About this website
A natural original image of a portion of The Valley in what has long been termed by locals as ‘McRae’s (horse) Paddock’, situated on the western edge of Katoomba in The Blue Mountains of Australia. [Photo: ©2011, ^The Habitat Advocate]
[Artwork ©2007, ^The Habitat Advocate’s registered trademark logo]
Welcome all to this the official archival website of The Friends of Katoomba Falls Creek Valley Inc. (1989-2016).
IMPORTANT NOTE: This website includes TERMS clauses for reasons we explain. All access and use of the contents is governed by these Terms. Anyone who wishes to access and use any content on this website must first read, understand and accept these Terms. To this end, each time a person accesses this website they are required to then click on Archive Gatekeeper Button before each and every access to the website is permitted.
For full details please cross link to our TERMS webpage. It links to the following:
Website TERMS:
(1) >Liability Disclaimer
(2) >Conditions of Use (of Content)
(3) >Archive Gatekeeper (TERMS agreement portal)
(4) >Copyright of this Website (and Creative Commons referencing rules)
(5) >Prohibition of AI (Artificial Intelligence NOT permitted to use any content)
(6) >Privacy Policy – (concerning content/data, images, personal information)
(7) >Public Information (The Valley as Public Land and This Archive as F.O.I. Public Records)
(8) >Our Use of Others’ Copyright Material (for legal review purpose)
This not-for-profit website was created Sunday 15th December 2024. Thus far, it remains a work in progress. It has been created by Steven Ridd, The Friends Archivist, having been a former Working Group member of the Friends of Katoomba Falls Creek Valley Inc. (affectionately: ‘The Friends’) and who continues to be a local resident of (inner west) Katoomba, as with other former members of The Friends.
The website has been established, registered, designed and managed under the legal business entity of The Habitat Advocate: https://habitatadvocate.com.au/. The Habitat Advocate, is a registered business and based in Katoomba since 2001.
This is due to the sad and untimely passing of the The Friends founder, Neil Lewis Stuart in 2016 and then following The Friends management committee’s decision to de-register The Friends as an incorporated association later that same year.
It is acknowledged that this website domain name is rather long, being: https://friendsofkatoombafallscreekvalley.org/. It is deliberately so and accurate in title out of respect to the group’s original name and to those residents who voluntarily served a highly noble local conservationist cause.
Affectionately to members, The Friends became a local voluntary resident group founded by Katoomba local resident Neil Lewis Stuart under his vision, passion, activism and generous community leadership.
Neil’s conceived archetypal logo of 1989 to inspire a local resident cause to save and protect the environmental values of Katoomba Falls Creek Valley [Image: © 1989, Neil Stuart]
This group successfully helped to save and protect this highly valued yet constantly threatened natural valley (immediately adjacent to where they lived) from destruction by multiple threats by invading others, over many decades.
Neil Lewis Stuart (1937-2016) – Katoomba’s community inspirational leader, environmental champion, and passionate local hero of Blue Mountains habitat rights for all. [Photo: ©2015, ^The Habitat Advocate]
Katoomba Falls – to where the entire water catchment of Katoomba Falls Creek Valley naturally flows, thence below into Kedumba River through the Jamison Valley and beyond southward.
Katoomba Falls Creek Valley flows from the groundwaters and headwaters downstream to the iconic Katoomba Falls in the World Heritage Blue Mountains.
This photo shows a portion of The Valley often frequented by local walkers and some with their dogs (on leash). This old permanently closed racetrack has become a local favourite for such passive recreation, and is encouraged. [Photo: ©2017, ^The Habitat Advocate]
A true local spirit of heritage conservation:
This website serves as the official record of The Friends of Katoomba Falls Creek Valley Incorporated [1989-2016] (The Friends), a local resident volunteer community group of Katoomba, situated in the Blue Mountains of Australia.
This website serves to be a backup digital archive depository version (internet Archive version) of the Physical Archive version of the entire records of The Friends and of their considerable and tireless efforts over those 27 years.
This website remains a work in progress. Information and details about The Friends in due course are to be found on this website, in the following category groupings:
(1) This Website – its purpose, content, structure, offerings
(2) Katoomba Falls Creek Valley – its location, description, relevance, values, the conservation focus of The Friends for the 27 continuous years
(3) The Friends of Katoomba Falls Creek Valley Inc. – who, what, why, how, roles, structure, stories, battles over the 27 years
(4) The Archive of The Friends – ‘The Neil Lewis Stuart Archive’ (in Physical, Internet and Digital versions) – in abstract description, nature of the content, user guidelines, organised structure, directory, strategic values, research benefits, residents activist legacy.