The Newnes Industrial Ruins are located in the Wolgan Valley, which is easily accessible from Lithgow. The property is managed by the Wollemi National Park, and the NSW Parks and Wildlife Service has constructed a mapped trail through the ruins.
The ruins are easily accessible by vehicle. Two-wheel drive cars should be parked at the stream crossing, and from there it’s a short walk on a maintained road to the walking track. 4WD vehicles and utes can cross the stream and drive a little farther to the actual trailhead.
The ruins themselves are quite extensive. Interpretive signs tell a story that emphasizes industrial workings naturally decaying and reverting to a forest. But it is obvious that many of the features and structures were deliberately destroyed and removed some time in the past, perhaps so the materials could be salvaged and reused.
Wildlife
Residences
Away from the industrial ruins, across the river from the Newnes Hotel, are several chimney foundations and yard walls.
Modern Newnes
Not quite a ghost town, the actual town of Newnes has permanent residents, visitor lodging, and an operating business / museum.
Visitor Experience
Walking through the ruins was an outstanding experience. There were a few other people on the trail, but most were gone by the late afternoon, allowing for a solitary and peaceful photographic walk.
The Wolgan Valley is very popular with 4WD enthusiasts. In fact just as I was leaving a large tour group of off-road vehicles pulled up to the trail sign. The drivers and passengers exited the vehicles, looked at the signs, and roared off down the road again, apparently uninterested in the ruins.
Many people camp along the river near the ruins walk. This area is a bit abused, and I wouldn’t choose to camp there. At the end of a holiday weekend most of the campsites were littered with trash. At least two fires were left burning unattended. And kids were riding motorbikes through the grass around the remaining caravans and campers.
Smoldering fire and trash left at a campsite near the Ruins Walk.
hi Bob, I hope you are well. i came accros your comments in a revoew at https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4256800, and decided to give a look to the sites you list under your signature. beautiful photos. thanks for sharing!!.
Just a small obeservation on the photos above. It seems like one of them is listed twice.
All the best Sir
Norbert
P.S. I have just bought my first DSRL and am looking forward to my journey with photograpy. I believe it will take take some time before i can say “I made a photo”, 🙂
Hello Norbit. Thank you for the nice comments. It took me a long time to recognize the duplicate image, but sure enough there it was. I sure appreciate you pointing it out.
Have fun with your new camera!
Wow! That’s totally amazing Bob! Great Story and Great Pictures! Makes me Want to be there and doing some Exploring!
You would definitely like it, and there are many other historic sites throughout the Wollemi National Park and the Blue Mountains National Park.
Hello Bob!
Thanks for your reply and comment! Totally agree with you Bob!
But one of these days, La Belle, but specifically Taos, Santa Fe, and Raton, New Mexico. Especially the State Archives and New Mexico Photography collection!
I sound like a broken record, don’t I?
By the way Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.
Christopher……