The Kings Tableland is a
plateau
In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ...
, located in the
Blue Mountains in
Wollondilly Shire
Wollondilly Shire is a periurban local government area adjacent to the south-western fringe of Sydney, parts of which fall into the Macarthur, Blue Mountains and Central Tablelands regions in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Wollo ...
,
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
,
Australia. The ridge is an eroded remnant of a
sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...
layer that is approximately
AMSL, situated immediately south of
Wentworth Falls
Wentworth Falls (postcode: 2782) is a town in the Blue Mountains region of New South Wales, situated approximately west of the Sydney central business district, and about east of Katoomba, Australia on the Great Western Highway, with a Went ...
. The Tableland is the major southerly
spur
A spur is a metal tool designed to be worn in pairs on the heels of riding boots for the purpose of directing a horse or other animal to move forward or laterally while riding. It is usually used to refine the riding aids (commands) and to ba ...
of the main spine of the Blue Mountains Range and forms the beginning of the Southern Escarpment, an unbroken series of tall sandstone cliffs which fringes the
Jamison,
Megalong, Kanimbla and Hartley Valleys.
Situated to the west of the locality of Blue Labyrinth, Kings Tableland extends from Bodington Hill south to McMahons Lookout, with views over Lake Burragorang, and further about . The plateau was named by
Governor Macquarie
Major General Lachlan Macquarie, CB (; gd, Lachann MacGuaire; 31 January 1762 – 1 July 1824) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Scotland. Macquarie served as the fifth Governor of New South Wales from 1810 to 1821, an ...
after King
George III
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...
.
It extends southwards from Wentworth Falls and is the eastern boundary of the Jamison Valley. There are also views from several points along the ridge, accessed via paths breaking off the main fire trail. The ridgetop fire trail itself is accessible to 4WD and AWD vehicles in good weather conditions, and is used as a
mountain biking (MTB) route.
Along the way is Battleship Tops, an aboriginal meeting place where ochre paintings could be seen, though these have been damaged by vandalism. A 2007 survey of the area found four rock shelters with paintings and several other sites.
Indigenous significance
A portion of the Kings Tablelands has been
gazetted
A gazette is an official journal, a newspaper of record, or simply a newspaper.
In English and French speaking countries, newspaper publishers have applied the name ''Gazette'' since the 17th century; today, numerous weekly and daily newspapers ...
as a camping and meeting place of significance for the
Aboriginal Gandangara people
The Gundungurra people, also spelt Gundungara, Gandangarra, Gandangara and other variations, are an Aboriginal Australian people in south-eastern New South Wales, Australia. Their traditional lands include present day Goulburn, Wollondilly Shir ...
. The
conserved area includes a sandstone rock platform with extensive grinding and other grooves, a shelter with rock art that has been recorded as being the oldest Aboriginal site in the Blue Mountains region and containing unique vertically engraved depictions of kangaroo and bird tracks.
Modern developments
A road from Wentworth Falls runs north and south along the plateau to the current lookout area of McMahons Point. Before the construction of Warragamba Dam the track continued down the escarpment along a track all the way to the Cox's River area in the Burragorang Valley.
There is a track descending from the western edge down into the Jamison Valley, originally leading to the old (now abandoned) sewerage works below the cliffs at
Katoomba. The abandoned Queen Victoria Hospital is also located on Kings Tableland.
Gallery
Aerial View Queen Victoria Sanitorium Wentworth Falls NSW.jpg, Aerial View Queen Victoria Sanitorium Kings Tableland, 2017
KingsTableland1.JPG, Grinding grooves, Aboriginal site, 2009.
Allocasuarina Kings Tableland.jpg, ''Allocasuarina nana
''Allocasuarina nana'', commonly known as dwarf she-oak or as stunted sheoak, is a species of flowering plant in the family Casuarinaceae and is endemic to south-eastern continental Australia. It is a low, spreading dioecious, rarely monoecious ...
'', commonly known as the Dwarf She-Oak, found on Kings Tablelands, 2011.
See also
*
List of Blue Mountains subjects
*
List of mountains of New South Wales
This is a list of mountains in Australia.
Highest points by state and territory
List of mountains in Australia by topographic prominence
This is a list of the top 50 mountains in Australia ranked by topographic prominence. Most of these ...
References
External links
**
Blue Mountains, NSW, AustraliaAerial video of the Jamison Valley and Kings Tableland.
{{New South Wales mountains , state=autocollapse
Geography of the Blue Mountains (New South Wales)