 About the area: The Central West is an area which gradually changes from rolling agricultural land into the harsh, roughness of the arid western region of New South Wales. The earliest inland towns in mainland Australia and many significant historic places relating to its gold rush days are to be found in the Central West. The eastern section covers a wide diversity of Australian history from the historical towns and architecture as well as Australia's pioneering past in places such as Bathurst, Gulgong and Sofala, to the food, wine and hospitality areas of Cowra, Orange and Mudgee. In between are many fascinating and varied attractions like the Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo and the Radio Telescope in Parkes, which was used to track man's first walk on the moon. Bathurst was Australia's first major inland city and was the focus of Australia's first gold rush in 1851. Today the city is best known for Mt. Panorama motor racing circuit, which hosts Australia's premier motor car race each year in October.
Bathurst: Australia's oldest inland town, Bathurst is the gateway to the Central West from Sydney and offers a foretaste of things to come for travellers to the region. A vibrant regional city located just a few hours drive west of Sydney, it makes an ideal base for exploring the surrounding area which is peppered with the many small villages and ghost towns which sprung up during the gold rush.
Gulgong
Mudgee and Gulgong: Once a major goldmining centre, today Mudgee has a strong agricultural base, though tourism is growing rapidly, largely on the back of its excellent wineries. Mudgee has also developed as a centre for arts and crafts, particularly ceramics. Mudgee makes a good base for exploring the surrounding region - the quaint, old goldmining town of Gulgong should not to be missed. It is among the best preserved of Australia's old gold towns, having kept alive the atmosphere of those exciting times.
Bushranger Country: Back in the 1860s, the town of Forbes was the scene of a relatively short but extremely dynamic goldrush. Forbes and the surrounding areas became the stomping ground of a number of bushrangers, of which Frank Gardiner, John Gilbert and Ben Hall were the most famous. The site of their most daring heist - the biggest stage coach robbery in Australia, the place where Hall was shot dead, and Hall's grave, are among the many reminders in the area of these famous outlaws and the goldrush that fuelled their activities.
|
Taronga Western Plains Zoo
Dubbo: A strategic transport hub at the cross roads of numerous NSW highways, Dubbo is beeter known as the home to Taronga Western Plains Zoo, where animals are housed in spacious open-range moat enclosures, grouped according to their continent of origin. The zoo, linked with the town's rail service from Sydney, had made Dubbo a popular weekend destination, particulary for families, and for visitors without a car who want to see a bit of rural Australia.
Whungee Canyon
Wollemi National Park: the second largest park in the state behind Kosciuszko, Wollemi National Park is practically without peer as an area for getting outdoors and going advenuturing. Part of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, it contains the largest remaining area of wilderness in NSW. Wollemi covers a huge area, and both short day walks and extended walks of a week or more are possible in the park. Beyond its boundaries, there is an intense feeling of remoteness. Weeks can be spent bushwalking, canyoning and climbing in various areas of Wollemi without covering previously covered ground.
Warrumbungle Ranges: Close to the town of Coonabarabran, the Warrumbungle Range is a dramatic jumble of craggy spires, domes, vast plateaus, forested ridges, towering dykes and deep gorges. 13 million years of rain, wind and ice have eaten away at the structure revealing the skeleton of the Warrumbungle Volcano. A series of walking paths give access to this fascinating mountain range. Maps and trails guides are available from the National Parks information centre.
|
Parkes: Not only is Parkes is situated close to the geographical centre of New South Wales, it is at the centre of the Central West region, making it the ideal place for travellers to set up camp and use as a base to explore the surrounding area. The town's big attraction is the CSIRO radio telescope just out of town which has a visitor's centre. Parkes has adopted the King of rock'roll as its own and prides itself on being the Elvis Capital of Australia. It hosts the Elvis Presley Festival each January and is home to a collection of Elvis memorabilia said the be the largest outside of the USA.
Cowra: the commercial centre of a strong agricultural area that covers horticulture, aquaculture and viticulture (it has numerous boutique vineyards), Cowra has a fascinating military history. In 1944 more than 1,000 Japanese prisoners of war attempted to escape from a local internment camp. The breakout resulted in the deaths of 231 prisoners and 4 Australian soldiers. Cowra has since forged a remarkable friendship with Japan, and there are many tributes to this relationship around the town, including a Japanese Garden and Cultural Centre, Prisoner of War Theatre and the World Peace Bell.
Canowindra: Popularly known as the Balloon Capital of Australia, Canowindra hosts one of the largest ballooning festivals in Australia every April. This event coincides with food and wine events of the greater Cabonne and surrounding districts each year. Canowindra is an historic township with a heritage-listed main street and a collection of art galleries showing works by local painters, potters and artisans as well as the amazing Age of Fishes Museum.
|
Drives: in The Footsteps of poet, Henry Lawson
 Along with his contemporary Banjo Paterson, writer and poet Henry Lawson is among the best-known Australian poets and fiction writers of the colonial period, and is often called Australia's "greatest writer". Lawson was born in a town on the Grenfell goldfields of New South Wales. Lawson attended a Catholic school at Mudgee; the master there, Mr. Kevan, taught Lawson about poetry. Lawson's mother was another strong influence in Lawson becoming a writer. This drive commences in Grenfell, Lawson's home town, and works its way back towards Sydney, visiting towns where Lawson lived or visited that had an influence on his writing on the way.
| Visiting The Region: The Facts |
How to Get There: by road west from Sydney via Great Western Highway through the Blue Mountains. The major towns and cities of the region are connected to Sydney by rail. The lines are serviced by XPT trains.
|
Best Time To Go: The Central West experiences a temperate climate, so there is no specific time of the year to avoid. Summers are warm to hot, winters have cooler day temperatures with some occurrences of early morning frost and occasionally snow.
|
|
|
|
