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Hill End Historical Gold Mining Town

Great Western Store

Hill End

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

Our photos are available for purchase on

Seaham Swamp Nature Reserve

Seaham Swamp

Seaham Swamp Nature Reserve

Managed by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, the Seaham Swamp Nature Reserve, is a small, but important park. Located 40km north of Newcastle, it contains colonial heritage and an important bird habitat.

We parked in a car park near St. Andrew’s Church, which let us walk to Tom’s Cottage and to the swamp and its bird hut. The walk is graded as 5, implying that it is difficult, however, this is due to a lack of signs. The walk is flat, but you need to follow the tracks made by previous visitors as there is no signage.

St. Andrew’s Anglican Church

Built in 1860, St. Andrew’s Anglican Church is an interesting little church, notable for being one of the few buildings in Seaham to escape the 1939 bushfires. We parked nearby in the car park, so spent a few minutes wandering around looking at it.

Tom’s Cottage

Seaham Swamp Nature Reserve is home to a historic slab cottage known as Tom McLellan’s Cottage, or simply Tom’s Cottage. This is an example of a typical colonial era rural dwelling which was moved to its current location in the early 1900s. Though it’s named for Tom, the cottage was actually first built as a retirement home for his mother, Mary McLellan.

Seaham Swamp

An important bird habitat, Seaham Swamp provides refuge for migratory waterfowl. Depending on the time of year, different species are present, but during our visit, we only saw a few ducks. It was still an interesting walk because the swamp and trees provided interesting photos opportunities.

Only 300m one-way, it is an easy walk, but no signage means you need to keep track of where you are.

Birdwatching Hut

The birdwatching hut is an all-weather bird hide allowing you to watch from a platform, ensuring you get great views and photos of the birds without disturbing them. Identification photos show the species that frequent the swamp, along with information boards explaining about the local wildlife.

What Did We think?

These two short but interesting walks were fun. Not only did we see an old colonial slab hut and the swamp, but were able to see an old church too. Simple to find with easy parking, it made for a fun morning out.

Cape Baily Track Kamay Botany Bay

Sea Cliffs and Waves Cape Baily Track

Cape Baily Track Kamay Bay National Park

Getting There

Located in Kamay Botany Bay National Park, the Cape Baily Track winds along coastal cliffs with amazing ocean views. The track starts at the end of the park’s road, past Cape Solander. A car park next to a helicopter landing pad provides easy access to the start of the walk.

The Cliff Under the Car Park
The Cliff Under the Car Park

Cape Baily Track

The track is well maintained and in many places is a formed board walk, which makes the hike easier than walking over rough terrain. As we walked, the surroundings changed from coastal scrub to bare sandstone rock. Several areas had steps, but these were in excellent condition and easy to climb and descend.

At 4 km each way and often exposed to strong winds and heat in summer, remember to take plenty of water and sunscreen. There are no facilities on the track, so take what you need for the walk, which takes around 2.5 hours.

Ocean Views

The amazing sandstone cliffs which line the ocean side of the walk are beautiful. Lookouts along the walk provide great vantage points to see them, but obey the signs and don’t go near the edge.

We might be biased, because we’re local, but in our opinion they are far better than the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland. Not only are they high with vertical drops to the ocean, but they are not as crowded and more scenic.

Tabbigai Cliff Dwellers

Fishermen built dwellings on some of the cliffs and lived there from 1920 until the 1960s. As can be seen in the photo from that time they were precariously perched on the cliffs, although some were quite extensive. We had not heard of these buildings before the walk and found out about them from the information boards on the trail.

The Department Of Lands ordered their eviction and removal of structures in the 1960s.

Cape Baily Lighthouse

At the end of the track the Cape Bailey Lighthouse sits high on the cliff, warning ships of the rocks. It isn’t a particularly interesting building, being plain and functional. There are many more lighthouses of note around Sydney, such as Macquarie and Hornby Lighthouses. We didn’t do the hike for the lighthouse but for the scenery, so we’re not disappointed.