Leura, New South Wales

Infobox Australian Place | type = suburb
name = Leura
city = Blue Mountains
state = NSW

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caption = Leura's main street, Leura Mall, looking north
lga = City of Blue Mountains
postcode = 2780
est =
pop = 4,385 (2006)
area =
propval =
stategov =
fedgov = Macquarie
near-nw = Katoomba
near-n = "Blue Mountains National Park"
near-ne = Wentworth Falls
near-w = Katoomba
near-e = Wentworth Falls
near-sw = Katoomba
near-s = "Jamison Valley"
near-se = Wentworth Falls
dist1 =
dir1 =
location1=

Leura is a suburb in the City of Blue Mountains Local Government Area 109km west of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the series of small towns stretched along the Blue Mountains railway line and Great Western Highway that bisects the Blue Mountains National Park. It is 100km by road from Sydney and the train journey takes a little under 2 hours. Leura is adjacent to Katoomba, the largest centre in the upper mountains, and the two towns merge along Leura's western edge. [Blue Mountains Tourist Map, Eighth Edition, 1988, New South Wales Government]

Description

The village centre lies on Leura Mall which is divided at this point by a wide median planted with deciduous cool climate trees. The historic streetscape has been largely preserved, although there is current local concern regarding the development of a three-storey shopping complex on the site of a former distribution warehouse. The historic post office building is now a restaurant, one of several in the village. The Alexandra Hotel offers panoramic views from its back veranda.

Leura is home to many formal, English-style cool climate gardens which provide elegant walks and the opportunity to visit when open to the public in early October each year. One of the most prominent is "Leuralla", the former home of NSW Parliamentarian C.R. Evatt. Evatt was the brother of former Federal Labor leader and UN President HV "Doc" Evatt; his family still owns and manages the property which is now home to the NSW Toy and Railway Museum [http://www.leuralla.com Leuralla.com] .

Activities

A major attraction is the Everglades Gardens, the former home of Belgian-born industrialist Henri van de Velde now administered by the National Trust. The Everglades includes van de Velde's Moderne-style home and 5 hectares (13 acres) of landscaped gardens designed by Danish architect Paul Sorensen [http://www.evergladesgardens.info/creating-everglades.php www.evergladesgardensinfo.com] [http://www.visitbluemountains.com.au/attractions-details.php?atdw=9058732 Visit Blue Mountains.com] .

Natural attractions include Sublime Point to the south which offers 300° views of the Jamison Valley, and Leura Cascades in the southwest. There is a network of tracks that goes from Links Road to Echo Point, taking in many attractions along the way, including the Pool of Siloam, Leura Cascades, Leura Falls, Jamison Lookout, Linda Falls and the Dardanelles Pass, before ascending to Echo Point via the Giant Stairway. The area is naturally popular for bushwalking and photography. [Sydney and Blue Mountains Bushwalks, Neil Paton (Kangaroo Press) 2004, pp.212-220] [ Katoomba Topographic Map, 8930-1-S, Land and Property Information, New South Wales]

Leura's elevation is 985 metres above sea level, leading to infrequent snowfall in winter and a climate that reflects all four seasons distinctly.

The population of Leura was 4385 (Census 2006).

References