Springwood, New South Wales 5.17

Springwood is a town in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia. Springwood is located 72 kilometres west of Sydney in the local government area of the City of Blue Mountains. At the, Springwood had a population of 8,437 people.Springwood is near the Blue Mountains National Park and the Greater Blue Mountains Area World Heritage Site. It is 371 metres above sea level and, like most of the towns in the vicinity, is located on a narrow ridge between two gorges. Winmalee is to the north. Springwood railway station sits between Valley Heights and Faulconbridge on the Blue Mountains railway line.HistoryThe Springwood area was first occupied by the Oryang-Ora aboriginal clan belonging to the wider Darug aboriginal tribe of the wider Sydney region. Their existence in the area dates back to approx 40,000 years of settlement with many rock carvings & art sites in the area. At the time of settlement the Chief of the clan was Oryang Jack who was drawn by French Artist Pellier (Ref Mitchell Library) Oryang-Ora was also the reference to the area that marked the dividing ridge line between the Darug tribes of the north and the Gundungurra tribes to the south in the Blue Mountains area. In 1815, Governor Lachlan Macquarie and his wife stopped by what Macquarie called a spring. The place was later named Springwood: "Spring" from the springs in the area, and "wood" from the local Mountain Blue Gums (Eucalyptus deanei) of the area. As a town developed, the main street was named Macquarie Road, after Governor Macquarie.