Mount Irvine is a small village and a
mountain
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...
located in the
Blue Mountains region in the state of
New South Wales
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
. The village is situated in the
City of Blue Mountains in
Greater Western Sydney
Greater Western Sydney (GWS) is a large region of the metropolitan area of Greater Sydney, New South Wales (NSW), Australia that generally embraces the north-west, south-west, central-west, far western and the Blue Mountains sub-regions with ...
. At the
2021 census, Mount Irvine has a population of 22.
At an elevation of
above sea level
Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...
, the mountain is approximately west northwest from
Sydney CBD
The Sydney central business district (CBD) is the historical and main Central business district, commercial centre of Sydney. The CBD is Sydney's city centre, or Sydney City, and the two terms are used interchangeably. Colloquially, the CBD or ...
and more than two hours by car. The area has a wet
micro climate and rich
basalt
Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...
soils, weathered from ancient volcanics. Rainfall is in excess of a year and vegetation is predominantly
temperate rain forest. The area is typified by some spectacular temperate gardens, similar to those in the neighbouring area of
Mount Wilson.
There are only twenty or so properties with a small amount of commercial activity; mainly
walnut
A walnut is the edible seed of any tree of the genus '' Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, '' Juglans regia''. They are accessory fruit because the outer covering of the fruit is technically an i ...
and
chestnut
The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
Description
...
groves. There is no large-scale commercial farming, and
organic methods are widely used.
History
Mt Irvine Road was first surveyed in 1897 by government surveyor
Charles Scrivener
Charles Robert Scrivener (2 November 1855 – 26 September 1923) was an Australian surveyor, and the person who surveyed numerous sites in New South Wales for the selection of a site for the Australian Capital Territory and Australia's capital ...
. Later the same year he returned with his son, Charles Passevile Scrivener, who brought two of his fellow graduates from
Hawkesbury Agricultural College. The elder Scrivener proposed to designate the area as a national reserve. When this failed and 400 hectares of land was released for sale, Scrivener's son and his two friends bought up the first three grants. Scrivener himself settled in Mt. Irvine upon his retirement in 1915. Their families remain in Mt. Irvine to this day.
Activities
In Mt Irvine, there are several things to do, including picking
chestnuts and
walnuts
A walnut is the edible seed of any tree of the genus ''Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, '' Juglans regia''. They are accessory fruit because the outer covering of the fruit is technically an invo ...
in the nearby Nutwood or Kookootonga Farm.
These farms are located near the summit of Mt Irvine, and are accessed by Mt Irvine Road, with several detouring tracks.
The quiet and scenic road between Mt Irvine and Mt Wilson offers excellent cycling through mountain ash forests and rainforests.
See also
*
List of mountains in New South Wales
References
Towns in New South Wales
Suburbs of the City of Blue Mountains
I
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