Lithgow area

[arnica]

Hi All,

I am planning to do some hikes in the Blue Mountains (Lithgow) area in mid December. I'd like to do Hassan's Walls, the Glow worm tunnel, and Newnes Plateau.

Has anyone done these locations? and whether or not there are other attractions nearby we should do?

We're hoping to capture the night sky when the sun goes down.

[farmmax]

I've been to all those locations and they are all worthy of a visit. The Glow worm tunnel is a very interesting place with a variety of things to see and do. Easy to spend a day there if you like doing some of the side walks. You can go and visit Newnes, then walk from Newnes up to the Glow worm tunnel along the old rail line, instead of the easy way in from the top. Don't forget to take torches to walk through the tunnel. If there has been a lot of rain, the creek now flows through the tunnel, and you may not be able to go through it.

Now a capture of the night sky from Hassans Walls would probably be a spectacular photo, and well worth trying. The trees could be a problem in the other two areas.

You could extend your trip a bit further into the spectacular Capertee Valley, and the old shale workings of Glen Davis and include a visit to Dunn's Swamp.

[Mark L]

You'd get good skies from the Capertee Valley that farmmax mentioned.
If you want a closer view of them skies and use a Canon camera then drive a bit further to this place ..... http://www.mudgeeobservatory.com.au/
They have adaptors to put Canon cameras onto their telescopes and are happy to open at any time for a small charge.

[arnica]

I've been to all those locations and they are all worthy of a visit. The Glow worm tunnel is a very interesting place with a variety of things to see and do. Easy to spend a day there if you like doing some of the side walks. You can go and visit Newnes, then walk from Newnes up to the Glow worm tunnel along the old rail line, instead of the easy way in from the top. Don't forget to take torches to walk through the tunnel. If there has been a lot of rain, the creek now flows through the tunnel, and you may not be able to go through it.

Now a capture of the night sky from Hassans Walls would probably be a spectacular photo, and well worth trying. The trees could be a problem in the other two areas.

You could extend your trip a bit further into the spectacular Capertee Valley, and the old shale workings of Glen Davis and include a visit to Dunn's Swamp.

Thanks for the reply!

Ive been wondering with the glow worm tunnel, will I need to get a 4WD to get to the tunnel? I understand that there's a short walk from where we park the car to the entrance of the tunnel. We were thinking of driving the Corolla down, and worried that the car may get bogged down when we're driving there.

- - - Updated - - -

You'd get good skies from the Capertee Valley that farmmax mentioned.
If you want a closer view of them skies and use a Canon camera then drive a bit further to this place ..... http://www.mudgeeobservatory.com.au/
They have adaptors to put Canon cameras onto their telescopes and are happy to open at any time for a small charge.

Wish we could travel that far out. It's going to be a weekend trip and ideally we don't want to drive that long (after a long week at work).

[farmmax]

You definitely don't need a 4wd to get to the glow worm tunnel car park. It is a perfectly good all weather road. So long as you don't drive a semi trailer or have a tall load, because you drive through another tunnel on the way to the glow worm tunnel

The only problem would be at popular visiting times, the car park is quite small and can run out of room. The walk from the car park to the tunnel is not difficult. Can't have been if I made it there and back Very pretty.

Remember, glow worms can be sensitive to noise, and turn out their lights. Move quietly and go into the tunnel until it is very dark. Turn off your torches and stand quietly for a little while, and hopefully you'll see all the little stars of light. It can be difficult if lots and lots of other people are going through at the same time.