Blaxland

Blaxland is a thriving lower Blue Mountains town in NSW, historically significant for its role in opening the mountains to colonial expansion and for its rich Aboriginal and early European heritage.​ History Originally inhabited by the Oryang/Aurang clan of the Darug people for over 40,000 years, the area was named after Gregory Blaxland—one of the three explorers whose 1813 journey across the Blue Mountains established the first successful colonial route to the western plains. The land around Blaxland was among the first granted in the mountains (to Barnett Levey in 1825) and saw early development through farming and land settlement. Aboriginal presence remains visible in local artefacts including grinding stones and engravings. The railway’s arrival in the 1860s spurred the community’s growth as a mountain village.​ Population Blaxland today has a population of just above 7,000 residents, making it one of the main residential, commercial, and transport centres in the lower mountains.​ Attractions Attractions include bushwalking in Mt. Sion Reserve and the Blue Mountains National Park, historical features along the original explorers’ route, Glenbrook Lagoon, and local heritage buildings reflecting both colonial and Indigenous history.