Three Sisters, Australia
Tuesday, 24th June 2008 by Alex Turnbull
Here in New South Wales, one of the most popular sights are the famous Three Sisters - three spectacular rock pinnacles which tower over the Jamison Valley in the Blue Mountains.
The rock spires are named Meehni (922 m), Wimlah (918 m), and Gunnedoo (906 m) and the view of them from the nearby observation platform at Echo Point is pretty dramatic. Apparently there's a metal staircase here that leads down to the valley which is made up of 1,000 individual steps.1
The Blue Mountains aren't actually a range of mountains, but rather a vast plateau - with cliffs up to 760 metres high. There is truth in the "blue" part though - when viewed from a distance, the valley seems filled with an eerie blue haze that can also be seen in photos.
It's widely believed that the blue colour has something-or-other to do with evaporating oil from the Eucalyptus trees that swamp the valleys, but in fact the hue is down to a process known as Mie Scattering which occurs when UV radiation is scattered by atmospheric particles.2
Read more about The Three Sisters, Jamison Valley, the Blue Mountains and Katoomba Scenic Railway at Wikipedia.
Thanks to Mr. Stokes and Glenn Baker.
About the author
Alex has decided that his title will be Senior Vice President of Stuff.
I’ve climbed up and down those 1000 steps, and I can attest to them all being there. It is so weird going down them: you keep thinking they’re going to end, but they don’t!
But wow, what a cool place to hike around. From up above it looks like the United State’s Grand Canyon got covered in trees.
my (now) wife walked down those stairs in boots with a little heel on them.. she was sore for 3 days!
We made a day trim to the Blue Mountains from Sydney in November last year. We had bad luck with the weather though: the thickest mist I’ve ever seen!. Couldn’t see further than 2 meters. 🙁 Hope I can come back one day, because hiking – even in the mist – was great.
PS: The Three Sisters legend is a myth?!
It’s a truly spectacular place. A lot of people hike to the “ruined castle” some way off to the site…the whole region is a really gorgeous area.
the other side of the plateau is actually more dramatic in my view – and far less packed with tourists. Head to the next town after Katoomba, Blackheath. The less traveled road to the north ‘Bells Line of Road’ is much quieter and very spectacular. Also, get the train to Katoomba or Blackheath rather than drive,. The route is pretty amazing, especially at the start of the mountains.
Here’s a brilliant look out point https://www.googlesightseeing.com/maps?p=&c=&t=h&hl=en&ll=-33.628096,150.311798&z=19
I think the jury is still out a bit on what causes the blue light – while Wikipedia says Mie scattering, others say Rayleigh scattering, while others again says it is the eucalypt after all.