Blue Mountains
By: Brianna Urzua
Aboriginal Perspective
There were three sisters, Meehni, Wemlah and Gunnedoo from the Katoomba Tribe.
The three sisters had fallen inlove with three brothers from the Nepean Tribe, but tribal law forbade them to marry. The three brothers wernt happy to accept this law and so decided to use force to capture the three sisters causing a major tribal battle.
As the lives of the three sisters were seriously in danger, a witchdoctor from the Katoomba tribe took it upon himself to turn the three sisters into stone to protect them from any harm. While he had intended to reverse the spell when the battle was over, the witchdoctor himself was killed. As only he could reverse the spell to return the ladies to their former beauty, the sisters remain in their magnificent rock formation as a reminder of this battle for generations to come.
Geographical Perspective
The Blue Mountains is a representation of Australia’s unique and characteristic eucalypt vegetation. It covers more than 10,000 square kilometres and stretches for 220 km from north to south. The Blue Mountains are made up of eight adjoining conservation reserves: Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve and Yengo, Wollemi, Garden of stone, Blue Mountains, Kanangra-Boyd, Nattai and Thirlmere Lakes National Parks. The Blue Mountains have been home to Aboriginal people for at least 12,000 years. This is one of Australia’s largest areas of protected forests.