Blue Mountains eucalypt forest

Grose Valley from Phillips Lookout.

A landscape formed over millions of years, Grose Valley is just a small part of the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area. This valley has been formed by the Grose River, whose headwaters are in the Mount Victoria region. The cliff face directly opposite from where I stood is over 200 metres in height. Sydney is on the horizon to the left, 80 km in the distance.

Most of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area (estimates up to 93%) is covered by vast eucalypt forests, woodlands and mallee shrublands, with much smaller areas of rainforests, heaths and wetlands. Because of the diversity of the landscape, altitude, geology, soils, climate and fire history across the region, the diversity of eucalypts is very high. There are at least 100 eucalypt species within the Greater Blue Mountains landscape.

The Blue Mountains are so named because on most days there is a blue hue in this area, which can be seen here (and even more so in summer). The vast forests of eucalyptus discharge a fine mist of oil from their leaves. The mist refracts light, which makes the haze look blue at a distance.