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.
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.
St Andrew’s Anglican Church Seaham
St Andrew’s Anglican Church Seaham
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.
Track From St Andrew’s Anglican Church to Tom’s Cottage
Tom’s Cottage
Tom’s Cottage
Inside Tom’s Cottage
Inside Tom’s Cottage
Seaham Swamp Near Tom’s Cottage
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.
Seaham Swamp
Seaham Swamp
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.
Inside the Birdwatching Hut
Information Board Inside the Birdwatching Hut
Seaham Swamp From the Birdwatching Hut
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.
