Blackheath, New South Wales

Blackheath New South Wales
The town's main intersection
Blackheath Location in New South Wales
Coordinates	33°38′08″S 150°17′01″E / 33.63556°S 150.28361°E / -33.63556; 150.28361Coordinates: 33°38′08″S 150°17′01″E / 33.63556°S 150.28361°E / -33.63556; 150.28361
Population	4,353 (2011 census)
Established	1815
Postcode(s)	2785
Elevation	1,065 m (3,494 ft)
Location	120 km (75 mi) west north-west of Sydney CBD 11 km (7 mi) NW of Katoomba 30 km (19 mi) SE of Lithgow
LGA(s)	City of Blue Mountains
State electorate(s)	Blue Mountains
Federal Division(s)	Macquarie
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 23.8 °C 75 °F 2.5 °C 37 °F 1,000 mm 39.4 in
Suburbs around Blackheath: Mount Victoria Blue Mountains National Park Blue Mountains National Park Megalong Valley Blackheath Blue Mountains National Park Megalong Valley Medlow Bath Blue Mountains National Park

Blackheath (postcode: 2785) is an Australian town located near the highest point of the Blue Mountains, between Katoomba and Mount Victoria in New South Wales. The town's altitude is about 1,065 metres (3,494 ft) AHD  and it is located about 120 kilometres (75 mi) west north-west of the Sydney central business district, 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) north-west of Katoomba, and about 30 kilometres (19 mi) south-east of Lithgow

As Blackheath has grown, more and more shops have appeared. Various shops from the late 1800s still exist in Blackheath.

The region of what is now known as Blackheath was originally known as East Lithgow. Surrounding areas were thought to be a summer corroboree meeting place for several Indigenous peoples of the Darug, Gundungurra and Wiradjuri nations.

Following European settlement of Australia, the site was originally named Hounslow. After crossing the Blue Mountains in 1815 and returning from Bathurst, Governor Lachlan Macquarie renamed the settlement as "Black-Heath", in reference to the colour and texture of the native shrubbery in the area. Macquarie recorded in his journal:

"This place having a black wild appearance I have this day named it Black-Heath."

The first building in Blackheath, the "Scotch Thistle Inn", was erected by Andrew Gardner in 1831 and Charles Darwin visited the inn in 1836. The extent of the original grant of land to Gardner can be seen today as the area bound by the Great Western Highway, Govetts Leap Road and (the misspelt) Gardiners Crescent.