LostMtns’s new guidebooks – Camp and Swim – are more than just pretty covers and easy-to-follow maps – they are a push for mental and physical wellbeing, safe and sustainable tourism, and a greater appreciation for the Blue Mountains.
The Weekender spoke to anonymous photographer and explorer LostMtns about their mission, and why they maintain anonymity while pushing a strong, positive message.
“We live in an age where people just want fame for 15 seconds of glory, and when you’re trying to promote a place and a community and boost the local economy, you can’t do that when all you’re doing is trying to promote your own face,” the anonymous adventurer explained.
“We came up with the slogan, ‘Places not faces’, and it allows us to promote the Blue Mountains National Park rather than promote the faces behind it.”
Each guidebook features 256 pages of camping and swimming locations within the Blue Mountains and QR codes linking to live maps. Each location comes with ratings and key information, and the book also includes advice on equipment and camping recipes.
“It took about four years to put all the locations together,” LostMtns exclaimed.
“It wasn’t a case of trying to get to as many places as possible in the books; we handpicked everything and we tried to space things out because we didn’t want one spot to get overly crowded and for the area to be ruined.
“The Blue Mountains is a big place and there is plenty of room for everybody to adventure and explore. The places we included took a really long time to get to, to document, and then to hook up the tech that’s behind it with the online maps.”
In addition to creating guidebooks, LostMtns runs the two most popular Blue Mountains social media accounts on Instagram – @lostmtns and @bluemtns_explore – alongside the majority Katoomba-born, mountain-raised LostMtns team.
“Around 2020, things really kicked into gear for us when the bushfires ripped through and COVID hit,” LostMtns said.
“We saw how much the local region was suffering, so we thought we would use the power of social media to make a positive impact and show people how beautiful this place is.
“Not only that, but we were also inspired by the fact that nature is such a huge component in good mental health. With that in mind, we decided to advocate the importance of the outdoors and the Blue Mountains because we wanted to help people.”
The team have since won awards for their work in the tourism and media industries.
“We try very hard to advocate safe exploration,” LostMtns explained.
“We don’t want people to explore outside of their comfort zone, but we do want people to get off the couch, get outside, go for a walk, go to their local café for a coffee, or walk to a clifftop and enjoy the view.”
Last year, the team ventured outside the Blue Mountains and visited the Dolomites in Italy for an incredible adventure and some insight.
“We took note of the fact that they have 65-million visitors every year, but they have no rubbish and no problems with over-tourism,” the explorer stated.
“We were so fascinated by it, and we spent quite a bit of time there to research and understand how they run things and how they promote safe adventuring and taking your rubbish with you. When we came home, we started to apply that.”
Despite their journey through the Italian mountain range, the team can’t get enough of the Blue Mountains.
“It’s a UNESCO World Heritage National Park and it’s 80 minutes from an international airport,” LostMtns pointed out.
“I spoke to a film crew from Los Angeles recently who film for National Geographic, and they told us they can’t find another national park that’s as close to an international airport as the Blue Mountains. You can land in Sydney and spend two hours on a train to be in a national park - not to mention it’s a national park that you can live in!
“For us, what makes the Blue Mountains unique is the beautiful hidden vistas, waterholes, campsites, canyons, places to climb and run – all the activities – but it’s appeal also comes from how accessible it is to Sydney.
“I think adventure is the best gift that you can give anybody,” LostMtns finalised.
Find out more online at https://lostmtns.com.
Ally Hall joined the Western Sydney Publishing Group in 2024, and focuses on entertainment and community stories. She is a graduate of the University of South Australia.