Mountains – Over Australia’s Blue Horizon by Alasdair McGregor and published by NLA Publishing, is a photographic celebration of Australia’s diverse mountain ranges.
The book features idyllic photographs that capture the rise and fall of Australia’s dynamic continent – a slightly difficult task as Australia is the flattest continent on Earth. Combining history, facts and stunning visuals to showcase Australia’s best mountains, Alasdair demonstrates the varied elements of our vast continent. The book is dedicated to Alasdair’s ‘firefighting nephew Christopher and his ilk – selfless volunteers on the front line of one ferocious summer 2019-2020’.
Pictures from Mountains – Over Australia’s Blue Horizon
Continental Australia, Kosciuszko Main Range from Mount Guthrie, Charlotte Pass. Photo by Frank Hurley in the 1950s.
Mount Kosciuszko is Australia’s highest peak with many adventurers making the climb to the top from either Thredbo or Charlotte Pass. The summit reaches 2,228 metres above sea level. In comparison, from sea level, the highest mountain in the world – Mount Everest in Nepal reaches 8,848.86 metres.
Mount Wellington (kunanyi), Hobart, Tasmania from the eastern shores of the River Derwent at sundown.
Behind Hobart, lies this unsuspecting mountain that’s often covered with a sheet of white snow. The mountain reaches an elevation of 1,271 metres. Visitors can drive on a sealed road to the very top of the mountain as well as participate in other activities such as snowboarding and skiing.
Mount Wellington (kunanyi) looking down on Hobart, Tasmania
The breathtaking view over Hobart and the River Derwent from atop the mountain. During adverse weather, the observation shelter to the left in the picture is used by visitors to admire the view.
Mount Buller, Victoria, Australia as featured in Mountains – Over Australia’s Blue Horizon
A popular destination for skiing and snowboarding. The alpine resort is serviced by 22 lifts which are able to collectively transport up to 40,000 people an hour. Mount Buller’s elevation is 1,600 metres above sea level.
Hanging Rock in Blackheath, Blue Mountains, NSW
Through the Great Dividing Range and over the Blue Mountains has long been known as the path travelled by early European settlers in Australia on their search for agricultural land. The men – Governor Lachlan Macquarie, Gregory Blaxland, William Charles Wentworth, William Lawson and William Cox all helped to establish the route towards Bathurst, Australia’s first inland settlement.
Thornton Peak, Daintree National Park
Queensland’s fourth highest mountain rises 1,374 metres above sea level. The peak has a deep spiritual significance for the Indigenous Eastern Kuku Yalanji people. An erosion scar was left behind on the side of the peak after heavy rains occurred in June of 2018.
Some of the dramatic landscapes of the Atherton Tablelands in Queensland, Australia
Plenty of rain is recorded in the Atherton Tablelands each year in the fertile plateau. Pictured above you can see the clouds rolling in that help to establish the Atherton Tablelands as one of Australia’s most productive agricultural environments. Constant rain yields a high surplus of produce for the region in Queensland.
Looking down onto the North Johnstone River, in the Atherton Tablelands, Queensland, Australia
The North Johnstone River shapes itself deep in the groves of the Atherton Tablelands. The difficult terrain was the undoing of explorer Edmund Kennedy and his ill-prepared party as they struggled to complete their exploration mission to Cape York after being dropped off initially at Rockingham Bay.
Alasdair is a writer, lecturer and painter based in Sydney, Australia. He attributes the mountains as being one of his many inspirations for his source of inspiration. He also acknowledges the enduring spiritual connection our First Nation’s People have to the mountains of Australia.
The book; Mountains – Over Australia’s Blue Horizon which is published by NLA Publishing, is available to purchase in bookstores across the country as of Monday 1 November 2021.
To see more about our great Aussie mountains, check out our tips for hiking Cradle Mountain.
