City of Blue Mountains

City of Blue Mountains New South Wales
Location in New South Wales
Coordinates	33°42′S 150°18′E / 33.700°S 150.300°E / -33.700; 150.300Coordinates: 33°42′S 150°18′E / 33.700°S 150.300°E / -33.700; 150.300
Population	78,414 (2012)[1]
• Density	54.83/km2 (142.0/sq mi)
Area	1,430 km2 (552.1 sq mi)
Mayor	Mark Greenhill (Labor)
Council seat	Katoomba[2]
Region	Blue Mountains
State electorate(s)	Blue Mountains, Penrith
Federal Division(s)	Macquarie
Website	City of Blue Mountains
LGAs around City of Blue Mountains: Lithgow Hawkesbury Hawkesbury Lithgow City of Blue Mountains Penrith Oberon Wollondilly Liverpool

The Three Sisters, south of Katoomba, in Blue Mountains National Park, are a major attraction of the city.

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 range west of Sydney.

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

Demographics

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, there:^[3]

• Were 75,770 people as at 30 June 2006, the 28th largest Local Government Area in New South Wales. It was equal to 1.1% of the New South Wales population of 6,827,694
• Was a fall of 505 people over the year to 30 June 2006. It detracted 0.9% from the 58,753 increase in the population of New South Wales
• Was, in percentage terms, a decline of 0.7% in the number of people over the year to 30 June 2006. In New South Wales the population grew by 0.9%
• Was an increase in population over the 10 years to 30 June 2006 of 890 people or 1.2% (0.1% in annual average terms), the 95th highest rate of a Local Government Area in New South Wales. In New South Wales the population grew by 622,966 or 10% (1.0% in annual average terms) over the same period.

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. An electric train service integrates into Sydney Trains, Sydney's suburban rail network.

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

Council

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 8 September 2012. Following the resignations of two councillors in 2014, the makeup of the Council is as follows:^[4][5][6][7]

The Council elected in 2012, in order of election by ward, was:

Councillors Williamson and Stock resigned in 2014, and the subsequent first and second ward by-elections on November 15, 2014, saw Australian Labor Party candidates Sarah Shrubb and Annette Bennett elected.^[8][9]

Sister cities

The City of Blue Mountains has sister city relationships with the following cities:^[10]

• Sanda, Hyōgo, Japan
• Flagstaff, Arizona, US

References

External links

• Blue Mountains City Council Website
• Blue Mountains