Rethondes

We have lived here for ten years and have two small children. It is a stunningly beautiful place to live with four distinct seasons. Autumn is just gorgeous with crisp clear night and warm days. Summer doesn't get anything like the humidity that Sydney does and there are really only a handful of hot days in which most of the town heads for the local pool or any of the hidden waterholes around the area.
Winter is long. The cold is what a lot of people come to the Mountains for and Blackheath is certainly chilly from about April til November. For those of you who are gardeners the local rule is don't plant summer seedlings until after Melbourne Cup day because there are still frosts that will wipe everything out. Most houses are set up well for the cold with heating and people learn to dress for it. The problem with Blackheath is that it gets very misty and foggy, hence it is known as "Bleakheath" and this can get a bit depressing after a while.
It is very much a village and whilst this is wonderful in many ways it can get feel very small after a while. You see the same people everyday and everyone knows what is going on with everyone else. If you want privacy you go to a doctor in Katoomba and the chemist in Katoomba too. On the plus side people look out for other people and are willing to help in a crisis. If a dog is wandering down the street, someone will recognise it and take it to the owner. Teenagers can't get away with much without everyone knowing about it!
The local primary school is small and has a lovely community feel and there are teachers there who have taught three generations of the same family. Most people in Blackheath send their kids to Blackheath Public, the doctors, the mechanics, the physios, the hairdressers.. High School is where it gets tricky. Not many people consider Katoomba High School an option so the choice of High School is either expensive(Blue Mountains Grammar) or far away in Lithgow or Winmalee.
Blackheath has been the slow cousin of Mountains villages for a while with Leura the place to be but it is coming into its own with new cafes and shops that offer things just a little bit different. Weekdays can be slow but the weekends are always busy with tourists and travellers and weekend rock climbers and bushwalkers.
There are great farmer's markets once a month and a community market at the school once a month too.
The work situation is fairly dire. Unless you are in health, community services or small business there is not a lot of opportunities for work in Blackheath. Many, many people commute. Some people go as far as Parramatta and Penrith.
It is a quiet life but if you are after beautiful landscape, a varied climate, small town living and a friendly place for small children then it is great.