City of Blue Mountains

The City of Blue Mountains is a local government area of New South Wales, Australia, governed by the Blue Mountains City Council. The city is located in the Blue Mountains, on the Great Dividing Range at the far western fringe of the Greater Sydney area. Major settlements include, Katoomba, Lawson, Springwood and Blaxland.

The mayor of Blue Mountains City Council is Councillor Mark Greenhill, a member of the Labor Party.

Towns and villages in the local government area
The urban part of the city consists of a ribbon of close or contiguous towns which lie on the Main Western railway line, served by NSW TrainLink's Blue Mountains Line, and Great Western Highway between Emu Plains and Lithgow. About 70% of the city's area is within the Blue Mountains National Park which lies north and south of the ribbon of towns. The National Park is part of the much larger Greater Blue Mountains Area World Heritage Site and the city brands itself as "The City Within a World Heritage National Park". The towns and villages are generally grouped into lower, mid, and upper mountains. The economy of the upper mountains is dependent almost entirely on tourism. The road to Sydney, the Great Western Highway, is mostly dual carriageway but is relatively slow due to the urban development and hilly terrain. The electric train service integrates into Sydney Trains, Sydney's suburban rail network.

The main towns and villages in the City of Blue Mountains are:


 * Bell
 * Blackheath
 * Blaxland
 * Bullaburra
 * Faulconbridge
 * Glenbrook
 * Hawkesbury Heights
 * Hazelbrook
 * Katoomba
 * Lapstone
 * Lawson
 * Leura
 * Linden
 * Medlow Bath
 * Mount Irvine
 * Mount Riverview
 * Mount Victoria
 * Mount Wilson
 * Springwood
 * Sun Valley
 * Valley Heights
 * Warrimoo
 * Wentworth Falls
 * Winmalee
 * Woodford
 * Yellow Rock

Current composition and election method
Blue Mountains City Council is composed of twelve councillors elected proportionally as four separate wards, each electing three councillors. All councillors are elected for a fixed four-year term of office. The mayor is elected by the councillors at the first meeting of the council. The most recent general election was held on 4 December 2021.

Cemeteries
The City of Blue Mountains Council maintains cemeteries at Blackheath, Faulconbridge, Katoomba, Lawson, Megalong Valley, Mount Irvine, Mount Victoria, Mount Wilson, Springwood, and Wentworth Falls.

Libraries
Blue Mountains Library operates three full-time branches, three part-time branches and a service for train commuters at Springwood and Katoomba stations two days a week.

Leisure centres
Blue Mountains Leisure Centres operate from five locations. All five locations have pools and the Katoomba and Springwood locations have gyms and offer various fitness classes.

Heritage listings
The City of Blue Mountains has a number of heritage-listed sites, including the following sites listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register:


 * Blue Mountains National Park: Blue Mountains walking tracks
 * Blackheath, Main Western railway: Blackheath railway station
 * Faulconbridge, 14-20 Norman Lindsay Crescent: Norman Lindsay Gallery and Museum
 * Glenbrook, Great Western Highway: Glenbrook railway residence
 * Glenbrook, Great Western Highway: Glenbrook Tunnel
 * Glenbrook, Mitchells Pass: Lennox Bridge, Glenbrook
 * Katoomba, 10-14 Civic Place: Mount St Marys College and Convent
 * Katoomba, Katoomba Street: Carrington Hotel
 * Katoomba, 59-61 Katoomba Street: Katoomba Post Office
 * Katoomba, 63-69 Katoomba Street: Paragon Cafe, Katoomba
 * Katoomba, Main Western railway: Katoomba railway station
 * Katoomba, 10-16 Panorama Drive: Lilianfels, Katoomba
 * Lawson, Main Western railway: Lawson railway station
 * Leura, 37 – 49 Everglades Avenue: Everglades, Leura
 * Linden, 91 – 111 Glossop Road: Linden Observatory Complex
 * Linden, off Railway Parade: Cox's Road and Early Deviations - Linden, Linden Precinct
 * Medlow Bath, Beauchamp Road: Medlow Dam
 * Medlow Bath, Great Western Highway: Medlow Bath railway station
 * Mount Victoria, Main Western railway: Mount Victoria railway station
 * Mount Victoria, Mount York Road (off): Cox's Road and Early Deviations - Mount York, Cox's Pass Precinct
 * Mount Wilson, 68-78 The Avenue: Wynstay Estate
 * Springwood, 345-347 Great Western Highway: Christ Church Anglican Church, Springwood
 * Springwood, 39 Hawkesbury Road: Buckland Convalescent Home
 * Springwood, Main Western railway: Springwood railway station
 * Valley Heights, 110 and 112 Green Parade: Valley Heights railway gatehouse
 * Valley Heights, Main Western railway: Valley Heights railway station
 * Warragamba, Coxs River Arms: Coxs River track
 * Wentworth Falls, 63-67 Falls Road: Davisville, Wentworth Falls
 * Wentworth Falls, 1-15 Matcham Avenue: Weatherboard Inn archaelological site
 * Woodford, 90-92 Great Western Highway: Woodford Academy
 * Woodford, Old Bathurst Road: Cox's Road and Early Deviations - Woodford, Old Bathurst Road Precinct
 * Woodford, The Appian Way (off): Cox's Road and Early Deviations - Woodford, Appian Way Precinct

Sister cities
The City of Blue Mountains has sister city relationships with the following cities:
 * 🇯🇵 Sanda, Hyōgo, Japan
 * 🇺🇸 Flagstaff, Arizona, US