Hill End is an old gold mining town, about 4 hours West of Sydney (1.5 hours past Bathurst) in New South Wales. My dad was a keen prospector and this town is one we visited almost every year looking for gold. We would camp next to Golden Gully and would always find gold. If we weren't panning for gold we would be chasing the kangaroos or walking through the bushland with our sticks looking for adventures.
So this camping trip was a way to share my experiences with my wife and kids.
We headed for Hill End during the June long weekend. Stopping along the way at Sofala,
Australia's oldest surviving Gold Town. A very quiet small town.
About another 30 minutes from Sofala we reached Hill End. Centre of the town is the local pub, The Royal Hotel.
We camped in the main Hill End camp ground which is at the edge of town, walking distance to the pub and grocery store and most other significant buildings in the town. The camp grounds have the essentials: running water, toilets and fireplaces for each camp site. Hot showers are $1 for which you get about 3-4 minutes of hot water.
The temperature during the daytime was a pleasant 15-16 degrees, but at night the temp plummeted to 0 degrees. Waking up in the morning there would be a frost on the ground. This is the best time to go for a walk around town (Bring your camera). For a small old gold town there are quite a few things to see and do and historical buildings to visit. There is the Royal Hotel, grocery store, church, museum, visitors centre, art gallery, and plenty of walking tracks. Just outsife of town you can go gold panning, see stunning scenery from the many lookouts or visit a working gold mine.
Here are some pictures from are morning town walk.
The kids were all exciting to find some gold so we headed to Golden Gully, the main stream through the town. These days you can only go panning in some designated areas.
We found GOLD!!!!
Also along Golden Gully, you can see where the old miners digged. Above is the Golden Arch and below some tunnels dug out by the miners. Some of which you can actually walk through. Kids enjoyed that!
For lunch we ate at the Royal Hotel. The food was really good. A little bit more expensive but you are along way out of the city. The servings were very generous. While waiting the kids would play out back occasionally seeing some rabbits and climbing the trees.
In regards to food, bring as much as you can. The grocery store has supplies but check the use-by-date. We bought a packet of noodles. When we got back to camp it didn't taste too good. Turns out it expired 2 years ago. According to the wife, they do a good cup of coffee though.
NIght time we would cook dinner on the camp site BBQ hotplate. Sitting around the fire eating and telling ghost stories.
Next day we started with the gold panning finding some more gold. After lunch we headed for some of the lookouts around the town.
Tips
For campsite BBQ bring your own firewood (also looked for some in local Bushland)
Costs
Camp ground - for a family of 5 (2A + 3K) = $35 per night
Hot Shower $1 for 3-4 minutes of Hot Water
Lunch Royal Hotel - Burger and Chips $16 (Better than McD)