Category: Bushwalking

Dunns Swamp Wollemi National Park
Dunns Swamp

Dunns Swamp in the Wollemi National Park is a beautiful lake rather than a swamp and is a great place to camp, bush walk or go swimming. Located only 30 minutes from Kandos, it is a great getaway for a day trip or overnight stay. Created by the Kandos Weir, the lake is full of bird life and surrounded by reeds and trees, making it a really beautiful place.

Campsites are available for overnight stays as well as plenty of day visitor parking. The camp site has covered eating areas and toilets available for use.
- Dunns Swamp
- Dunns Swamp
- Walking Track
Pagoda Lookout

As well as the lake, bush walking is available around the area. We chose to walk to the long cave, while looking at the Kandos Weir and pagoda lookout on the way. The turn off to pagoda lookout is about 1km from the camp ground. This short 150m Walk is marked for experienced bush walkers only, so be careful if you decide to do it. The difficulty is because of the steep rock faces, narrow paths and lack of barriers at the cliff faces. The view from the top is great and you are able to see some of the weathered rock formations that look like pagoda temples.
- Pagoda Lookout
- View From Pagoda Lookout
Kandos Weir

The walk then continues along the Cudgegong River, which gives you some excellent views of the surrounding bush land. Several sections of steep stairways need to be negotiated, with two sections also having handrails and chains to assist going up and down. The Kandos Weir is a concrete dam wall and spillway. Unfortunately access onto the dam wall is prohibited, but you can walk to the base of the downstream face of the dam. From here it is possible to take some great pictures,
- Kandos Weir
- The Spillway at Kandos Weir
- Kandos Weir Down Stream
Long Cave

The long cave is only a few hundred metres from the weir, along a flat access road. The cave is really a rock overhang that has the base eroded by the river when it floods. So don’t expect to see a cave. It is still an interesting spot to investigate and take pictures.
- Long Cave Dunns Swamp
- Track to Long Cave
Dunns Swamp is a great place to visit either for a day trip or a camping expedition. There are other walks in the area besides those we did that would keep you entertained.

To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.

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6 October 2018
Newnes Industrial Ruins Walk
Newnes Industrial Ruins Walk

Located in the Wollemi National Park the Newnes Industrial Ruins Walk takes you through the decaying ruins of a once thriving shale oil processing plant. Established in 1902 and closed in 1932 due to the availability of cheaper crude oil, all that remain are decaying buildings and processing plant.

Getting There

The drive from Lithgow to the ruins takes a little over an hour. Road quality varies from excellent sealed road, narrow winding road down to the Wolgan Valley and dirt road for the final 12km. The views from the road as you descend from the top are amazing but, unfortunately there are few spots to stop and take advantage of them.

If your car is a two-wheel drive, it must be left just past the Newnes kiosk, as the creek crossing is passable by four-wheel drives only. Stepping stones allow hikers to cross the Wolgan River and continue to the start of the walk. Allow an additional 30 minutes if you have to hike the extra distance. It is flat and well graded, so an easy walk.

Stepping Stones Over the Wolgan River

The Walk

A locked gate is at the start of the walk along with a detailed map of the industrial ruins. The first ruins are the most interesting, a row of brick bee hive kilns. There are still 13 kilns in good condition with the other 80 odd kilns in various states of decay.

Also in the area are the remains of retaining walls and ruined buildings. It takes about two hours to walk around and take in the atmosphere of the place.

Bee Hive Kiln

Bee Hive Kilns

What Did We Think?

A totally different type of walk in the Wollemi National Park. Who would expect to find industrial ruins here? The beehive kilns are something unique and worth seeing in themselves. Even the narrow winding road in and the dirt road add to the experience of being here.

If time had permitted, this would be a great place to stay overnight and enjoy the national park for a bit longer.

To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.

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5 October 2018
Glow Worm Tunnel Wollemi National Park
Glow Worm Tunnel

The Glow Worm Tunnel is located in the Wollemi National Park. There are several ways to get to the tunnel, but we chose the one from Lithgow and via the Glow Worm Tunnel Road. This option was an hour’s drive from Lithgow with a 20-minute walk.

The tunnel is a disused rail tunnel originally built to access the Newness industrial area. With a realignment of the rail line it was never used. Instead it has been colonised by glow worms and become a tourist attraction.

Getting There

The road in is all dirt and when we used it was in need of maintenance because of the numerous pot holes. At times it is very narrow, and you must stop to let other vehicles pass coming from the other way. The road is passable by two-wheel drive vehicles, but you will need to be careful. On the drive in you pass through some old cuttings not much wider than the road, giving a great additional experience to the drive. You also have to drive through an old tunnel which is even more fun.
- Road into Glow Worm Tunnel
- Road Through Old Rail Tunnel
The Glow Worm Tunnel Road takes you all the way to a car park, where the road ends and the walking track begins. This car park is very small, with limited spaces. We arrived very early and were the first there. When we left, the car park was full, and cars were parking on the access road in, further narrowing the road. One person brought a camper trailer in and had great difficulty turning it around.

Walking Track

The walk to the tunnel is fairly easy, but with several sets of steps to negotiate. Being a National Parks and Wildlife responsibility, it is well maintained. Walking in provides some great photo opportunities as the walkways and surrounding bush look amazing.
- Steps to Glow Worm Tunnel
The Glow Worm Tunnel

The tunnel is stated as 400m long and horseshoe shaped, although it didn’t seem that long to us. Maybe it meant 400m return. We walked through the tunnel without spotting any glow worms, possibly because of the noise made by some people. The advice given about the tunnel, is to be quiet so as not to scare them. The far side of the tunnel was very pretty with a small creek and ferns. After looking around for a while we retraced our steps and stopped half way in. With torches off and after a short wait, the glow worms came out and we were treated to a great sight.
- Entrance to Glow Worm Tunnel
- Glow Worm Tunnel Wollemi National Park
- Far Side of Glow Worm Tunnel
What Did We Think?

We had been worried about missing out on the glow worms but were more than happy with what we saw. Remember to take a torch, be careful on the road and try and be quiet in the tunnel.

To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.

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2 October 2018