There’s a certain “couture” unique to our region - an “edgy” , eclectic mix of strong colours and layers,  with a pooling of eras from vintage through to retro and beyond interspersed with art clothing, thanks to the wealth of textile artists living here in this Inaugural City of The Arts!

Well-known dressmaker and textile artist Dawn Wigge describes this “style” as . . .  ”not seasonal where items are grabbed because they’re trendy for the moment and then discarded:  It’s more a brooding, deep-seated creative individualism, where people make statements with their style, allowing experimentation with colour, for example.  Clothing becomes a drama”.

Slow Food Blue Mountains and Cittaslow Katoomba Blue Mountains have just produced a  SLOW SHOPPING TRAIL FOR FASHIONISTAS to highlight the Mountains’ unique style and at the same time support  local small businesses, our artists , charity shops   and the environment.  Woven through the Trail are some suggested delicatessen, cafe and restaurant ’stops’ along the way…

Restrictions on the use of groundwater by Blue Mountains residents will continue until March 2010, the Department of Water and Energy has announced.

“Since June 2007, Blue Mountains homeowners have not been able to use groundwater to hose hard surfaces or run sprinkler systems,” the Deputy Director General of Water Management, Mr David Harriss said.

“These restrictions are necessary to ensure that precious groundwater is not wasted.”

The restrictions apply to stock and domestic bores on properties within the Blue Mountains City Council Local Government Area that are connected to town water supply.

They stipulate that groundwater cannot be used for hosing hard surfaces, such as paths or driveways, or to run watering systems, such as sprinklers.

“The Blue Mountains is a heritage listed area with many environmentally significant groundwater-dependent ecosystems, such as the hanging swamps,” Mr Harriss said.

“Groundwater from the region’s aquifers must be used wisely and not wasted.

“The restrictions will help ensure there is enough groundwater to meet the needs of the environment and the community long into the future.”

Mr Harriss said the Blue Mountains council and community should be congratulated for adhering to the restrictions over the past year and a half.

“The people of the Blue Mountains are conservationists who deeply value their environment and their continuing support in following the restrictions is appreciated,” he said.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oitgGEYzU0

In this episode of Dining Downunder, Vic Cherikoff visits Echo Point in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney and drops in to the neighbouring Blue Gum and Leura Post Office restaurants. Echo Point attracts visitors from around the world and offers postcard views of the Three Sisters and out across the Jamison Valley.

Scientists provide the unimaginative explanation that the Three Sisters at Echo Point were carved from the surrounding sandstone cliffs over thousands of years by erosion which can still be seen in action today during a heavy rainstorm as water gushes down between the cracks between the pinnacles.

However the Aboriginal dreamtime story has it that three sisters, ‘Meehni’, ‘Wimlah’ and Gunnedoo’ lived in the Jamison Valley as members of the Katoomba tribe. The three sisters fell in love with three brothers from the Nepean tribe but their tribal laws forbade their marriage. The three brothers did not accept this law and tried to capture the three sisters by force. This caused a major tribal battle and the lives of the three sisters were thus threatened. In order to protect them, a kaditcha man (the tribal magician) turned the sisters into towering stone pillars intending to reverse the spell after the battle. Unfortunately, he was killed in mêlée and the three sisters remain as the enormous and beautiful rock formations until today standing tall at 922m, 918m, and 906m respectively.

After visiting Blue Gum restaurant at Echo Point and delighting in a Wattleseed bread and butter pudding, Vic takes us a short way over to the Leura village and the popular, Leura Post Office Restaurant where chefs Mark and David demonstrate their take on modern Australian cuisine. Drop in for a visit today and enjoy their new menus using native Australian foods. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner daily.

For native Australian ingredients visithttp://www.cherikoff.net/shop

Mayor, Adam Searle with Sharon Trainer, Public Health Nutritionist, Sydney West Area Health Service. The Healthy and Sustainable Food Choices Guidelines will see a change to the snacks on offer from vending machines in Council facilities.

Blue Mountains City Council catering and kiosks will look healthier in the near future after the launch of the Healthy and Sustainable Food Choices initiative recently.

The Healthy and Sustainable Food Choices Guidelines will be used to improve the food choices at Council-operated leisure centre kiosks and vending machines; vending machines at Council facilities; the coffee cart at Kids Kingdom and the Katoomba Council office; and external catering provided for Council.

“The Guidelines have been developed in partnership with the Sydney West Area Health Service in recognition of the need for healthier food choices for our community and the environmental and social impacts of those food choices, from supply to consumption,” Mayor Adam Searle said.

“These Guidelines are an important step towards addressing the important issues of food in terms of our health and sustainability.

“The aim of the Healthy and Sustainable Food Choices Guidelines is to continuous improvement in Council’s food services and food offered at Council functions.”

For further information on the Healthy and Sustainable Food Choices Guidelines contact Jen Guice, Council’s Sustainability Coordinator on (02) 4780 5000.