The City of Blue Mountains is a

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a federated state, state, province, division (politica ...

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, governed by the Blue Mountains City Council. The city is located in the Blue Mountains, on the Great Dividing Range at the far western fringe of the

Greater Sydney Greater Sydney is the most populous metropolitan area in Australia and Oceania. Located in the state of New South Wales, it encompasses the City of Sydney (the state capital), its neighbouring local government areas and surrounding regions. I ...

area. Major settlements include Katoomba, Lawson, Springwood, and Blaxland. The mayor of Blue Mountains City Council is Councillor Mark Greenhill, a member of the Labor Party.

Towns and villages in the local government area

The urban part of the city consists of a ribbon of close or contiguous towns which lie on the

Main Western railway line The Main Western Railway (or Great Western Railway) is a major railway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs through the Blue Mountains (Australia), Blue Mountains, and Central West, New South Wales, Central West regions. It is long, of which ...

, served by

NSW TrainLink NSW TrainLink is a regional train and coach operator in Australia, providing services throughout New South Wales and into Australian Capital Territory, the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria (state), Victoria, Queensland and South Australia ...

's Blue Mountains Line, and

Great Western Highway Great Western Highway is a state highway in New South Wales, Australia. From east to west, the highway links Sydney with Bathurst, New South Wales, Bathurst, on the state's Central Tablelands. The highway also has local road names between the ...

between Emu Plains and Lithgow. About 70% of the city's area is within the

Blue Mountains National Park The Blue Mountains National Park is a protected national park that is located in the Blue Mountains region of New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The national park is situated approximately west of the Sydney CBD, and the park boundary is ...

which lies north and south of the ribbon of towns. The National Park is part of the much larger

Greater Blue Mountains Area The Greater Blue Mountains Area is a World Heritage Site located in the Blue Mountains (New South Wales), Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia. The area was placed on the World Heritage List at the List of World Heritage Sites by year ...

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

and the city brands itself as "The City Within a World Heritage National Park". The towns and villages are generally grouped into lower, mid, and upper mountains. The economy of the upper mountains is dependent almost entirely on tourism . The road to Sydney, the Great Western Highway, is mostly dual carriageway but is relatively slow due to the urban development and hilly terrain. The electric train service integrates into Sydney Trains, Sydney's suburban rail network. The main towns and villages in the City of Blue Mountains are: *

Bell A bell /ˈbɛl/ () is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be m ...

* Blackheath * Blaxland * Bullaburra * Faulconbridge * Glenbrook * Hawkesbury Heights * Hazelbrook * Katoomba *

Lapstone Lapstone is an Australian township on the eastern escarpment of the Blue Mountains (Australia), Blue Mountains in New South Wales at an elevation of 160 m (525 ft). Lapstone is located 62 kilometres west of the Sydney CBD in the Local g ...

* Lawson * Leura * Linden * Medlow Bath * Mount Irvine * Mount Riverview * Mount Victoria * Mount Wilson * Springwood * Sun Valley * Valley Heights * Warrimoo *

Wentworth Falls Wentworth Falls (Postcodes in Australia, postcode: 2782) is a town in the Blue Mountains (New South Wales), Blue Mountains region of New South Wales, situated approximately west of the Sydney central business district, and about east of Katoo ...

* Winmalee * Woodford * Yellow Rock

Demographics

Council

Current composition and election method

Blue Mountains City Council is composed of twelve

councillor A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or re ...

s elected proportionally as four separate wards, each electing three councillors. All councillors are elected for a fixed four-year term of office. The mayor is elected by the councillors at the first meeting of the council. The most recent general election was held on 14 September 2024.

Election results

2024

2021

Mayors

Council services

Cemeteries

The City of Blue Mountains Council maintains

cemeteries A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite, graveyard, or a green space called a memorial park or memorial garden, is a place where the remains of many dead people are buried or otherwise entombed. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek ) implies th ...

at Blackheath, Faulconbridge, Katoomba, Lawson, Megalong Valley, Mount Irvine, Mount Victoria, Mount Wilson, Springwood, and Wentworth Falls.

Libraries

Blue Mountains Library operates three full-time branches, three part-time branches and a service for train commuters at Springwood and Katoomba stations two days a week.

Leisure centres

Blue Mountains Leisure Centres operate from five locations. All five locations have pools and the Katoomba and Springwood locations have gyms and offer various fitness classes.

Heritage listings

The City of Blue Mountains has a number of heritage-listed sites, including the following sites listed on the

New South Wales State Heritage Register The New South Wales State Heritage Register, also known as NSW State Heritage Register, is a heritage list of places in the state of New South Wales, Australia, that are protected by New South Wales legislation, generally covered by the Heritag ...

: *

: Blue Mountains walking tracks * Blackheath, Main Western railway: Blackheath railway station * Faulconbridge, 14-20 Norman Lindsay Crescent:

Norman Lindsay Gallery and Museum The Norman Lindsay Gallery and Museum is the former residence and farmlet of Australian artist Norman Lindsay. Now an art gallery, tourist attraction and museum located at 14–20 Norman Lindsay Crescent in the Blue Mountains town of Faulconb ...

* Glenbrook, Great Western Highway: Glenbrook railway residence * Glenbrook, Great Western Highway: Glenbrook Tunnel * Glenbrook, Mitchells Pass: Lennox Bridge, Glenbrook * Katoomba, 10-14 Civic Place: Mount St Marys College and Convent * Katoomba, Katoomba Street: Carrington Hotel * Katoomba, 59-61 Katoomba Street: Katoomba Post Office * Katoomba, 63-69 Katoomba Street: Paragon Cafe, Katoomba * Katoomba, Main Western railway: Katoomba railway station * Katoomba, 10-16 Panorama Drive: Lilianfels, Katoomba * Lawson, Main Western railway: Lawson railway station * Leura, 37 – 49 Everglades Avenue: Everglades, Leura * Linden, 91 – 111 Glossop Road: Linden Observatory Complex * Linden, off Railway Parade: Cox's Road and Early Deviations - Linden, Linden Precinct * Medlow Bath, Beauchamp Road: Medlow Dam * Medlow Bath, Great Western Highway: Medlow Bath railway station * Mount Victoria, Main Western railway:

Mount Victoria railway station Mount Victoria railway station is a heritage-listed former barracks and now staff accommodation, guest accommodation, railway signal box and railway station located on the Main Western line in Mount Victoria in the City of Blue Mountains loc ...

* Mount Victoria, Mount York Road (off): Cox's Road and Early Deviations - Mount York, Cox's Pass Precinct * Mount Wilson, 68-78 The Avenue: Wynstay Estate * Springwood, 345-347 Great Western Highway: Christ Church Anglican Church, Springwood * Springwood, 39 Hawkesbury Road: Buckland Convalescent Home * Springwood, Main Western railway: Springwood railway station * Valley Heights, 110 and 112 Green Parade: Valley Heights railway gatehouse * Valley Heights, Main Western railway: Valley Heights railway station * Warragamba, Coxs River Arms: Coxs River track * Wentworth Falls, 63-67 Falls Road: Davisville, Wentworth Falls * Wentworth Falls, 1-15 Matcham Avenue: Weatherboard Inn archaelological site * Woodford, 90-92 Great Western Highway: Woodford Academy * Woodford, Old Bathurst Road: Cox's Road and Early Deviations - Woodford, Old Bathurst Road Precinct * Woodford, The Appian Way (off): Cox's Road and Early Deviations - Woodford, Appian Way Precinct

Sister cities

The City of Blue Mountains has sister city relationships with the following cities: *

Sanda, Hyōgo is a Cities of Japan, city located in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 108,452 in 47,018 households and a population density of 520 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Sanda City is ...

, Japan *

Flagstaff, Arizona Flagstaff ( ), known locally as Flag, is the county seat of Coconino County, Arizona, in the southwestern United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 76,831. Flagstaff is the principal city of the Coconino Cou ...

, US

References

External links

Blue Mountains City Council official website

Blue Mountains Tourism official website

Blue Mountains Library official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blue Mountains, City Of Cities in New South Wales Cittaslow Communities in the Blue Mountains (New South Wales) Local government areas in Sydney Local government areas of New South Wales