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| Visiting the Three Sisters on Our Blue Mountains Tours |
The Blue Mountains are named as such because of the blue haze that’s emitted from the eucalyptus trees that flank each peak. This beautiful region is made up of velvet forests and undulating valleys, as well as a hearty dose of ancient history and culture.
The area is famed for its Three Sisters landmark, a natural monolith that is located at Echo Point in Katoomba. Each year, the area attracts millions and millions of tourists that want to see the stunning display of natural history in action and learn more about the unique heritage that surrounds it.
The History of the Three Sisters
The natural monument has been carefully formed over millions of years through land erosion. The soft sandstone of the structure has been slowly worn away over the years by harsh elements, including winds, rains, and plunging rivers that once characterised the area.
Today, the three natural structures sit proud at around 1,000 metres tall, creating an impressive silhouette against rest of the Blue Mountains.
The Culture of the Three Sisters
The Blue Mountains are an incredibly important part of Aboriginal culture in the region, and the Three Sisters are party to a rich and colourful dreamtime legend that explains how they came into being.
The story goes that the Three Sisters were originally known as Meehni, Wimlah, and Gunnedoo, all of whom lived in the magical depths of the Jamison Valley along with the rest of the Katoomba tribe.
Later, the three sisters fell in love with three brothers who lived with a nearby tribe (known as the Nepeans), but an innate and historic tribal law meant that it was forbidden for them to marry.
In true heroic style, the brothers didn’t accept this law and set about capturing the three sisters. As a result, a messy tribal battle followed, during which the three sisters’ lives were put in great peril. To save them, the tribe witchdoctor turned them each into stone to protect them, planning to turn them back into people once the threat was gone. Unfortunately, the witchdoctor was killed before he could reverse the magic, leaving the sisters destined to remain stone versions of themselves forever.
Visiting the Three Sisters lets you dive into an ancient world of Dreamtime stories amidst a beautiful expanse of natural scenery. There’s a bush trail that lets you wander amongst the huge monoliths, which can be reached via a steel stairway known as The Giant Stairway.
For details about our Blue Mountains Tours from Sydney, please visit our website.
Original Source: https://lastminutedaytoursaustralia.wordpress.com/2018/03/28/the-history-and-culture-of-the-three-sisters/
