8 minute read
Hartley Region
As in Tibet, the Blue Mountain is a highland full of green pastures. Although there are not many Tibetans in Blue Mountains, we have a small and harmonious Tibetan community. In Katoomba, there is a The Tibetan Kitchen restaurant serving Tibetan food and culture in Katoomba Street, directly opposite the train station.
With the advent of Covid, Australia and the world has also been impacted by many challenges especially for small business owners like souvenir stores, cafes and restaurants. A young married Tibetan couple opened The Tibet Kitchen just before the bushfires and Covid at the beginning of 2020. They have encountered and overcame numerous challenges especially with the language barrier. With the support of the local council and Tibetan community, along with their own diligence and hard work, they have overcome these obstacles and are feeling hopeful for the future.
In The Tibet Kitchen there are many Tibetan delights, on the menu are homemade Tibetan momo, Tibetan thentuk (handmade noodles), natural Tibetan butter tea, the photo of His Holiness The Dalai Lama on the wall, Tibetan spiritual music and more. All this kindles fond memories of Tibetan cultural heritage and their peaceful motherland.
When customers visit The Tibet Kitchen, many feel relaxed and at home. For those who have visited the Himalayas, they feel even more so. If you ever visit the Blue Mountains and want to experience traditional Tibet, The Tibet Kitchen is the place. The community is proud of the positivity and diligence of this Tibetan couple.
The Tibet Kitchen, 10 Katoomba St, 0406 122 623
In the Blue Mountains there is also Yeshikhorlo Tibetan Buddhism Association Australia. Yeshikhorlo (wheel of wisdom) is a non-profit association that upholds Tibetan Buddhism and the preservation of Tibetan language, which is founded by Khenpo Tsering Tashi. Tsering Tashi is a Tibetan writer, buddhist and meditation teacher as well as translator.
This association organizes Buddha’s Birthday (Vesak Day) yearly, regularly teaches Buddhism classes, weekends meditation retreats, Tibetan cultural classes and sponsors unprivileged souls.
Due to Covid, Yeshikhorlo has introduced more online classes and has also opened a new channel on YouTube called Rongzom Buddhist Channel (named after a Tibetan Dzogchen Master) to share the wisdom of Buddha’s teachings as well as preservation of Tibetan buddhism, language and culture for future generations.
There are also celebrations of His Holiness The Dalai Lama’s Birthday, The Tibetan New Year and Buddha Day with the support and participation of the local Tibetan Community. The hope and aim of Yeshikhorlo association is to become the hub for Tibetans in Sydney in the preservation of the Tibetan culture, religion, arts and language.
On top of that, in Blue Mountains, there is also the Kunsang Yeshe Retreat Center as well as two other Tibetan owned businesses—The Three Sisters Tibetan Antique & Cultural Shop and The Ama Cafe which are both located on Katoomba Street. In these shops glimpses of Tibetan spirit and lifestyle in Blue Mountains can be experienced. Tashi Delek! (Blessings in Tibetan). Yeshikhorlo Tibetan Buddhist Association. YouTube: Rongzompa Buddhist Channel & Beautiful monastery in Tashi’s home town
(above) Hartley historic village (below) Kanimbla Valley view from Pulpit Rock, Mt Victoria Page 39: (top right) Caves House, Jenolan Caves (centre) Lennox bridge at Glenbrook (bottom right) Mt Victoria railway station For well over one hundred and thirty years, countless visitors have been heading to the Blue Mountains to breathe in the wonder provided by one million hectares of World Heritage Listed National Parkland. It’s a unique region filled with incredible natural beauty and fascinating towns, each with their own stories to tell. As well as satisfying a need to see some of the region’s main attractions – the Three Sisters and Scenic World in Katoomba, Govetts Leap Lookout in Blackheath, the botanic gardens at Mount Tomah and Jenolan Caves to the west – people soon fall in love with the historic villages that run from Lapstone through to Mount Victoria and beyond. If you have a week or longer to spend in the region, it’s highly recommended that you take time getting to know some of the villages that don’t have a high profile but are filled with hidden treasures and friendly folk. Here follows a small sample. Glenbrook is located just seventy kilometres from Sydney, at the top of the M4 Motorway. The Blue Mountains Visitor Information Centre is located here and features a map of the Greater Blue Mountains Drive, which covers twelve hundred kilometres of major connecting roads and eighteen Discovery Trails. There are numerous parks, walking tracks and lookout points dotted around the village, including Nepean Lookout and the Woodford to Glenbrook Track, a hotspot for mountain-bikers. Faulconbridge is well known for being the place artist Norman Lindsay called home. Along with the delightful Norman Lindsay House, be sure to visit Faulconbridge Point – it’s a secluded spot that provides mesmerising views across the Grose River to Bilpin and Mount Tomah. Also stop off at Jackson Park to see the striking Corridor of Oaks, where every Australian Prime Minister since 1933 has planted a tree. Lawson is set in the Mid Blue Mountains and named for Lieutenant William Lawson, the famous explorer. This small village features numerous walking tracks that lead you directly to the area’s natural beauty – Dantes Glen, Fairy Falls, St. Michaels Falls, Empire Pass, Echo Bluff and Frederica Falls are all noteworthy. Wentworth Falls originally known as”Weatherboard” started it’s history as a track-side inn for travellers on the Bathurst road. Now a beautiful town with numerous attractions, foremost of which is natural beauty with numerous rewarding bushwalks all featuring dramatic water features. The village is pretty and includes a number of interesting businesses, Lamdha Books with a superb collection of pre-loved and antiquarian editions, Schwarzes wonderful bakery, and Rotate Interiors exhibiting style and quality from the past. A small township with a giant heart, Mount Victoria sits at an elevation of 1064 metres and is the gateway to the Central West and Hawkesbury regions. As well as being the western most village in the Blue Mountains, it’s home to the highest point in the Blue Mountains – One Tree Hill, Mount Victoria’s original name. There’s also plenty of natural beauty to encounter here. As you enter the village from the east, a right turn leads
to Victoria Falls Lookout, which offers a commanding view over Victoria Creek and leads down to Silver Cascades – the ideal spot for a refreshing summer dip. Mount Piddington provides views across Kanimbla Valley, and a drive down Kanimbla Valley Road reveals a series of walking tracks that direct you to Pulpit Rock, Bede’s Lookout, Reinitz Pass and Ross Cave. It’s also worth venturing to Mount York Lookout to enjoy a stunning view down to Hartley Valley and see a monument dedicated to the early explorers who arrived at this exact point. Mount Victoria also offers some good accommodation choices. Cedar Lodge Cabins offers self-contained accommodation with a range of cabins with spas, romantic or larger family cabins, this facility offers quiet comfort and large lounge and games rooms for guest use all in a beautiful tall-treed bush environment. 02 4787 1256 www.cedarlodgecabins.com.au Located at the western extreme of the Blue Mountains region, in the central tablelands, Oberon sits at 1113 metres above sea level, and its beautiful surrounds were inhabited by the Wiradjuri people for many thousands of years prior to European settlement. Today around two thousand five hundred people call Oberon home, and its primary industries are agriculture, forestry and wood products. Peas, potatoes and Brussels sprouts are all grown here. This productive town is also renowned for excellent trout fishing – which can be done at both Lake Oberon (canoeing and kayaking now open) and The Reef Reserve. Surrounded by quaint villages and bustling towns, along with a unique mix of national parks, state forests and rolling hills, Oberon makes a great base for day tripping. In winter you can hunt for truffles, go mushrooming in local forests and may even see some snow. Don’t leave the region without seeing two of nature’s most magnificent gifts: • Kanangra-Boyd National Park: This pristine environment is where you will find the cascading Kanangra Falls and the Kanangra Walls Lookout – it offers stunning views across sprawling valleys and peaks and is equally as spectacular as the more famous lookouts in Katoomba, Blackheath and Leura. The Plateau Walk takes you around Kanangra Tops and you can walk down into the Kowmung River valley, but only if you have plenty of bushwalking experience. • Jenolan Caves: Just 29 kilometres from Oberon, on a good road, you can explore Australia’s most spectacular limestone caves. If you’re around during winter, book in for Yulefest at Caves House and enjoy a Christmas feast with all the trimmings and the children meet Santa in a cave! Another village definitely worth a visit include Mount Wilson off the Bells Line of Road and easily accessed via the Darling Causeway at Mount Victoria and Hartley at the foot of Victoria Pass west of Mount Victoria.
