Lithgow Area

A rural paradise

Wind your way down the convict-hewn Victoria Pass from Mount Victoria, enter the beautiful Hartley Valley, a rural paradise dotted with sandstone inns that once hosted Cobb & Co coaches. Visit the National Parks-managed Hartley village for a well-preserved insight into colonial days.

Forty minutes from Lithgow, make another dramatic descent into the sublime Wolgan Valley, nestled between towering sandstone cliffs. Here you’ll find the luxurious Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley as well as the fascinating shale mining ghost town of Newnes, its old pub the only intact building among hidden industrial ruins.

Picturesque Dunns Swamp at Ganguddy campground, Wollemi National Park

Take to wonder at twinkling glow worms in a disused railway tunnel; or take an immersive guided tour of the Wollemi National Park – famed for its secret cluster of ancient ‘dinosaur trees’, the Wollemi Pine – with Wolgan Valley Eco Tours.

Vast & grand

Capertee Valley is Australia’s Grand Canyon, one kilometre wider but not as deep or long as its more famous American counterpart. Here you’ll find spectacular walks, camping and a bird-watching trail, as well as incredible glamping under the stars at Bubbletent Australia. For a bird’s-eye view, take a joy flight with Capertee Valley Helicopters.

Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley, Wolgan Valley

History becomes art

In the heart of Lithgow, explore the birthplace of Australia’s steel industry at the recently-restored Blast Furnace Park; or visit the highest lookout in the Greater Blue Mountains at Hassans Walls, offering incredible 270-degree views across the district. Continue onto Portland where the former cement factory is being converted into an arts precinct called The Foundations, marked by some incredible silo art by renowned muralist Guido van Helten.

Jenolan Caves, Blue Mountains

Nearby treasures

After a year of closures due to bushfires, floods, landslides and viruses, the magical Jenolan Caves has reopened some of its beautiful show caves. Nearby, celebrate the seasons at the beautiful formal garden of Mayfield Garden near Oberon.

Relax at the Japanese Garden & Bathhouse, an authentic experience of Japanese culture, on the edge of Lyell Lake just outside Lithgow. With an onsen-style outdoor hot spring bath, a tea house, a Zen temple garden and massages, the complex also offers unique Japanese-style accommodation.

Capertee Valley, Gardens of Stone National Park, Blue Mountains

Getting there

The Lithgow area is west of the Blue Mountains, a 2.5hr drive from Sydney along the Great Western Highway or via the Bells Line of Road. The Blue Mountains trainline from Sydney’s Central Station terminates at Lithgow – the journey takes around three hours.