Toyota Driving, Hill-End, NEW SOUTH WALES
Airing Date: Aug 15th, 2005
If you fancy getting in your car and going for a good drive then head for the hills or Hill End near Bathurst.
During the gold rush Hill End was called Bald Hill.
It was the site of one of the richest goldfields in NSW and in 1872, a second gold rush made it one of the richest boom towns in Australia.
The population grew to around 8000 with five banks, a kilometre of shops and 20 pubs.
Today only 100 live there.
At Hill End you can take a mine tour at Bald Hill Mine or visit History Hill Museum.
At History Hill you can have your photograph taken with a replica of the largest specimen of gold, found back in 1872.
It was the largest to be found in the world and weighed 3000 ounces.
If you want to go and find the real thing, you can head down to Chesleigh Homestead which is about 45 minutes from Hill End.
Chesleigh Homestead used to produce super fine-wool, but these days guests can stay and play. It still has remnants of the gold rush around its estate and guests can pan for gold.
You can also saddle up one of their horses and go for a trek through the beautiful surrounding countryside.
To get to Hill End from Bathurst you can take the scenic Bridle Track which makes getting there great fun.
It runs off-road for about 52 kilometres, so it's a good idea to have a 4WD to tackle the course. It is an adventurous and scenic drive but be prepared to get your car cleaned afterwards because it's pretty much a dirt track all the way. If weather conditions are particularly bad they may also close the roads.
Along the way to Hill End there are plenty of places of interest that you can stop at.
The Mary Flynn Reserve on the Turon River is a great place to stop and have a picnic but there are plenty of opportunities to stop along the way.
Further information:
Chesleigh Homestead
You can stay at the Chesleigh Homestead with prices starting from $120 for adults and $50-$80 for kids per night. This includes all meals.
Phone: 02 6337 7077
www.sofala.net.au.
Bald Hill Gold Mine Tour
A tour of Bald Hill Mine costs $6.50 for adults and $3.50 for kids.
(Great Western Store) Phone: 02 6337 8377
History Hill Museum
Entry yo History Hill is $10 for adults and $7 for kids
Phone 02 6337 8222 www.historyhill.com.au.
Hill End Visitor Centre
Phone: 02 6337 8206
Prices correct at 15/08/05
