SSP FRI. Katoomba ..The Gully

We are visiting The Gully for the first time
The Gully (Garguree) is an ecologically and culturally significant site. It forms the headwaters of Katoomba Falls (Upper Kedumba) Creek and lies within the Warragamba Catchment, which supplies water to Sydney. The Gully had been a living place for Aboriginal people since time immemorial, with plenty of shelter, clean water and food. In the mid-1900s, as the township of Katoomba expanded, development encroached upon the Gully, and in 1946, the area was turned into as a tourist park. The Kedumba Creek which feeds to the Katoomba Falls was dammed, forming an ornamental lake. The shell of a Catalina PBY-5 flying boat was shipped up on a truck and installed in the middle of the lake, giving the area its informal name. People could pay to visit and play with the airplane controls, while speedboat rides were carried out around it. Tearooms, a miniature train, Ferris wheel, a merry-go-round, swimming pool, as well as a small cinema. Then, in 1957, the Traditional Owners were forcibly removed to make way for a racetrack, the Catalina Racing Circuit. The two kilometer circuit opened in February 1961, and was originally used for top level motorsport including touring car, open wheeler, motorcycle and sidecar racing. However, the mountain location caused problems with fog causing delays in the race programs, also the track was very narrow by today's standards and surrounded by walls, armco railings and hillside. The track became used less with the opening of other circuits nearer to Sydney such as Oran Park and Amaroo Park. In the 1970s the circuit was used for Rallycross, where the cars would use half the bitumen track and a dirt infield section with jumps, like Motocross. By the 1980s the track was only being used for lap dashes with single cars on track at one time and was used until the mid-1990s for this purpose. In May 2002, Garguree was returned and declared an Aboriginal Place under NSW law in recognition of the continuous occupation of the area by Aboriginal People until forced eviction of all residents in the last Century.
We will travel to the Gully (short trip) by bus, 686G (Opal).
We plan to lunch at the Family Hotel, 15 Parke St, Katoomba (near the roundabout, exiting to the highway).