The Central West Explorer

After a hearty breakfast at the hotel, we gather to begin a series of local explorations. First up are a couple of short tours, one of the history and heritage of Mudgee and another of the surrounding wine growing area. You’ll then have some time for a wander around town and a coffee break before heading out for lunch at a popular winery located in the scenic Mudgee Hills, before venturing into the town of Gulgong.

Gulgong is home to a rich collection of museums and gold rush heritage buildings, including the new Gulgong Holtermann Photographic Museum, and the vast Gulgong Pioneer’s Museum. You’ll have a guided tour of this classic gold-rush town and enjoy some special viewings of the numerous collections and venues, including the Prince of Wales Opera House, the oldest operating entertainment venue in Australia.

In the late afternoon we’ll take a short excursion north to Cooks Gap on the Great Dividing Range for a sunset soiree reception at Scott McGregor’s private and unique railway themed retreat, Ruwenzori, hosted by him and his partner Bernadette Eichner. Perched high on the mountains overlooking the valleys below, Ruwenzori is a collection of vintage railway carriages, restored in the Orient-express style, set amongst themed gardens and memorabilia. Featured in many travel articles and TV shows, it’s a place Scott and Bernie love to share with special friends. Here, on top of the mountain, you’ll enjoy a Mudgee sunset with canapés and local beer and wine before heading back to your hotel, or if you’re interested to kick on, go into town and enjoy the atmosphere at one of the many venues in Mudgee’s main street.

Overnight: Parklands Resort, Mudgee (B, L, D)

This morning after breakfast and checking out of our hotel, we return to Gulgong Station to board our train for the next leg of our regional rail cruise taking in the cross country freight railways across the fertile slopes to Dubbo, our final destination for the day. The regional town of Dunedoo is our first stop with its stunning silo art and grand old country pubs, after which we shunt our train onto another branch line at the junction of Merrygoen. A little further along the line is the village of Ballimore which is blessed with a classic Aussie pub right beside the line – our venue for today’s lunch.

After lunch you have the option to travel by train to Narromine to visit the wonderful Aviation Museum there, or go by coach to take a tour of the Dubbo Western Plains Zoo. Both tours will have you back in time to check in and freshen up at our hotel in Dubbo before heading out to dinner at the Savannah Lounge at the Western Plains Zoo for dinner.

Overnight: Quest, Dubbo (B, L, D)

This morning is a little different with a private picnic-style breakfast hosted on the grounds of the Old Dubbo Gaol. You’ll have time to explore this interesting historic site right in the heart of town while enjoying breakfast offerings from the popular local bakery.

After breakfast, we board our train and depart Dubbo, heading south over the Macquarie River at Wellington and on to Stuart Town where we pause at the historic little station for a leg stretch around the village, formerly known as Iron Bark, inspiring Henry Lawson’s famous poem about the ‘Man from IronBark’.

Back on the train we open up the engines to ascend the tablelands where the scenery explodes to reveal expansive views of the valleys below and the looming geographical landmark of the ancient volcano, Mt Canobolas. Passing through Orange, our lunch stop is a short distance further on at Millthorpe. This historic village is home to an excellent rural and heritage museum, where the amazing team of volunteers will host a lunch and share the story of Australia’s most famous inventions. The last leg of our train journey today takes us through Blaney and down the famous Tumulla Bank to the Macquarie River flats and Bathurst. We check into our hotel situated right on the perimeter of the famous Panorama race Track and you can enjoy some time to relax.

Later in the evening we’ll head out to the astounding Abercrombie House for a sunset viewing of this veritable Scottish castle in the Aussie bush followed by a lavish dinner in the grand ballroom.

Overnight: Rydges Mount Panorama, Bathurst (B, L, D)

After breakfast and checking out, we return to Bathurst station and board our train. We’ll pause at Wallerawang to stretch our legs and have a look around before we strike off onto the Mudgee branch line and a journey that skirts the magnificent Capertee Valley, the second largest canyon in the world. We’ll take our train all the way to the end of the line at the beautifully preserved historic village of Rylstone, where you’ll have some time to wander the delightful streets and shops of this colonial town. We then head back down the line to Kandos, to the welcoming sight of lunch set up on the platform, hosted by the local Progress Association. There’ll be time to visit the excellent museum dedicated to the crucial cement industry that sustained the town for many years, providing the concrete used to build the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Our train will be standing by to take us back down the Capertee Valley to the junction of the main western line at Wallerawang and onto Lithgow, after which it begins the big climb up the heights of Katoomba for our last night of the tour. We stroll a short distance from the station to check into the historic Carrington Hotel which dates from the 1880’s, a golden age of tourism in the Blue Mountains.

Our farewell dinner together tonight in the hotel’s grand dining room has a distinctly Christmas theme to get us in the mood for the month ahead. Cigars and port in the drawing room anyone?

Overnight: The Carrington, Katoomba (B, L, D)

Today we’ll enjoy a gentle morning in the hotel before checking out and taking an excursion to the Scenic Railway at Katoomba. After some free time for coffee and snacks back in town, we’ll board the regular Express train taking us on a fast direct service to Central stopping at Penrith, Westmead and Parramatta and in the mid afternoon the end of our adventure around the wonderful Golden West of NSW.

(B)