STRIKING IT rich!

The historic towns of Central West New South Wales are gems from the gold-rush days, when some grew to amazing sizes to support the gold diggers in their endeavours.

Beyond the Blue Mountains are some wonderful old towns and villages to visit for a real sense of the history of New South Wales. Gulgong near Mudgee, for example, is a really special place, an old gold-mining town where you can still see the hitching posts for the horses in front of heritage buildings – including old hotels and the Prince of Wales Opera House, where Dame Nellie Melba performed. Gulgong today is the place to find galleries and artists, as well as visit the Pioneer’s Museum to see a wonderful collection of memorabilia.


Mudgee itself is a gracious country town with many fine, heritage-listed buildings, including a beautiful old railway station. History aside, this is a food and wine centre, with excellent restaurants and cafes, around 40 vineyards and cellar doors, and local produce including olives, beef, lamb and honey.

One of the gold towns which grew to enormous proportions in the 1850s was Hill End, between Bathurst and Mudgee, now a ghost town but once home to 8,000 people, with no less than 27 pubs, a number of banks, its own brewery and two newspapers. Sofala was also a gold town and is still inhabited, with a General Store and the Royal Hotel, both built in 1851.

If you haven’t heard of Carcoar you can be forgiven, for it has been bypassed since the late 1880s, first by the railway and then by the Mid Western Highway. This has meant that Carcoar has escaped development and is so well preserved that it has been classified by the National Trust in its entirety. First surveyed in 1838, it was the first settlement to be established beyond Bathurst, and it really is a treat to see it in its beautiful setting on the banks of the Belubula River enveloped by steep hills.

Luxury accommodation & cottages in Central West, NSW

Agriculture and minerals, including iron ore and copper, were the initial reasons for the area’s wealth, followed by gold in the 1850s. Cobb & Co established its agricultural headquarters here and Carcoar became a convenient overnight stay, equidistant from Bathurst, Orange and Cowra.
Bathurst may be a city these days, known for racing at the Mount Panorama Circuit, but take time to look around and you’ll see a range of architecture and historic houses, including Prime Minister Ben Chifley’s house and a gothic mansion. The Australian Fossil and Mineral Museum is the place to see fossils, minerals and gems, as well as Australia’s only complete T-Rex skeleton. Bathurst also has its own cool-climate wine trail and exciting regional food scene.

Orange has earned its place on the wine and food map, with fresh produce and more than 23 cellar doors to visit, plus a microbrewery, farmers markets and great dining. Follow The Orange City Visitors Trail to see the 44 places of interest listed, including the Court House and two-storey terraces with cast-iron balconies and columns.

South of Orange, Millthorpe is classified by the National Trust, with fine historic buildings and cobbled, bluestone-bordered streets.

Gaskill Street in the hot-air ballooning capital of Canowindra to the south-west follows the line of an old bullock track and has verandahs and old buildings in a section classified as a Heritage Preservation Area by the National Trust. Maps and trail guides are all available at local Visitor Information Centres to help you find your way around.