Wollemi National Park is only 100kms from
Sydney and makes a great weekend trip because of its proximity. The Wollemi National Park consists of 492 976 ha and is the largest wilderness area in NSW — a spectacular maze of canyons, cliffs and undisturbed forest.
This trek begins in Windsor and ends at
Newnes and covers some of the South Western side of the Wollemi National Park.
The road out of
Newnes is unsealed and of varying quality. The descent is long, narrow and spectacular so drive carefully. Caravans/trailers are manageable but better in dry weather.
Newnes is a good place to stop for lunch or
camp overnight. Its located in the Wolgan Valley and is surrounded by high, inaccessible cliffs.
Newnes was at one stage in the early 1900's a bustling mining town with its own railway system to transport the shale oil and later coal into
Sydney. The Wolgan River runs through the old town and some
ruins remain and its now part of the Wollemi National Park.
There is a
camping area but no facilities are provided other than a pit
toilet. Its advisable to carry your own drinking water. There are a couple of good walks to do from
Newnes including a self-guided tour of the mining/town
ruins and the
Glow Worm Tunnel, formed for the old railway to pass through. Now the
Glow Worm Tunnel is
home to the larvae of insects who spin silken threads that glow a blue colour to attract mosquitoes.
How to Use this Trek Note
- To download this information and the route file for offline use on a phone, tablet, headunit or laptop, go to the app store and purchase ExplorOz Traveller. This app enables offline navigation and mapping and will show where you are as you travel along the route. For more info see the ExplorOz Traveller webpage and the EOTopo webpage.
TrekID: 60