bike rider truck-free access to the 'Mountains, with this new edition continuing the line all the way out to Lithgow. On your bike! Click here to order $15

42132 Stockton, Eugene & John Merriman (eds.) Blue Mountains Dreaming - Second edition The Aboriginal Heritage Blue Mountains Education & Research Trust, Lawson, NSW, Australia, 2009. Quarto; paperback; 256pp., with many maps and full-colour and monochrome illustrations. New. In 1788 the Aborigines of the Blue Mountains had had no contact with Europeans: within 30 years their traditional way of life had been irrevocably changed. Of the generations of new Mountains dwellers who followed, few appreciated the Aboriginal heritage of the region, even though evidence of their presence was known from the Nepean River and the adjacent escarpment. Increasingly however, widespread discoveries of art sites, occupation sites, stone tools, axe-grinding grooves and stone arrangements, research into the journals and early writings of European explorers and settlers, and the compilation of oral histories, are providing a rich, if incomplete, account of the traditional lifestyles and environment of the Gundungurra and Darug people. This greatly expanded second edition gathers together new information about the original inhabitants of the Blue Mountains and provides a fascinating account of histories, languages, legends and European contact. Click here to order $40

81467 Stockton, Eugene (Ed.) Sydney Rock On the Ways to the West; Hazelbrook - Lawson, NSW Blue Mountain Education & Research Trust, Lawson, NSW, Australia, 2014. Reprint: landscape octavo; paperback; 64pp., with maps and many full-colour and monochrome photographic illustrations. New. The Mid-Mountains ridge that defines the Linden to Lawson "Tortuous Ridge" is the site where the western-most edge of the Hawkesbury Sandstone outcropping gives over to the Narrabeen Sandstones and Shales of the Upper and Western Blue Mountains. The domed summit of this ridge - the eponymous Sydney Rock - forms the centre of an area containing many Aboriginal sites and probably served as a landmark for tribespeople pushing westwards into the hanging swamps and level territory beyond. In this work, Eugene Stockton catalogues the history and environmental features of the Rock, including his own childhood memories of using the site as a playground. Trainlines, highways and the changing years have bypassed Sydney Rock and left their scars; now Stockton makes a claim to its being the Blue Mountains' own Uluru and champions its preservation for posterity. Click here to order $20

81466 Stockton, Eugene (ed.) This Tortuous Ridge Linden to Lawson Blue Mountain Education & Research Trust, Lawson, NSW, Australia, 2014. Quarto; paperback; 118pp., with many full-colour photographic illustrations. New. With this publication, Eugene Stockton celebrates the Central Blue Mountains region, defined by the five now-interconnected villages stretching from Linden through to Lawson at the top of the rocky ridge that forms the edge of the Hawkesbury Sandstone platform of the Lower Blue Mountains. Not well-pleased at the notion of this area being dismissed as neither Upper Mountains or Lower but somewhere nebulous and in-between, he covers a range of topics - geological, social, environmental and historical - to outline the unique qualities of the Central Mountaineers and the region which they inhabit. Click here to order $40

91193 Stuart, Veechi Blue Mountains Best Bushwalks - 3rd edition Woodslane Press, Sydney NSW, 2016. Revised, expanded edition: octavo; paperback; 232pp., with maps and many colour illustrations. New. There are 65 walks in this edition which fills the gap between the scant detail provided by tourist brochures and the hardcore bushwalking guides where you need a compass and rope. This book covers a broad spectrum of walks - those suitable one or two hour treks for families and children as well as several full-day walks, plus one overnight walk, for those who want to be challenged. The Sydney Morning Herald has called her bestselling Mountains bushwalking guide an 'indispensable companion'. Veechi Stuart says the newest edition has more up-to-date information which is important for bushwalker safety. 'I do re-walk every walk for a new edition: sometimes there are not many changes, but there is almost always something that can be improved, such as more detail on the maps - more info about the history. I also sometimes modify walk routes and with each new edition I add two or three new walks', she said. The book also has detailed maps and colour photos with grades, times and ascents and some descriptions of flora, fauna, history, geology and ecology. Click here to order $30

202695 Tippins, Jenifer The Lake at Wentworth Falls, NSW, Australia The author, Wentworth Falls NSW, 2018. Quarto; gatefold paperback; 105pp., with many full-colour illustrations. New. In the Blue Mountains of New South Wales lies the Wentworth Falls Lake - a beautiful lake with a rich history. The precinct was always enjoyed by the indigenous peoples and by the early explorers and settlers. The creek running through it was named after Sir John Jamison, a physician and friend of Governor Macquarie. In 1903, Wentworth Falls Lake was born when Jamison's Creek was dammed to provide a water source for steam trains travelling through the Blue Mountains. Today the lake is a playground for men, women and children of all ages, all races, from all regions of the State and indeed from all over the world. It is a place of beauty and tranquillity and a haven of passive peacefulness. Click here to order $45