Lady Martins Baths Faulconbridge

[Webguy]

Hi all, does anyone know if this old location still exists and is able to be visited? if so, where is the access to them please.

[Grabeach]

Haven't been there, but it is on my 2nd Ed Springwood toppo map about 500m east of Linden Station. To quote Jim Smith's How to See the Blue Mountains (every one who walks in the BMs should have a copy), " ... climb up to the reservoir, scramble down the stone pile at the back and pick up the track to Lady Martin's Bath, a most curious feature from the 1870s."

There is a good modern photo at http://www.flickr.com/photos/sandy_123/4105519838/ It is also covered in the "Eurama Vision Estate 2005" pdf, that also has a lot of interesting historical info on the Parkes / Stephen / Martin / Badham properties.

Graeme

[kanangra]

Graeme,

Good link. It also explains where the name Numantia Falls probably comes from. I thought Numantia was a place in Spain where there was a Roman seige?

K.

[Grabeach]

Kanangra,

Your right. From the PDF Pg 19, "It (the property) was so named after the ancient Spanish city taken by Scipio Africanus Minor (the Roman Legions) in 134 BC." Another reference - Exploring The Blue Mountains by ME Hungerford & JK Donald (another must have) confirm that this was a siege. The falls would then have been named after the property. I vaguely remember from 20 years back a suggestion that Martin may have had a tourist track cut to the top and bottom of the falls. Unfortunately I heard this after I went there and so hadn't done a thorough search to confirm. Yet another place I must go back to - the list is growing fast.

Graeme

[kanangra]

Martin was Chief Justice of NSW I think.

K.

[DaveNoble]

And the Martin of "Martin Place" of Sydney (and Faulconbridge/Linden). His planned house (mansion) in the mountains was known as "Martin's Folly"

Dave

[Grabeach]

Finished another walk early today, so stopped for a look on the way home.
Access via the reservoir. No gate, but signs saying you're trespassing. Shouldn't be a problem if just passing through. Drop down rhs of the large bottlebrush to pick up the track. The 'bath' is is approximately 3m x 1.5m and over a 1m deep. The water is very clear and free of any rubbish or vegetation. A warm summer's day and I would have been in it!

Graeme

[Webguy]

Hi, may drop in there this weekend if the weather permits. I see it on the toppo maps now, so it is not far down behind the reservoir? Do you have to actually go up to the reservoir or just up that driveway a bit and you can pickup the track nearer the main highway?

Cheers

[Webguy]

I got a chance to head up to Eurama a couple of weeks ago for the first time to have a look at the old place. Interesting comparing to what it used to look like, and even what it looked like just after the big fires to now.

If you are interested, I shot a number of spherical panoramas while I was there, quicktime installed is required to view them.

http://www.roaming-oz.com/index.php/pho ... rical.html

Hope to drop in while I am up there again this weekend, want to shoot some more and have a couple of other features I noticed in Google Earth I want to checkout. Enjoy

[Grabeach]

You need to walk right up to the reservoir as the formed track only seems to start below there. And the bottlebrush I mentioned is actually a banksia! Only a couple of minutes walk from the tank.

Good to see someone doing something innovative with a camera. Unfortunately the advent of digital has enabled anyone to take dozens of often uninteresting pictures and upload the lot of them. I'd rather see quality than quantity, especially with my slow internet.

Graeme

[Webguy]

Hi Graeme

Thanks, looking forward to checking the location out. Hopefully the weather is kind this weekend.

When I used to shoot underwater images, you were restricted to just 36 shots so you had to either be super selective or spend half the dive with no shots left. Now days, you can shoot 1,000's of images on a single dive if you are so inclined. I guess it is best to shoot heaps so you have plenty to choose from but only post what you consider the best.

Cheers

[kanangra]

I've been doing some reading on the net and found out that the baths were the scene of a murder in the 1890's.

K

[Webguy]

Correct, another scene of one of his murders was in an overhang on the victory track and another down Glenbrook way from memory.

[Webguy]

Went up today, what a stunning spot!

[Webguy]

Any other historical places like this that are tucked away you can think of? This one is in amazing condition because it is so tucked away.

[Webguy]

Actually, the wife and I were discussing while we were there, they must have built a track from their house to this spot around the ridge line, I doubt the track down from on top was the access track, or, maybe it was back then... Does anyone know?

[Webguy]

Haven't been there, but it is on my 2nd Ed Springwood toppo map about 500m east of Linden Station. To quote Jim Smith's How to See the Blue Mountains (every one who walks in the BMs should have a copy), " ... climb up to the reservoir, scramble down the stone pile at the back and pick up the track to Lady Martin's Bath, a most curious feature from the 1870s."

There is a good modern photo at http://www.flickr.com/photos/sandy_123/4105519838/ It is also covered in the "Eurama Vision Estate 2005" pdf, that also has a lot of interesting historical info on the Parkes / Stephen / Martin / Badham properties.

Graeme

Hi Graeme

While we were up here again, we dropped into Eurama again, just in the last 2 weeks there has been some new graffiti appear and someone has been burning candles in the big room with the bay window, melted wax everywhere sadly.

I did get time to go checkout the other pool that is cut into solid rock, and then walked down and had a look at what is left of the ornamental lake, the dam wall is still fully intact, though, not a lot of water in it. I then wandered around and found a number of sets of steps cut into the rock, channels carved out to feed the lake, and what is left of the extensive terraced gardens they had.

[Grabeach]

"Any other historical places like this that are tucked away you can think of?"

Not sure if you can call it a place, but something that comes immediately to mind, if only because I was there on Saturday on the the way back from Orang Utan, is the steam traction engine at approximately AMG 524,776.

One smaller item I've always liked was the 'bowl' in Wilson Glen at Woodford. Again, "How To See The Blue Mountains". In the same area, I regret never seeing the Tealby Spa when the Lions Head was still in place.

Graeme

[Webguy]

I think I know the engine you speak of, are you referring to the old timber getters steam engine and boiler?

[Grabeach]

I guess it is. Hopefully the link will get you to my 1989 photo in Photobucket. I've just set it up and don't really know what I'm doing - so good luck!
http://s1054.photobucket.com/albums/s490/Grabeach/

Graeme

[Webguy]

Hi Graeme

No, that is something different to where I was thinking...

[DaveNoble]

I think I know the engine you speak of, are you referring to the old timber getters steam engine and boiler?

That is on the north side of Faulconbridge. I can remember seeing it as a kid - it was quite impressive. The remains of an old sawmill and either a railway/haulage way or cableway to take logs out.

There are some photos of it and more information on this site -

http://infobluemountains.net.au/rail/cable/Default.htm

dave

[Webguy]

Hi Dave, yes, that's the one!