John Merriman, the BMCC Local Studies librarian has uploaded a fantastic set of colour photos of mountains streetscapes from 1983.
Highlights include Golden Fleece petrol stations (48c per litre), Fosseys, Toranas and Kingswood’s a plenty.
Service Stations
Street Views
Blue Mountains Tourism is running a “Roaring Twenties” promotion in the upper mountains and central west in February. It’s a nice idea with dinners, dances, accommodation specials and other activities all themed around the the 1920s era.
One activity that looks particularly interesting is the historical walking tours of Katoomba and Leura offered on the Thursday 10th – Saturday 12th in February. Recounting stories of the time and giving insight into the buildings left behind it looks to be educational and fun. Details on the Carrington Website.
After sitting vacant for over a decade, the old Convent at Katoomba is set for an auction on the 23rd of July.
The building was built as a convent and used as a boarding school before being sold off. The site re-emerged as the Renaissance Centre for a short stint as a tourism/cultural centre before sitting empty since the 1990s.
Regular coverage in the media in 1998, 2001, 2002 and heritage listing in 2003 kept the site in the public eye. If you are curious to see inside and views from around the 4 acres of grounds, check out the listing
Sacred Waters: The Story of the Blue Mountains Gully Traditional Owners has won a 2008 Premiers’ History award. The book was written by local resident Dianne Johnson in collaboration with the residents of the Gully and their descendants. It chronicles the experiences of local indigenous people following the flooding of traditional lands to form Warragamba Dam, and the impact of white Australia on traditional indigenous culture through a local view. The $15,000 award recognises outstanding achievement in the Community and Regional History category.