The Blue Mountains Series: A swamp on a hillside? That’s impossible!

Added: 2026-06-03

The Wentworth Falls Hanging Swamp in the Blue Mountains, Australia, is an ancient wetland ecosystem that has been forming since the last Ice Age nearly 20,000 years ago. This remarkable swamp system acts as a natural water filter and holds more water than the adjacent Wentworth Falls Lake itself. The swamp slowly releases water over time, helping maintain the flow of Wentworth Falls even during drought periods. This ancient wetland serves as a critical refuge for diverse wildlife, including Swamp Wallabies, New Holland Honeyeaters, the rare Blue Mountains Water Skink (found nowhere else on Earth), Giant Dragonflies, Freshwater Crayfish, and microscopic stygofauna adapted to complete darkness. The swamp represents a remnant of a much larger wetland system that disappeared after Jamison Creek was dammed in 1878 to provide water for railway steam engines.