What is the history of Katoomba

Katoomba (1017m)

Early names given to this location include William’s Chimney and Collett’s Swamp, their origins unknown. From the mid-1830s there was also The Shepherd & His Flock Inn near Pulpit Hill to the west of present-day Katoomba, where Louisa Meredith spent“a tolerable night’s rest” on her way to Bathurst in 1839.

With the arrival of the railway a platform was opened here in 1874 as The Crushers, the name referring to a nearby quarry operating to supply ballast for the railway line. Goods trains also made The Crushers a regular stop in order to adjust their loads before the run down to Penrith. The name Katoomba replaced The Crushers in 1877, just prior to the opening of the Katoomba Coal Mine.

Katoomba is said to be Aboriginal in origin, deriving from a Gundungurra word meaning “falling waters” which was probably applied by the indigenous people to all the waterfalls in the Katoomba/Wentworth Falls area that drained into the Jamison and Kedumba Valleys. Katoomba achieved municipality status in 1889, becoming the first local government area in the Blue Mountains.

More info here: https://www.askroz.com.au/blog/origin-of-blue-mountains-town-names/

Katoomba – Map