Mount Banks, otherwise known as Mount King George, is a

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...

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. It runs roughl ...

, 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 the Sydney CBD, and the park boundary is ...

, approximately west of

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. Mount Banks is located from the nearest residential area,

Mount Tomah Mount Tomah is a locality and a mountain that is located in the Blue Mountains region of the state of New South Wales, Australia. The locality is known for the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden on the Bells Line of Road. Description The vill ...

, has an elevation of

AMSL Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level v ...

, and can be accessed relatively easily via the

Bells Line of Road Bells Line of Road is a major road located in New South Wales, Australia, providing an alternative crossing of the Blue Mountains to the Great Western Highway. The eastern terminus of the road is in , 51 km northwest of Sydney, where the roa ...

Geography

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

Grose Valley The Grose Valley, officially Grose Gorge 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 Gr ...

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 George Caley (10 June 1770 – 23 May 1829) was an English botanist and explorer, active in Australia for the majority of his career. Early life Caley was born in Craven District, Craven, Yorkshire, England, the son of a horse-dealer. He was ed ...

, who had worked for the botanist

Sir Joseph Banks Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, (19 June 1820) was an English naturalist, botanist, and patron of the natural sciences. Banks made his name on the 1766 natural-history expedition to Newfoundland and Labrador. He took part in Captain James Co ...

. 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 Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

, 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 In modern mapping, a topographic map or topographic sheet is a type of map characterized by large- scale detail and quantitative representation of relief features, usually using contour lines (connecting points of equal elevation), but histori ...

, 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