Travel on the Zig Zag railway, experiencing the high scenic views of the Blue Mountains’, vast natural landscape, admiring the grand sandstone viaducts, and listening to the relaxing sound of the steam-powered locomotive’s chuffing. 

Distance from Black Gold Motel - 24 mins 

To the west of the Blue Mountains lies the magnificent Wolgan Valley. One of this region’s best-kept secrets, this amazing area has scenery to rival its neighboring region of the Blue Mountains.The valley was inhabited by Aboriginal Australians for thousands of years, but the First European settlement occurred around 1823.

Because you may well want to spend a few days exploring, you will want to find convenient accommodation. Capertee Valley is within easy driving distance of the Black Gold Motel, and we offer comfortable accommodation for small and large groups.

Ironfest is a medieval arts festival that includes arts stalls, music, street performances, blacksmith demonstrations, and historical re-enactments. The festival was founded by Macgregor Ross, a Lithgow artist and current festival director, in April 2000 to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of the steel industry, celebrating the connection between humanity and iron, steel, and other metals. The festival provides an opportunity for artists, designers/makers, blacksmiths, young performers, musicians, historical re-enactors, and machine enthusiasts from Australia and the world each year to contribute to an annual theme recognizing the cultural heritage and diversity in the Lithgow region.

Halloween is the spookiest season of the year in Lithgow, attracting crowds to join in the celebration. Don’t miss any of the festivities, entertainment, and fun, which take place every year on the night of the Last Saturday in October! The largest Halloween trick or treat and street parade in Australia, blocking off the entire Lithgow Main Street inviting everyone to come and join the thrilling fun that awaits them.

Eskbank House Museum is the Lithgow districts regional museum. Set within a historic estate, the museum aims to collect, preserve and interpret the histories associated with the early settlement and development of the region.         Initially opened to the public on 21 November 1966 as a house museum, one of the earliest house museums in Australia, the collection quickly expanded to support the research interests of the Lithgow District Historical Society. The collection developed to include objects of state and national significance, including the important Iron Black Roses, Sutton Family Crazy Patchwork Quilt, Sir Joseph Cook Collection, and the Lithgow Valley Colliery Company Collection (Lithgow Pottery).

The Small Arms Factory, which opened in June 1912, has proudly supported Australia’s soldiers on battlefields around the globe from Gallipoli to Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. All Australian troops were equipped with weapons made in the Lithgow Small Arms Factory. A 90,000-foot factory floor and tool room, and forge, were both located within the buildings. Each machine was driven by pulleys extending overhead with shafts running the length of the buildings. At the time there were 340 machines, 11 forging hammers and 22 oil fired furnaces in use. The Small Arms Factory manufactured single-shot gun models 1A and 1B, as well as a repeating model 12, under the Slazenger brand and after the end of World War II the factory produced around 100,000 guns per year.

The Lithgow Blast Furnace is a heritage-listed former blast furnace and now park and visitor attraction at Inch Street, Lithgow, City of Lithgow, New South Wales, Australia. It was built from 1906 to 1907 by William Sandford Limited. It is also known as Eskbank Ironworks Blast Furnace site; Industrial Archaeological Site. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999. 

Glow Worm Tunnel walking track is a short, easy walking track, around 45min drive from Black Gold Motel. This attraction is massively popular with families and adventurers keen to see glow worms in their natural environment. The track starts from the carpark at the end of Glow Worm Tunnel Road. Enjoy the easy 1km walk to the tunnel entrance, past an impressive landscape of tall forests, lush tree ferns, narrow gorges and stunning pagoda rock formations. The 400m-long tunnel was built in the early 1900s as part of the railway for the thriving mining industry at Newnes. It’s now home to thousands of glow worms that cling to the dark, damp walls. Switch off your torch, keep quiet, and wait for the worms to light up the tunnel with pinpricks of blue light. 

After a few visits around town, it became clear that a view to the past was ubiquitous among locals, as if the remaining structures were a visceral, material representation of all the memories and stories that were in the minds of Portland.The silos were painted in April and May 2018 by artist Guido Van Helten.

The Jenolan Caves are located around 70km south west of Lithgow, and are regarded as one of Australia’s most spectacular cave systems. The caves are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and rank amongst the world’s finest and oldest cave systems. Features include; guided tours of the caves, underground rivers, and dramatic geological formations.

Blackfellows Hand holds special meaning to Wiradjuri people because of their continuing cultural connection to the place. The site complex includes culturally significant rock shelters and stencil-art which provide a physical and spiritual link to ancestors and provide a place where traditional culture can be sustained.

The Gang Gang Gallery is located in the heritage-listed, Old Refreshments building of the Theatre Royal in Lithgow. The building was purchased in 2012. The new owners then transformed the space into what it is today, a contemporary gallery and function space.

The Lolly Bug offers a large range of fun and quirky gift ideas, the perfect sugar hit for every occasion including last minute gift ideas, those special birthday treats, or a sweet surprise for the ones you love.