13-23 October 2019
Mudgee
Mudgee has developed as a large wine-producing region and wine is a major part of its economy. It is also heavily dependant on several major mines in the surrounding area. Other rural produce includes cattle, sheep, wheat, lucerne, olives, fruit, tomatoes, corn, honey, and dairy products. These, however, do not play as major a role as the mining industry. The Ulan coal mines are in the district. During the 19th century, the area was a major gold-mining area and the district also produces marble, pottery clays, shale and dolomite. These mines have further potential to expand in the region, however, they are also the topic of local environmental concerns. Tourism is also a growing industry based largely on wineries.
The Itinerary
Sun 13 – Depart WPH Club 9.30. We have a half-hour stop at Portland to see copies of old advertising signs reproduced as murals on building walls. We continue on to the Royal Hotel at Capertee for lunch at about 1pm, and then on to our destination - Mudgee.
Incidentally, we should be very comfortable in a 50 seater coach and the driver will be staying on with us.
Mon 14– Winery Tours. Our coach leaves at 9.30 for hopefully 4 wineries with a lunch stop after the second.
Tues 15 – Mudgee Bowls 1.30pm. Walk to bowls, with the coach available to drive non-bowlers to see sights or golf. Possibly an evening visit to the Mudgee Observatory 20 mins out of town.
Wed 16 – Hill End/ Sofala trip. This will be our longest day of about 8 hours. We leave Mudgee at 8.30.
Hill End owes its existence to the NSW gold rush of the 1850s, and at its peak in the early 1870s, it had a population estimated at 8,000 served by two newspapers, five banks, eight churches and twenty-eight pubs. In 2017 the population was only 80! (One of the amazing sights here, are photographic plaques depicting the actual original shops in the 1870s and the employees in front, which will be discussed later).
We coach to Hill End and commence a 1 hour ($5 pp) guided coach tour. We then have an hour for discovery ourselves or drop into the Hill End Pub. We then head up to History Hill where we can have a great value smorgasbord ($17.50 pp) followed by a 1½ hr guided tour of the wonderful museum including a self-guided 20-minute mine walk ($10 pp).
Now we head off to Sofala (35km away). Sofala came about as a direct result of the gold rush which had been spurred on when Edward Hargraves discovered gold at Summerhill Creek on 12 February 1851. By June of that year, thousands of people had set up mining operations in the valley, and both the Royal Hotel and a general store were built in 1851 to handle the increased demand. Initially, gold was found in the area known as Gold Point. When the alluvial gold ran out, mining turned to quartz reef mining. The town was a centre of opposition to the gold licensing system in New South Wales at the time. A considerable proportion of the miners were Chinese. We look around here for about an hour before returning for the 85km to Mudgee.
Thur 17 – Gulgong - The name 'Gulgong' is derived from its traditional owners as 'deep waterhole'. Like several towns in this area, it began as a gold mining centre. However, being founded in the 1870s, it was one of the last to be dominated by 'poor man's diggings', that is by individuals without substantial capital investment. Novelist and bush poet Henry Lawson lived briefly in Gulgong as a child in the early 1870s, while his father sought instant wealth as a miner. Gulgong still proudly has over 70 historic buildings.
What to do – We leave Mudgee at 9.00am for the 30 min drive to Gulgong. The sights worth seeing are the Henry Lawson Museum (10-1pm - Guided cost $5), Pioneer Museum (9-5pm $15), Opera House (¾ hour History of Gulgong & Opera House $5 – recommended), I hour Guided Walk Tour ($6) and the Holtermann museum. The Gulgong Club has a $10 lunch (with choices) as a special for those interested before commencing Gulgong BOWLS at 1pm.
Fri 18 – Mudgee Bowls - The morning is free time. After your lunch, bowlers wheel their BOWLS bag 2 blocks to play bowls against Mudgee Bowling Club (Club Mudgee) at 1pm.
Non- bowlers may wish to laze around or have the coach take them to a scenic area or a nearby destination.
Sat 19 – Free Day – But note - Mudgee Farmers Markets (in the grounds of St Mary’s Catholic Church – Cnr Church & Market Streets) from 8.30-12.30 for those interested and maybe also take the opportunity to visit the Colonial Inn Museum (Mon-Fri 10-3pm or Sat 10-2pm . . . $8) could be worth a visit.
Sun 20 – Mudgee -At 9am we meet with our coach at the Visitors Information Centre, with our coach following our guide to 2 different “Farm Walks’. (Cost: $15 pp). From a diverse range of farmers and producers, two farms are chosen each month for you to explore. Depending on the season, you may get to see olive oil production, free-range pork, locally grown vegetables, vineyards, a fig orchard or a working winery). This takes between 3-3½ hours. We may then have to find an eating place for lunch before we visit the first of our two SURPRISE locations which is 32klms from Mudgee.
Mon 21 – Rylstone/Kandos -We leave Mudgee around 9am and head off to Rylstone and Kandos. Rylstone’s charming 19th-century photogenic landscape was settled in 1830, with many public houses, churches and private residences made out of local sandstone. It is also the gateway to the Wollemi National Park and the Bylong Valley. We wander around this beautiful village and choose your own place for lunch. After about 1½-2hrs hours in Rylstone, we head further south for a leisurely drive around Kandos (once a major producer of cement in Australia, but unfortunately and not surprisingly, now increasingly being imported). We then head back through Rylstone and take a different route back to Mudgee, possibly stopping at the minuscule Lue hotel for a refresher or maybe check out Lue Pottery nearby before heading back to Mudgee. Goodness, we almost forgot!! Before we even get to Rylstone the first time, our 2nd SURPRISE location will hopefully interest you for an hour or so.
Tues 22- Gulgong Bowls 10am – We return to the quaint township of Gulgong. We commence our Bowls at 10am. (Mainly a ladies day). Following bowls, we can revisit or visit other Historic places here in town which could not be fitted in previously (of which there are many).
The non-bowlers can do Gulgong further in the morning, any golfers can be dropped off at golf and others may have the bus at their disposal for a couple of hours.
We finally head back to Mudgee, tidy ourselves up and retire to a suitable venue for our Goodbye to Mudgee ‘Farewell Dinner’ evening.
Wed 23 – Home - Pack up, breakfast and depart for WPH about 9.30 am with a stop in Hartley for a toilet stop, look around the historic village and a snack in the café. Possibly an hour stop and then 1hr 45 mins to home.