Mount Banks, otherwise known as Mount King George, is a mountain within the Explorers Range of the Blue Mountains Range that is a spur off the

Great Dividing Range The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills, that runs rough ...

, is located within the

Blue Mountains National Park The Blue Mountains National Park is a protected national park that is located in the Blue Mountains region of New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The national park is situated approximately west of Sydney, and the park boundary is quite i ...

, approximately west of

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

in New South Wales,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. Mount Banks is located from the nearest residential area, Mount Tomah, has an elevation of

AMSL Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...

, and can be accessed relatively easily via the Bells Line of Road. Mount banks,

Geography

Mount Banks is part of the Explorers Range, which is located along the northern escarpment of the

Grose Valley The Grose Valley is a rugged valley in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia. It has been formed by the Grose River, the headwaters of which are in the Mount Victoria area. The valley is located between the Great Western Highway and ...

in the Blue Mountains National Park. The Explorers Range starts at Bells Line of Road and extends along the northern edge of the

. Mount Banks is the first noticeable peak along the range and is found about from Bells Line of Road. It was named Mount Banks in 1804 by the explorer George Caley, who had worked for the botanist Sir Joseph Banks. Caley was the first European to reach Mount Banks. The distinctive thing about Mount Banks is the way the terrain and vegetation change radically approaching the top of the mountain. For the first two-thirds of the walk, the terrain is the triassic sandstone, often seen in the Blue Mountains, with a thin, rough scrub. After this, however, there is a basalt cap which gives rise to a richly vegetated environment with grass and a canopy. Views can be had on the lower slopes of the mountains but there is no view at the top, unless the walker edges down the slope towards the escarpment, at which point there are views of the Grose Valley.

Description

An unsealed road goes from Bells Line of Road to a picnic area about from the junction. At this point, vehicular access comes to an end. From the picnic area, a walking track makes its way approximately to the top of Mount Banks, where there is a trigonometric station. This is above sea level. From this point on, there is a fire trail that follows the Explorers Range before terminating above Zobel Gully. According to the topographic map, there is an abandoned mine in Zobel Gully, but there is no track to it.

Activities

The area is popular for bushwalking, with extensive views of the Grose Valley from the lower slopes of the mountain and from the fire trail where it goes close to Banks Wall, about south of the mountain. Photography is also popular because of the extensive views. There is no authorised camp site at Mt. Banks and camping at this fragile world heritage site is strictly prohibited.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Banks Mountains of New South Wales Mountain peaks of the Blue Mountains (New South Wales)

Geography

Description

Activities

See also

References