Badly damaged by fire in 2016, the Mittagong Maltings is no longer accessible by the public. We discovered this when we visited and found it surrounded by a security fence with “Danger Keep Out Signs”. Now dangerous inside and containing asbestos, the owners have wisely taken site security seriously.
Despite the damage, the owners intend to refurbish the buildings into a multi-use facility, which will be a great use of the historic buildings.
Originally built in 1899 and operated by Tooth and Co. from 1901, the Maltings operated until 1980.
This was a very quick stop, as there is not much to see apart from the burnt out ruins.
The Maltings RuinsThe Burnt Shell of the Building
To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.
Driving from Mittagong to the Mount Gibraltar Lookouts takes you past some spectacular houses, although if you’re driving you may not see much of them. This is because the road is narrow and windy, so you need to pay attention to the road.
At the top of the hill, one of the residences has an old cart outside, so we stopped to take a photo of it. Further around, Mittagong lookout provides views over the town. Parking is on the road and limited, so you may need to drive around until you can find a spot. From the road, a stone path leads to the lookout. Here, a sandstone shelter and viewing platform overlook the valley below.
Not far from the first lookout, Jellore overlooks more of the valley. Again, parking is at a premium. At the lookout trees have grown, blocking most of the view.
The final stop (or first if you came from Bowral) is the Bowral Lookout. By far the largest, with picnic tables, garbage bins and a toilet it is the easiest to get to.
We didn’t find any of the views to be particularly special, although if you are in Mittagong, it’s something you can do to fill in time. The lack of parking and narrow roads are also a significant issue.
Old cart on Oxley DriveWeather Shelter at Jellore LookoutView from Mount GibraltarMittagong From the LookoutView over Mittagong
To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.
An hour’s drive north of Canberra, or west from Goulburn, Yass is an historic New South Wales Town. We were passing through on a drive from Canberra to Orange so stopped to have a quick look around. Being early morning, parking was easy, and we found a spot outside the Banjo Patterson Park, named after the famous Australia poet.
Several coffee shops were open, so we ordered a coffee before setting off to explore the town. The main street, Comur St contains several well preserved nineteenth-century buildings. The Post Office looks great, but the courthouse looks like a small palace!
Yass Post OfficeYass CourthouseBanjo Patterson BustBanjo Patterson ParkTootsie Gallery and Café
Yass Railway Museum
The Yass Railway Museum is small with only a few trains and pieces of rolling stock on display. However, it’s a great place to visit, see some interesting trains, memorabilia and find out about the history of trains in Yass. You can find a full story of our visit here.
1307 Steam Locomotive
Abandoned Railway Bridge
We drove to the old railway bridge over the Yass River, parking at Joe O’Conner Park and walking down to the river. Disused since 1988 when the rail line closed it’s now a tourist attraction and heritage listed. It was interesting to walk around, especially as there are trees growing through parts of it.
Old Tramway BridgeThe Old Tramway BridgeOld Tramway Bridge
What Did We Think Of Yass?
Although this was only a quick visit, we enjoyed our time here. The lovely old buildings on the main street, abandoned bridge and railway museum are all worth stopping to see.
To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.
