<P> Following European settlement of the Sydney area , the area was named the Carmarthen and Lansdowne Hills by Arthur Phillip in 1788 . The Carmarthen Hills were in the north of the region and the Lansdowne Hills were in the south . The name Blue Mountains , however , was preferred and is derived from the blue tinge the range takes on when viewed from a distance . The tinge is believed to be caused by Mie scattering which occurs when incoming light with shorter wavelengths is preferentially scattered by particles within the atmosphere creating a blue - greyish colour to any distant objects , including mountains and clouds . Volatile terpenoids emitted in large quantities by the abundant eucalyptus trees in the Blue Mountains may cause Mie scattering and thus the blue haze for which the mountains were named . </P>
<P> Following European settlement of the Sydney area , the area was named the Carmarthen and Lansdowne Hills by Arthur Phillip in 1788 . The Carmarthen Hills were in the north of the region and the Lansdowne Hills were in the south . The name Blue Mountains , however , was preferred and is derived from the blue tinge the range takes on when viewed from a distance . The tinge is believed to be caused by Mie scattering which occurs when incoming light with shorter wavelengths is preferentially scattered by particles within the atmosphere creating a blue - greyish colour to any distant objects , including mountains and clouds . Volatile terpenoids emitted in large quantities by the abundant eucalyptus trees in the Blue Mountains may cause Mie scattering and thus the blue haze for which the mountains were named . </P>
where did the blue mountains get its name from
where did the blue mountains get its name from
blue tinge the range takes on when viewed from a distance
blue tinge the range takes on when viewed from a distance