Sculpturing of the Mountains. 299 
" The abrupt eastern margin of the Blue Mountains, 
up which the Great Western Railway Zig-zag ascends 
at Lapstone Hill, near Emu plains, marks the line of 
a similar though not such an extensive fault, by which 
all the country between it and the coast was thrown 
down to its present level — the depression being so 
great that the ocean water flowed into the old river 
valleys, one of which forms the beautiful harbour of 
Port Jackson.” 
The Sculpturing of the Blue Mountains. 
The variety and charm of the Blue Mountain 
scenery depends primarily on the weathering of the 
rocks and the carving out of the gorges and great 
valleys. These have been ably described by various 
authors, and some of their descriptions will help the 
reader to realise the enormous amount of material 
removed in the sculpturing of these mountains. An 
adequate idea of the enormous amount of wear and tear 
that has taken place is just what one should become 
familiar with ; for, vast as is the work, it must be 
attributed to the very simplest of natural causes. 
Dr. Charles Darwin gives us his impressions as follow : 
“The grand valleys, on the Blue Mountains and 
other sandstone platforms of this part of Australia, 
. . . . which long ottered an insuperable obstacle 
to the attempts of the most enterprising colonist to 
reach the interior country, form the most striking 
feature in the geology of New South Wales. They are 
of grand dimensions, and are bordered by continuous 
