Blackheath, New South Wales

Blackheath is an Australian town located near the highest point of the Blue Mountains, between Katoomba and Mount Victoria in New South Wales. The town's altitude is about and it is located about west north-west of the Sydney central business district, north-west of Katoomba, and about south-east of LithgowAs Blackheath has grown, more and more shops have appeared. Various shops from the late 1800s still exist in Blackheath.HistoryThe region of what is now known as Blackheath was originally known as East Lithgow. Surrounding areas were thought to be a summer corroboree meeting place for several Indigenous peoples of the Darug, Gundungurra and Wiradjuri nations.Following European settlement of Australia, the site was originally named Hounslow. After crossing the Blue Mountains in 1815 and returning from Bathurst, Governor Lachlan Macquarie renamed the settlement as "Black-Heath", in reference to the colour and texture of the native shrubbery in the area. Macquarie recorded in his journal: "This place having a black wild appearance I have this day named it Black-Heath."