100 Towns

Wyangala dam on the Lachlan River was built between 1929 and 1935 and is used for irrigation, flood mitigation and water supply for the large town of Cowra 20 kilometres west. At the foot of the dam wall there is a substantial village with houses (some I assume are weekenders), church, conference centre, school, community hall and country club with 9 hole golf course, tennis courts and lawn bowls.  At the dam itself there is a large number of cabins and camping spots to the whole area has a holiday feel about it. An information centre, kiosk and petrol station serve the campers and local community. Apparently there was an older village of Wyangala lost under the waters of the dam.

Lyndhurst (population 400) began as a rural town in the 1860s, boosted along with gold discovery in 1870. However, it really began to prosper with the arrival of the railway in 1888.  Back then there were  more 30 shops and services. Many of these old buildings can still be seen today. There is a hotel, a general store, church, CWA and soldiers memorial hall and quite a few houses. Lyndhurst was one of the possible sites considered for the new Federal capital which eventually went to Canberra. I'm rather happy it didn't get chosen though it is a rather nondescript country town.

Pyramul is in the gold mining district around Sofala and Hill End so I'm fairly sure it would be an old gold mining town.  Today there are some homes, some churches, a school and the old show grounds.

Glen Davis is a tiny settlement situated in the beautiful Capertee Valley.  It came into being when the shale oil mining and refining operations at Newnes closed down and moved to Glen Davis in 1938. But as shale oil was ultimately not viable the operation closed down in 1952 leaving the town to slowly disappear. However there are still some dwellings, a boutique hotel, a camp ground used by walkers keen to explore the nearby Wollemi National Park, the ruins of the old shale oil works (on private land) and a  beautiful backdrop of cliffs. This a great spot to take a day drive or a weekend stay.

The town of Newnes sprung into being with a shale oil mine and refinery which operated from 1906 to 1932. It quickly disappeared when the operation was shut down with just the pub and ruins of the old works remaining. The pub was moved to its current position in the 1980s because it was too close to the river and subject to flooding. It also sold its last beer in the 1980s. It now operates as a facility for tourist. The scenery around here is magnificent and for those who love camping there is a great camp ground near old hotel and shale oil ruins. For those who like luxury and have deep pockets there is the six star Emirates Wolgan Valley Resort and Spa a kilometre or two back along the track. For 4WD enthusiasts there is plenty of good driving in the nearby Newnes State Forest.

As you drive on the Mitchell Highway towards Orange there is a tantilising glimpse of old cottages through the trees at Shadforth, after the exit to their street.  One day we remembered to take the exit and go and see what there was to be found. The were a few streets, some ramshackle buildings, some well kept buildings, orchards and the three cottages which I guess were workers cottages, though they look so picturesque they could be modern replicas for the tourist trade. There was and I think still is a quarry at Shadforth.

Lucknow has its mining history on proud display with two poppet heads speaking of the towns mining past. Apparently there is a near intact gold stamper battery in one of the sheds that is open to the public. We must stop a while and go look at it one day. The other treasure in this town is an huge second hand shop full of loads of wonderful junk.

Badangora is an old mining town but when the mine closed down in the 1920s went into permanent decline.  Today there is a a church, a war memorial and a smattering of houses along the near empty streets. It is even off the highway along a dirt track, with no reason for any stranger to visit unless they are collecting images of old towns.

Goolma is a small town on a railway line that never happened.  It is still ticking along however with a hotel, general store, couple of churches and a neat and tidy little school.

Ballimore (population 200) is quite a small town with a grain silo, pub,  church, community hall and town park all running in a row beside the highway. For me there was nothing of particular note, just a typical little town by the road.

Wongarbon stretches lazily beside the railway line. There are old shops with the general store still open, a community hall, pub and decent sized school (3 teachers apparently). A couple of old shops facing the railway have been converted to a rather attractive art gallery. With a population of around 500 there are also streets of houses and streets typically lined with old Pepperina trees. It is only 19 kms from the big regional centre of Dubbo but maintains its own character so was a surprisingly interesting diversion from the main road.