Lithgow

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Lithgow [1] is a town in the Central West of New South Wales, Australia.

[edit] Understand

Lithgow is developed as a coal mining town west of the Blue Mountains, and with the exception of the Zig-Zag railway has not long been a recognised as a tourist destination. Lithgow does have many areas of natural beauty close by and some evidence of its history remains around the town.

[edit] Get in

Lithgow is immediately to the west of the Blue Mountains, approximately an hour's drive from the westernmost suburbs of Sydney.

[edit] By car

Drivers could take the Great Western Highway from Penrith through the towns of the Blue Mountains, or the Bells Line of Road from Windsor, a narrower, quieter road. There are a number of road links from western towns, noticeably from Bathurst and Mudgee.

[edit] By train

Lithgow is the westernmost town served by Sydney's Cityrail train network. Cityrail trains to Lithgow depart every one or two hours during the day, and less often throughout the night. The train trip takes three hours from the center of Sydney and two hours from Penrith in the west.

Countrylink trains to and from Dubbo also stop at Lithgow once a day.

[edit] By bus

There are several bus services every day from Dubbo, Bathurst, Orange, Forbes and Parkes, each designed to meet the trains to Sydney.

[edit] Get around

The train station is right adjacent to the main street and shopping area of Lithgow. Taxis are available at the station. The pubs and hotels in the town are walkable and some of the motels are a short trip by taxi.

You can catch a train to Zig Zag to ride the Zig Zag Railway. Trains only stop there on request, so talk to the staff before joining the train.

You will need a car to get any further afield, or to see any of Lithgow's natural attractions.

[edit] See

[edit] Do

The Zig Zag Railway is by far the most famous attraction in Lithgow. The section of disused track now runs a tourist train up and down the hill. Because of the steepness of the hill the track is in a zig-zag. The train goes forward at the end of the track, the points are changed, and then it reverses onto the next track section.

[edit] Eat

[edit] Drink

[edit] Sleep

[edit] Get out

Many of the best destinations suitable for a day trip to Lithgow are eastwards, in the Blue Mountains. Good trips into the western side of the mountains include driving up the Great Western Highway or catching a Cityrail train to Katoomba, and driving up the Bells Line of Road to the Mount Tomah Botanical Gardens.

A glow worm tunnel is 40km north of Lithgow. It is an old railway tunnel and the glowworms have taken up residence. The tunnel is a 1km easy and pretty walk from the carpark, and well worth a visit. As the tunnel is long a turns a corner it is very dark in the centre of the tunnel, but you can get by, just, without a torch.