Newnes

Newnes is a beautiful camping spot near Lithgow in NSW.It used to be an oil-shale mining town that ran for 24 years from 1906 until 1930. Appoximately 2kms from the campground (easy walk or bike ride) there is a walk around the  ruins of the town which is very interesting to see.
The free camping ground is quite large and there is a shallow river that runs beside it which is nice for the kids to cool off.

Getting There

From Lithgow take the Castlereagh Highway towards Mudgee. About 11km from the highway traffic lights at Lithgow and just past the Wallerawang Power Station is a major road junction. Take the right-hand road here ("Wolgan Road") through Lidsdale to Newnes. Watch for "Lidsdale" on the advance road signs.

The drive from Lidsdale to Newnes is 35km and would normally take at least 45 minutes. North of Lidsdale, the road is bitumen to the foot of Wolgan Gap (12km), although sometimes narrow and deteriorating. From there to Newnes (23km) it is mostly gravel with some earth and clay patches. We have a 16ft caravan and we could get to the camping area without too much trouble. There is another campground on the other side of the river which is 4wd access only.