Bullaburra, New South Wales

Bullaburra is a small town in the state of New South Wales, Australia, in the City of Blue Mountains. It is one of the towns that stretch along the route of the Main Western railway line and Great Western Highway which pass over the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney. Bullaburra used to have a service station but it was demolished in 2008. Bullaburra is an Aboriginal word meaning clear day.

Bullaburra New South Wales
Rhondda Valley
Population	1,300 (2021 census)
Postcode(s)	2784
Elevation	769 m (2,523 ft)
Location	95 km (59 mi) W of Sydney CBD 10 km (6 mi) E of Katoomba
LGA(s)	City of Blue Mountains
State electorate(s)	Blue Mountains
Federal division(s)	Macquarie
Suburbs around Bullaburra: Blue Mountains National Park Blue Mountains National Park Lawson Wentworth Falls Bullaburra Lawson Blue Mountains National Park

Description

Bullaburra lies west of Lawson, and east of Wentworth Falls. The population together with Lawson was 3637 at the 2001 census. Bullaburra has a railway station served by NSW TrainLink's Blue Mountains Line, and a playground. Two reserves, Red Gum Park and Sir Henry Parkes Park, are nearby, Red Gum Park being on the south side of the town. Minnatonka Falls are a feature of the park. Another notable landmark is Rhondda Valley, a large property just west of Bullaburra. The Blue Mountains National Park, which is a World Heritage Site, is situated not far to the north and south of the town.

Bushwalks

A walking track was constructed through the area in 1931. The Railway Department had agreed to supply electricity to the Blue Mountains Shire Council from the power station at Lithgow and a transmission line was put through from Blackheath to Lawson with a track to provide maintenance access. The authorities then decided to promote this track as a walking trail, which was duly opened on 21 November 1931. The surveyor who planned the track was A. Bruce, as a result of which the track eventually became known as Bruce's Walk. It passed through the north side of Bullaburra on the way to Lawson.

A pamphlet was published to publicise the walk, which passed through a variety of scenery, including glens and ridges. However, from World War II onwards, the track was forgotten and neglected. Parts of the track were also blocked off when the council constructed Greaves Creek dam in 1942 as a local water supply. Much later, however, a local walker named Dick Rushton found a copy of the pamphlet published in 1931 and set out to clear and mark the track. In 1980, he led a party of walkers along the section of track between Bullaburra and Wentworth Falls, and in 1983 he created a written guide to the track.

By 1986, Bruce's Walk had come to the attention of two other walkers, Jim Smith and Wilf Hilder, who organised a group of volunteers to clear the track between Bullaburra and Wentworth Falls. In the process, they found many artefacts and features, including signs, shelter caves, seats and picnic tables. This part of the track was officially opened on 24 May 1986, by Alderman David Lawton. The opening was attended by 118 people, including Dick Rushton, who was by then eighty years old. (This opening was condemned by the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Mayor of the Blue Mountains City Council.) Other stretches of the track, from Wentworth Falls to Medlow Bath, were also cleared by the volunteers and opened later in 1986. The track, however, is still patchy and largely without signposts, and is not shown on the topographic map for the area.

On the south side of Bullaburra, Red Gum Park offers some scope for walks, with tracks starting from De Quency Road and Cottle Road. The main feature of the park is Minnatonka Falls, situated not far from the residential area in Boronia Road. Tracks go by the falls and part of the way down the creek that flows from the falls.

• 
  Cottage in Bullaburra
• 
  Minnatonka Falls after little rain
• 
  General store in Bullaburra, circa 1930s
• 
  The same shop in 2008

History

The area around Bullaburra was originally inhabited by the Dharug and Gundungurra peoples, the traditional custodians of the land. They lived in the region for thousands of years before the Europeans arrived. The Blue Mountains were largely avoided by early explorers until the 19th century.

In 1813, Gregory Blaxland, William Lawson, and William Charles Wentworth crossed the Blue Mountains, opening the way for European settlement of the area.

The name Bullaburra is believed to be derived from an Aboriginal word, possibly meaning "place of the wild fowl" or "place of the big birds", referring to the area's native birdlife. The first land grants were given in the early 19th century and by the century's end, settlers began to establish farms, especially in the fertile valleys and on the slopes of the Blue Mountains.

The arrival of the railway, with the opening of the Great Western Railway in the 1860s, was focal in the development of towns like Bullaburra. The opening of the railway station in 1925 encouraged settlement to the area.

In 1914, the Sir Henry Parkes Park was established in Bullaburra.

In the 20th century, Bullaburra remained a quiet community. It became known for its relaxed setting, which attracted families and individuals looking for a quieter lifestyle outside the rush of Sydney. Many residents were involved in local farming, with orchards and dairying being common in the area.

Today, Bullaburra is primarily a residential area and "blue skies" village in the Aboriginal word. It is popular for its natural beauty, with easy access to hiking tracks leading to nearby Wentworth Falls and the Three Sisters. While not as developed as other nearby Blue Mountains towns, Bullaburra remains a part of the cultural and natural landscape of the Blue Mountains.

Transport

Blue Mountains Transit operates one bus route through Bullaburra:

• 690K: Springwood to Katoomba via Faulconbridge, Hazelbrook, Wentworth Falls and Leura

External links

• Media related to Bullaburra, New South Wales at Wikimedia Commons
• "History of Bullaburra", Mid-Mountains Historical Society
• Blue Mountains Tourism
• Blue Mountains City Council