29-538: Capertee pronounced ( / k eɪ p ər t iː / KAY-per-tee ) is a village 46 km north of Lithgow, New South Wales , Australia . It is on an elevated site (808 metres) above the Capertee Valley . In 2016, the township had a population of 145 people. The Castlereagh Highway (previously known as the Mudgee Road) links Capertee with Lithgow to the south and Mudgee to the north. The township
58-652: A combined garage/shop/post office. A community market is held on the third Sunday of each month in the Progress Hall. Capertee is located in an area which is popular with landscape painters, photographers, bird-watchers and walkers. In the US published book Fifty Places to Go Birding Before You Die (2007), author Chris Santella lists Capertee Valley as one of only two locations in Australia selected in his top 50 world bird-watching locations. Bird-watchers are attracted by
87-553: A famous iron and steel village, of which fiery night scenes have been depicted in many paintings, as well as large areas of bush and state forest. The next city to the west is Bathurst , 60 km (37 mi) away. Lithgow is in the NSW State electorate of Bathurst , while federally it is part of electorate of Calare . Lithgow is the western terminus for the electric section of the Main Western railway line from Sydney. It
116-772: A number of heritage-listed sites, including the following listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register : In addition, the following sites were listed on the (now defunct) Register of the National Estate : Lithgow was also the location of an alleged assassination attempt on the life of Queen Elizabeth II in 1970. Lithgow features a moderate oceanic climate ( Köppen climate classification Cfb ) with mild to warm summers, cool to cold winters and generally steady precipitation year-round. Despite its location on highlands, Lithgow manages to have 90.3 clear days annually. Lithgow
145-548: Is a free fortnightly paper – The Central West Village Voice. The Lithgow Mercury is a newspaper published weekly. Local bus services are operated by Lithgow Buslines . Lithgow railway station on the Main Western railway line is the terminus for NSW TrainLink Blue Mountains Line services from Sydney . As well as being a calling point for the Bathurst Bullet , Central West Express and Outback Xplorer services to Bathurst , Dubbo and Broken Hill , it
174-695: Is adjacent to a number of national parks and other attractions. Places to visit include the Zig Zag Railway , Glow Worm Tunnel, Newnes in the Wolgan Valley and Glen Davis in the Capertee Valley , the second largest canyon in the world. Other attractions include the Hartley Historic Site, Lithgow Small Arms Factory Museum, Lithgow State Mine Heritage Park & Railway and the Eskbank House Museum. Lithgow
203-466: Is also close to Jenolan Caves , which are a World Heritage Area and lie to the south of Lithgow. The most popular tourist event in Lithgow is Ironfest , an annual cultural heritage event that attracts over 10,000 visitors. Ironfest hosts the annual St George's Day Jousting Tournament which involves contestants from all around the world. The festival also features a colonial battle re-enactment, called
232-549: Is home to the Zig Zag Railway . The mountainous terrain of the Blue Mountains and the expense of building long tunnels required the construction of the Lithgow Zig Zag between 1866 and 1869. The line was opened as far as Bowenfels , just to the west, in 1869, but Lithgow station was not opened until 1877. Although it was superseded in 1910 by more modern engineering methods, including ten tunnels , parts of
261-516: Is located in a mountain valley named Lithgow's Valley by John Oxley in honour of William Lithgow . Lithgow is on the Great Western Highway , about 150 km (95 mi) west of Sydney , or via the old mountain route, Bells Line of Road , from Windsor . At June 2021 Lithgow had an urban population of 11,197. Lithgow is surrounded by a varied landscape characterised by seven valleys which include national parks, one of which,
290-550: Is one of the few Australian cities to see snow, though mostly insignificant in quantity due to the winter rain shadow brought about by the ranges to the west of the city. One major event was the late-season snowfall in October 2014, where 20 centimetres (7.9 in) of snow fell. In 1848, iron smelting began in Mittagong , Australia. It proved unprofitable for the remainder of the 19th century. This situation remained until
319-642: Is surrounded by National Parks and grazing land. Principal employment is in coal mining, farming and tourism-related services. The Capertee Valley forms a part of the catchment area of the Hawkesbury River , but the village lies very close to the Great Divide watershed , with the Turon River catchment nearby to its west. Prior to European settlement, the Capertee district was occupied by
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#1732783291039348-720: Is the terminus for road coach services from Orange , Grenfell , Dubbo , Nyngan , Parkes and Coonabarabran . In 1983, the State Rail Authority opened the Lithgow Locomotive Maintenance Centre at the eastern end of Lithgow. It is today operated by Pacific National . Southern Shorthaul Railroad has a maintenance facility at the Lithgow State Mine Heritage Park & Railway . Wallerawang Too Many Requests If you report this error to
377-651: The Blue Mountains National Park , is a World Heritage Area. The Wollemi National Park is home to the Jurassic-age tree the Wollemi Pine , which was found growing in a remote canyon in the park. The city sits on the western edge of the sandstone country of the Blue Mountains and is usually considered the first true country town west of Sydney . Immediate surrounding areas include the old mining hamlet of Vale of Clwydd and Oakey Park,
406-527: The Wiradjuri people. Early European explorers through the region were James Blackman in 1821, followed later the same year by William Lawson , seeking a practicable pass through the ranges to the pastoral lands to the north-west. By the early 1830s Sir John Jamison, a wealthy colonial landholder, had established a pastoral run of about 18,000 acres in the Capertee Valley. Jamison's cattle station
435-468: The Zig Zag have been developed into a popular tourist attraction. Following a period of industrialisation in the late 1860s and 1870s, the town of Lithgow boomed during the 1880s, and it was incorporated as a borough in 1889. The town situated in the centre of a coal mining district and there is one coal-powered power station nearby. It is the site of Australia's first commercially viable steel mill ,
464-412: The 'Battle of Lithgow' which involves over 120 participants, kitted out in fully authentic 19th century apparel, and involving cavalry, infantry and artillery. As well as these two historical re-enactment events Ironfest includes historical & auto displays, blacksmith demonstrations, art exhibitions, workshops and demonstrations, as well as live music and performances. The Lithgow Greyhound Racing Club
493-501: The Capertee Valley were only occasional and did not lead to gold-rushes of any significance in the district. In June 1861 John Shervey purchased 33 acres of land “on the road from Mudgee to Sydney, near Blackman’s Crown, lying northerly from M. Corlis’ 30 acres”. The location became known as ‘Capertee Camp’. Shervey erected a building called the Capertee Camp Inn to provide accommodation, food and beverages to travellers along
522-695: The Sydney to Mudgee road. The first specific mention of the Capertee Camp locality was in newspaper reports of the pursuit and capture of one of the two bushrangers who had robbed the Sydney mail coach in April 1863 at Cherrytree Hill between Bowenfels and Cudgegong. The robbers were pursued by constables Wright and Cleary who finally captured one of the men at “a place called Eli Flat, between Capertee Camp and Freestone’s house”. In common with many roadside shanties in isolated locations Shervey's Capertee Camp Inn
551-523: The diverse birdlife in the area. One 'destination' bird is the rare regent honeyeater ( Xanthomyza phrygia ). Pearson's Lookout located two kilometres south of the town offers views of Capertee valley. Lithgow, New South Wales Lithgow is a town in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales , Australia and is the administrative centre of the City of Lithgow local government area. It
580-453: The early 20th century when no iron ore was being smelted. The only iron being cast was by William Sandford in Lithgow. His works were bought by G. & C. Hoskins in 1907, who had previously been making iron pipes in Sydney. The Lithgow works acquired a reputation for industrial disputes. Lithgow's range of both small and major retailers include: Lithgow has one major shopping centre , Lithgow Valley Plaza. With over 500 parking spaces,
609-434: The eye of the artist or a lover of the picturesque”. The township itself dates from the time of the establishment of the railway station in 1882. The station and nearby station master's residence date from this period while several other extant buildings date from the late 19th and early 20th century. In September 1885 land was set aside for the village of Capertee (county of Roxburgh, parish of Bandamora). From 1882 Capertee
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#1732783291039638-415: The plaza has two anchor stores and over 30 specialty retailers including: The Lithgow District Chamber of Commerce has been providing advocacy, events and services for local retailers and the economy of Lithgow and the surrounding towns and villages since 2015. Lithgow offers a unique range of retail and specialised boutique stores along the main street, along with a large variety of quality cafes Lithgow
667-588: The ruins of which are open for inspection at "Blast Furnace Park". Due to the abundance of coal and relative proximity to Sydney , in the areas surrounding Lithgow is one of the largest power stations in NSW, the Mount Piper Power Station . The Wallerawang Power Station closed in 2014 and was subsequently demolished. The Lithgow Power Station was operational from 1928 to 1964. At the 2021 census , there were 12,385 people in Lithgow. Lithgow has
696-455: The ‘Capertee’ run was briefly leased to Benjamin Boyd (another landholder with extensive colonial holdings). In September 1846 the 'Capertee' leasehold was advertised for sale by auction. In the late 1840s a Mr. Stewart raised horses at Capertee; his ‘Capertee Stud’ was claimed to be “the largest and most perfect horse establishment in the colony”. In June 1853 a thirty-acre portion of Crown Land
725-594: Was a temporary terminus of a railway branch line from Wallerawang on the main Western railway line . When the line was extended to Mudgee , there was no flat ground on which to build a crossing loop , so Capertee ended up with an unusual dead-end crossing siding instead. The line still operates although the railway station is closed. Capertee has a public school, police station, bush fire brigade hall, community hall (Progress Hall), public house (Royal Hotel), public telephone, two (rare) fibro constructed churches, and
754-663: Was established in 1928 and its Saturday race meetings are also a popular tourist attraction. The annual feature event is the Lithgow Golden Muzzle held every December, which is sponsored by the Lithgow Workers Club. Electronic media in Lithgow is represented by commercial radio stations 2LT and Move FM operated by Midwest Radio Network , public broadcasters ABC and SBS , and commercial networks Seven , WIN and Southern Cross 10 , 7two , 7mate , 9Gem , 9Go! , 10 Bold and 10 Peach . There
783-437: Was named ‘Capita’ or 'Capertee' and was operated using convict labour. In March 1834 the stationing of a constable at Capertee was described by a correspondent as “a most inefficient and useless appointment” due to the isolation of the district. By the 1840s land in the Capertee Valley was opened up for sale and occupation leases, leading to the establishment of a number sheep stations in the valley. After Jamison's death in 1844
812-638: Was not licensed but provided alcoholic drinks to travellers. In October 1869 it was reported that Mary Shervey “of Capertee Camp, Mudgee Road” was summoned “for selling spirits without a license”. She was fined £30 “and costs” (which was paid in order to avoid “three months imprisonment in Mudgee Gaol”). A traveller through the Capertee Valley wrote in August 1877 that the “Capertee Basin” was “composed of shaggy forest, rugged ridges, distant mountain peaks, and bold bluffs of red and gray rocks that would delight
841-603: Was proclaimed to be set aside “near Blackman’s Crown, Mudgee Road” (in Roxburgh county) as a potential town lot. In April 1856 a letter to the editor claimed “that a promising Gold Field has lately been discovered on the Capertee River”. The writer advised that Capertee “is only accessible in two places, to drays and other vehicles – the one by Dabee [ now Rylstone ] and the other by the Peak”. Reports of gold discoveries in
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