Editing Katoomba (section)

== People and culture ==
[[File:The Three Sisters - panoramio.jpg|thumb|The Three Sisters, a well-known rock formation on the south edge of Katoomba]]
[[File:Katoomba 03.jpg|alt=|thumb|Shops in Katoomba]]
[[File:Katoomba 3.jpg|thumb|Katoomba from Civic Place]]
[[File:Katoomba Winter Magic Festival 2005 - Katoomba Street.jpg|thumb|Katoomba during a winter festival]]
[[File:Wollumai Lookout - panoramio.jpg|thumb|A panoramic view of Wollumai Lookout, at Katoomba.]]
The area's scenery and art deco-style shops and houses attract an alternative subculture. Many poets, artists and environmentalists reside in Katoomba and the Blue Mountains generally, and the town hosts the Winter Solstice festival, [[Winter Magic Festival|Winter Magic]], that features local talent, art and handicraft. The festival was established in 1994 to provide a local focus for the Blue Mountains-wide Yulefest. Yulefest is a long-running tourism initiative that promotes Northern Hemisphere-style [[Christmas]] celebrations during the Australian winter months June to August.

Novelist and historian [[Eleanor Dark]] (1901–1985) lived in Katoomba with her husband Eric Dark from 1923 until her death. The couple's home "Varuna" is now [[Varuna, The Writers' House]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.varuna.com.au/ | title=Varuna – The Writers House | access-date=15 May 2008 | archive-date=15 May 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080515211209/http://www.varuna.com.au/ | url-status=live }}</ref> In 1921, production house duo [[Raymond Longford]] and [[Lottie Lyell]] filmed ''[[The Blue Mountains Mystery]]'' in part around the town centre. [[Ursula Dubosarsky]]'s 1991 time-travel novel ''Zizzy Zing'' is set in Katoomba in 1938, at the time of the [[Sesquicentenary]].<ref>Australian Bookseller and Publisher 1 August 1991</ref>
Poet and author, [[Steven Herrick]] wrote a novel, 'The Bogan Mondrian' located in modern-day Katoomba. His verse-novel, 'love, ghosts and nose-hair' is also set in the town.

[[Blues]] musician [[Claude Hay]] is also a resident of Katoomba, having built his home and recording studio on the outskirts of town. Both of Hay's albums, 2007's ''[[Kiss The Sky (album) Claude Hay|Kiss the Sky]]'' and 2010s ''[[Deep Fried Satisfied]]'' were recorded in Katoomba, with the latter earning Hay critical acclaim and a No. 1 on the [[Roots Music Report]] Australian chart and No. 21 for airplay worldwide in October 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rootsmusicreport.com/index.php?page=charts&name=blues |title=October 8, 2010 |publisher=Rootsmusicreport.com |date=10 August 2012 |access-date=17 August 2012 |archive-date=27 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120727220926/https://www.rootsmusicreport.com/index.php?page=charts&name=blues |url-status=live }}</ref>

In addition to its alternative sub-culture, the area is home to a large number of culturally diverse families and has a significant [[Aboriginal Australian|Aboriginal]] population. [[Catalina Park]], commonly known as the Gully, was declared an Aboriginal Place in May 2002. It is an [[ecological]]ly and [[culturally sensitive]] area with a long history of occupation by the [[Gandangara people|Gundungarra]] and [[Darug people|Darug]] tribes.

The Gundungurra Tribal Council Aboriginal Corporation, which is based in Katoomba, is a not-for-profit organization representing the Gundungurra [[traditional owners]], promoting heritage and culture and providing a support for Gundungurra people connecting back to Country. Gundungurra Tribal Council Aboriginal Corporation has had a registered Native Title Claim since 1995 over their traditional lands which include the Blue Mountains and surrounding areas.

Katoomba is the home of local [[community radio]] station [[89.1 Radio Blue Mountains]]. The local cinema is called The Edge, located on the Great Western Highway.

Since 2014, Katoomba has hosted the biennial [[Vertical Film Festival]]. There is also a live entertainment scene in Katoomba, with a wide range of music on offer at various venues, and theatre.

===Demographics===
At the 2021 census, the suburb of Katoomba recorded a population of 8,268.  Of these:<ref name="autogenerated1"/>
* Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 3.3% of the population.
* The most common ancestries were English 42%, Australian 31.1%, Irish 17.6%, Scottish 13.9% and German 6%.
* 73.3% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth was England 5.6% and New Zealand 2.0%.
* 86% of people spoke only English at home.
* The most common responses for religion were No Religion 55.4%, Catholic 12.4% and Anglican 9.5%.
* The median age was 48 years, compared to the national median of 38 years. Children aged under 15 years made up 13.8% of the population (national average is 18.2%) and people aged 65 years and over made up 23.6% of the population (national average is 17.2%).
* The median household weekly income was $1,171, compared to the national median of $1,746.
* 55.4% of households were family households, 39.5% were single-person households and 5.1% were group households. The average household size was 2.1 people.