Blue Mountains City Council is excited to be working with the Treeline Lurline Steering Committee and the Katoomba Chamber of Commerce & Community to create a landmark boulevard of trees, seasonal colour, heritage, art and story along Lurline Street, Katoomba.

More information about Treeline Lurline is also available at treelinelurline.org.

Tree planting underway

3 March 2025

From Monday 3 March tree planting will commence on Lurline Street, Katoomba, as part of the Treeline Lurline project.

The first Liquidambar is planted

Twenty Liquidambars, between five and six metres tall, will be planted on both sides of the road between Waratah and Merriwa Streets.

The trees will be planted into long trenches of soil that have been excavated and lined with a honeycomb system of stratavault cells that protect and water the roots from rain while limiting root incursions.

Porous paving between the trees will contribute to the stormwater harvesting for their roots.

The Liquidambars were sourced and individually selected by Jessica Lawn and landscape architect Ron Powell, both founding members of the Treeline Lurline Steering Committee.

Selecting high quality stock was critical to the success of the trees. So is formative pruning and maintenance in the early years. The Steering Committee will work with Council and local sponsors to ensure this happens.

In the coming weeks, new garden beds along this first block of the Treeline Lurline project will be planted, with a mix of exotic and native plants common to Upper Mountains gardens, including an Old Man Banksia tree.

The Liquidambar planting work is expected to be completed by Wednesday 5 March (weather permitting). Additional streetscaping continues with the project scheduled for completion by the end of March 2025.

About Treeline Lurline.

Treeline Lurline is an infrastructure renewal project of major tree planting with underground power lines and whole-of-precinct refurbishment along Lurline Street, Katoomba.

It is a collaboration of residents, business and government working together to rejuvenate the Lurline streetscape and provide a spectacular tree-lined boulevard that links Katoomba Town Centre with Echo Point and the Three Sisters.

Lurline Street is the gateway to the Three Sisters at Echo Point, a premier tourist attraction in the Blue Mountains National Park and the most visited Aboriginal sacred site in Australia. It is also a major thoroughfare for local people moving around Katoomba.

The Treeline Lurline Project was initiated and developed by Katoomba Chamber of Commerce & Community and its Treeline Lurline Steering Committee of local residents, businesses and community groups. The project is consistent with Council's Draft Katoomba Masterplan.

Stage One has been funded by the Australian Federal Government’s Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Program with a $4,004,275 grant to Katoomba Chamber of Commerce and Community.

Blue Mountains City Council is the project manager. It has a joint Project Control Group with the Katoomba Chamber.

Bendigo Community Bank Blue Mountains is a sponsor and community partner and The National Trust Blue Mountains Branch and Blue Mountains Tourism are community partners.

As the public landowner, Council is a key partner and facilitator in the delivery of this important project.

Core elements of the Treeline Lurline project:

Watercolour illustration by David Wardman provided courtesy of Treeline Lurline

• Undergrounded powerlines for the unhindered and healthy growth of the trees.
  
  
• 1.4 km avenue of advanced street trees to eventually form a spectacular arched canopy from Waratah Street junction at the bottom of Katoomba town centre to the Forster Road junction overlooking Echo Point.
  
  
• Seasonal colour and summer shade.
  
  
• Street corner gardens showcasing cool climate endemic, native and exotic plants popular in upper Blue Mountains gardens.
  
  
• Whole-of-precinct refurbishment that extends the world-class design quality underpinning of Echo Point along Lurline Street to Katoomba town centre.
  
  
• Replacement of dilapidated paving, kerb and guttering with state-of-the-art sustainable street infrastructure including drainage with pervious surfaces and stormwater harvested, polished and channelled to the trees and gardens.
  
  
• Active transport facilities linking the Katoomba town centre and railway station to the Echo Point precinct, Greater Blue Mountains Trail and Grand Clifftop Walk connecting to other townships.
  
  
• Street furniture including seating and rest areas, water stations and rubbish bins.
  
  
• Interpretive heritage and art trail that explores the cultural, architectural and garden history of the locality and the sequent occupancy across 20,000 years from First Nations to colonial and post Federation mining, tourism and cool climate gardening.
  
  
• Wildlife habitat corridor.
  
  

Stage One

The Treeline Lurline project will be delivered in stages as funding becomes available.

Funding has been obtained for Stage 1 Works.

Stage 1 Works include:

• High Level Design for the approximately 1.4 km length of Lurline Street that will form the full extent of the Treeline Lurline project. This includes identifying opportunities and constraints that will establish a consistent pattern for the entire street when establishing the Detailed Design, Documentation and Construction for Block 1 works.
  
  
• Detailed Design and Documentation for Block 1 work in Lurline Street – located between Waratah Street and Merriwa Street in Katoomba.
  
  
• Construction for Block 1 work above and below ground in Lurline Street– located between Waratah Street and Merriwa Street in Katoomba.

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