Located in the Strickland State Forest, the Ridge to Rainforest Track is a great walk winding its way through the dry forest along the ridge into the gully rainforest along the creek. Mossy rocks, statuesque trees and a planted grove of Hoop Pine are featured along the track, making the walk interesting as the surrounding forest changes.
Banksia Picnic Area
The track starts near the entrance to the Banksia Picnic Area, where a large car park and toilet facilities sit next to covered picnic areas. Several information boards show the various tracks in the area, along with some of the wildlife you might see along the way.
Alternatively the track can be walked from the Stones Creek car park up to the Banksia Picnic Area. From here you are able to return to the starting point via the Stones Creek track.
Ridge to Rainforest Track
The well formed track runs downhill through the forest, which has a changing vista as it changes from dry to rain forest. Several small creeks cross the track, with each having bridges or stone culverts to aid crossing.
Descending from the ridge the ground rises on your left and consists of mossy rocks and boulders.
The track ends at the Stones Creek car park, where you can choose to return the way you came or use the Stones Creek track to return to the car park. We took the second option, so that we walked a different track on the way back. It’s a steep uphill climb but an enjoyable walk.
Alternatively, the Bellbird and Arboretum tracks start near the lower carpark if you want to extend the length of the walk.
Start of the Ridge to Rainforest Track
Stoney Creek Track Stairs
Rocks and Boulders on the Forest Floor
Stonework around a Culvert for a Creek
Sunlight Through the Forest
Boulders on the Side of the Track
Part of the track Descending
Ridge to Rainforest Track
Stand of Hoop Pines
Track Towards the Bottom the the Walk
What did We Think?
This was a very enjoyable walk, because of the varying vegetation and well formed track. Hiking through the while listening to the birds was very relaxing.
To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.
A gold rush in the 1870s turned Hill End from a small rural village into one of the largest inland towns in New South Wales. When the boom finished, the town reverted back to a small village, however unlike other boom / bust towns many of the historic buildings remain. Now heritage listed, the town offers an insight into life in the 1870s, because of its preserved buildings and artefacts.
Located 75km south of Mudgee or 270km north-west of Sydney, Hill End is a great place to relax and enjoy some history. We enjoyed it here because of the many different things to can see and do. Not only are there buildings from the gold rush, but several interesting walks and museums.
Hill End Heritage Centre
Located in a 1950s Rural Fire Service shed next to the General Store, the Heritage Centre offers a self-guided tour of displays that detail the history of the town. The centre contains some excellent photos of life during the gold rush, as well as a model showing the town at its largest. Artefacts and a fire engine make this a great first stop to learn about Hill End.
The Old Rural Fire Service Shed Now the Heritage Centre
1942 Ford Blitz Fire Truck
Model of the Hill End Town
Gold Smelting Pots
Water Bottle
Old Photo of a Miner’s Cottage
Shops on the Main Street as They Used To Be
Hill End Historic Buildings
The heritage listed town contains many buildings dating from the 1870s gold rush period. Unlike other towns from this period, where old buildings were removed, many of Hill End’s buildings remain intact, giving a view back in time.
We walked through town on the afternoon we arrived and again the next morning, before other people were around. This let us enjoy the area both with and without other people around.
While wandering around, we found an old rusty car a petrol pumps, adding to the old feel of the town.
The Road Into Hill End
St Paul’s Presbyterian Church
Hosies Store
Old Building at Hill End
Beyers Cottage Hill End
Robert Northey’s General Grocer and Produce Store Hill End
Sacred Heart Catholic Church
Great Western Store
Old Petrol Pumps
Rusty Car Wreck
Hill End War Memorial Machine Gun
History Hill Museum
Only a ten-minute drive from town, the History Hill Museum contains a huge collection of artefacts from the 1870s gold rush, which include a stamper battery crusher and a replica gold mine.
The collection includes everyday items used by people providing a great insight into ordinary life in the late nineteenth century. There is also what must be one of the largest collections of weighing scales anywhere. Scales formed an important part of the gold mining industry, ensuring that correct payment was made for gold mined.
The Chinese contribution to the area is highlighted, illustrating the diversity of people attracted to the area to mine gold.
Collections of fire arms, locks, porcelain and bottles add to the huge numbers of displays, that go well beyond the normal rocks and mining equipment that mining museums usually have.
Another great attraction at History Hill is the replica gold mine, which you walk through at your own pace. Being able to walk through a mine, even if a replica gives you a great idea of what mining was like here. The exit is fun, with seven lots of ladders to climb to the surface. Of course, if you don’t want to climb the ladders, you can return to the entrance instead. We really liked this!
Not the Entry
Pad Locks
Hand Guns
Collection of Scales
Tools in the Blacksmiths Shop
Gold Weighing Scales
Shackles
Poison Bottle Collection
Bottle Collection
China Collection
Stamping Crusher
Entry to the Son of Hope Mine
Ladders Leading Out of the Mine
Tunnel Inside the Mine
Tunnel Inside the Mine
Golden Gully Walking Track
The eroded banks of Golden Gully are unstable, so take care when walking, rock falls and wall collapses are common. Worked and re-worked by miners workings have become exposed due to erosion, making the landscape seem unreal. Staying to the centre of the gully, away from the walls, we were able to admire the landscape in safety.
Erosions has formed several interesting arches that reach across the gully, as well as several small tunnels running into the banks. These areas are very unstable, so use caution when looking at them.
Golden Gully Walking Track Hill End
The Arch on the Golden Gully Walking Track
Under the Arch on the Golden Gully Walking Track
The Arch on the Return Trip
Small Tunnel
Small Tunnel on the Golden Gully Walking Track Hill End
Valentine Mine
Located a short drive from town, Valentines Mine, the headframe shows where the shaft drops 53 metres into the hill. Next to the shaft is an old stamper battery used to crush the ore removed from the mine.
Access along a dirt track was incredibly rough, although we only had a two-wheel drive vehicle. Recent rain had damaged the track and had it been any worse, we would not have driven it. However, once graded and repaired, the road will be good to drive on. Alternately, you can park your car and walk up to the mine shaft area.
Valentines Mine Shaft
Stamping Battery at Valentines Mine
Valentines Mine Stamping Battery Head
Cornish Quartz Roasting Pits
A short drive past the Valentines Mine turn-off, a small car park marks the entrance to the roasting pits. Here, quartz roasting pits were established in 1855 and have become a significant insight into our nation’s beginnings and how the gold rush transformed the country.
The roasting pits are an interesting snapshot into quartz mining processes, where the ore was processed before crushing.
Cornish Quartz Roasting Pits
Cornish Quartz Roasting Pits
Ruined Building Near the Cornish Quartz Roasting Pits
Cornish Quartz Roasting Pits
Cornish Quartz Roasting Pits
What did We Think?
Hill End was a great place to visit, not only for the historic buildings, but also for several great walks and interesting museums. We thoroughly enjoyed our time here, and would do it again.
To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.
We drove to Cape Banks and parked near the pistol club and helicopter base. This large car park has plenty of space, so parking shouldn’t be a problem.
Cape Banks Walking Track
The Cape Banks Walking track runs past the Westpac Lifesaver Helicopter Base towards the coast. On the way you pass an old fortress before reaching the ocean. At this point you turn right, if you turn left, you will arrive back at the car park.
The track continues along the coast to the New South Wales Golf Club, where a small bridge leads out to the cape. From here you are able to explore the rock platform and the higher ground of the cape.
Bridge to reach the rock platform
Cape Banks Fortifications
Used to protect the approaches to Botany Bay, Fort Banks is an old World War II bunker and fortification complex. During World War Two, it was armed with two 9.2 inch guns, but these are long gone. Sand dunes and vegetation are overtaking the fortifications. Graffiti also covers most of the site, which detracts from the importance of the site.
Despite this, it is still an interesting spot to walk around, with some of the building accessible through rusty doors.
Several old tombstones are stored here, removed from the nearby Hospital Cemetery.
Fort Banks
Fort Banks
Roof of Fort Banks
Fort Banks
Rusty Steel Doors at Fort Banks
Old Headstones at Fort Banks
Rock Platform
Exposed at low tide, the rock platform provides great views over the ocean. Be careful because you need to climb over rocks to get there. Check the tides before going, to make sure the tide will be low. Rock pools and slippery surfaces on the platform mean you need to walk carefully to avoid slipping.
The small cliff face displays some great erosion patterns from wind and waves. The colours of the rocks are also interesting.
To visit the shipwreck at the end of the cape, make your way to the rocks, where the SS Minmi can be seen up close.
Rock Platform and the Wreck of the SS Minmi
Waves Breaking Over the Rock Platform
Eroded Cliff on Cape Banks
Undercut Cliff
Eroded Cliff on Cape Banks
Looking Along the Cape From the SS Minmi
Overhanging Eroded Rock on the Cliff Face
Wreck of the SS Minmi
Located at the far end of the rock platform, the remains of the wreck of the SS Minmi are easily accessible at low tide. Salvage work in the 1930s removed the forward part of the ship, so only the rear portion now remaining.
The SS Minmi was a 75m long, 1,455 ton collier built in Glasgow, Scotland in 1927. It was named after either the lower Hunter Valley town of Minmi, or the nearby Minmi Colliery.
The Minmi’s captain for all of her ten-year service was Captain McPhall, who had brought the ship to Australia. Captain McPhall commenced two weeks’ leave in the first week of May, leaving Chief Officer Callum to take over as Captain. On 8 May 1937 at 10 pm while returning to Newcastle after delivering coal to Melbourne, the ship struck the outside of Cape Banks. Frederick Boulton, the ship’s cook, collapsed and died of a heart attack soon after the ship struck the rocks.
The Minmi split in two at about 12:45 am, with crew members stranded on both the front and back sections. Those at the front were rescued without incident, but it was more perilous for those in the rear. During the rescue, one life was lost because of the heavy seas.
SS Minmi on the Rock Platform
Wreck of the SS Minmi on the Rocks
SS Minmi Wreckage Strewn Over the Rocks
What Did We Think?
This was a great little walk, because we saw an old fort, a shipwreck, and enjoyed some nice views. The walk is short, but does require some climbing over rocks and a visit at low tide is a must.
