Author(s): Keith Painter

Blue Mountains

Highest Lookout in the Blue MountainsMost extensive one-point view in the Blue MountainsIn 1882 the NSW Government had the foresight to create the Hassans Walls Reserve. Nowhere else on a drive along the Great Western Highway through the Blue Mountains does one look up at such a line of towering cliffs. There have been many far-sighted residents who have realised what a treasure Hassans Walls is. They have prized it and taken action to make it accessible for others to enjoy and prize this spectacular escarpment.But there have been some who have looked at the area as one to be exploited by removing the coal under the reserve. This has turned into one of the great tragedies of the twentieth century in the Blue Mountains. There is now an enduring legacy of rockfalls, cracked rocks and destruction of natural and man-made features that will probably go on for many years to come. These people have pillaged the reserve. This book documents the natural and man-made assets of Hassans Walls. For over 120 years nature-loving citizens have labored so that residents and visitors can appreciate the natural treasure on their doorstep. Readers will want to be those who prize Hassans Walls far into the future!