The
Three Sisters are a famous rock formation
in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales,
Australia. They are close to the town
of Katoomba and are one of the Blue Mountains'
most famous sights, towering above the
Jamison Valley. Their names are Meehni
(922 m), Wimlah (918 m), and Gunnedoo
(906 m).
The
Sisters were formed by erosion. The
soft sandstone of the Blue Mountains
is easily eroded over time by wind,
rain and rivers, and the cliffs surrounding
the Jamison Valley are being slowly
broken up.
Formations
like the Three Sisters are created when
water seeps into small cracks in the rock,
gradually enlarging them over time to
form large indentations. Eventually, the
Sisters will be eroded away completely.
Indigenous Australian Dreamtime legend
says that three sisters fell in love
with three men from a neighbouring tribe,
but marriage was forbidden by tribal
law. Battle ensued, and the sisters
were turned to stone by a witch doctor
to protect them, but he was killed in
the fighting and no one else could turn
them back.
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