Soft Glow of Evening – Megalong Valley

Description

Original artwork by John Bradley.

The painting was created from a small sketch I did on site some 30 years ago. It was an early summer evening with a little dust in the air from the dirt road and the sun was striking down through this atmospheric scene, creating a glow which was reflected somewhat in the road itself.

The Bluffs behind the cottage are catching the last rays of the sun with the lights in the cottage indicating that is very close to the end of the day. I’ve painted the road using mainly palette knife work to emphasise the rough and rustic nature of the road and to keep the viewers eye more into the middle distance. The Megalong valley is part of the Blue Mountains of NSW. It is located West of katoomba. On its eastern side, the valley is separated from the Jamison valley by the Narrowneck plateau.

The name Megalong valley is said to be derived from an aboriginal word thought to mean “valley under the rock”. The first record of Europeans coming to the valley was of Thomas Jones, a Natural History specimen collector, who followed the course of the Cox’s River from Hartley to Burragorang in 1818. The first land was taken up in 1838 by settlers who travelled from Burragorang and Camden NSW. Later in the 19th century an oil shale mine was operated by one J.B. North which was functional from 1886 to 1896 until the reserves were exhausted.

Today the valley is still used for farming, but tourism has increased since the historic 6 foot track was restored. This track was marked out in the 19th century as a bridle trail from katoomba to Jenolan caves. It begins at the Explorers Tree in katoomba, goes down through Nellies Glen, passes the site of the former Megalong village and then continues across Megalong Valley to Cox’s river. On the other side of the river, the trail crosses some ranges before reaching Jenolan Caves road. It then heads South to finish at Jenolan.