Eggbert's Travels

Friday 9^th February 2018

SHE SAID:

I dragged Geoff out for the day. My plans had us going out through Oberon to the "Private Town of Yerranderie"; which is in the middle of the Blue Mountains National Park. It was a 175km drive one way with about 1/2 on dirt roads.

Yerranderie was once a thriving silver mining town with 2000 people living there. Though now it is run by the NSW National Parks & Wildlife, who have tried to maintain & restore the few surviving buildings from the late-1800's & early 1900's.

There is only one access road now, as the eastern access was cut when the Warragamba Dam was put in.

You can still see some of the old mines, the pioneer cemetery, & the 3 brick buildings: church, police station & court house, that have been restored. Surprisingly, there are people that live out here. Apart from a restored hotel it looks like there are some modern houses near the Yerranderie Airport – well, landing strip really!

We came prepared with morning tea & lunch, as there are no facilities other than toilets! We had an escort of 2 White-tailed Black Cockatoos along some of the dirt road, a very dark Swamp Wallaby darted away from our approaching car, & a huge Lace Monitor appeared from the side of the car as we stopped in the centre of Yerranderie! Neither of us saw it till it moved away.

Our return journey took us through Black Springs & on to Rockley, via Dog Rock Road; this was another tiny historic village with some lovely old buildings & a pub with a sign on the door: "No Stupid People".

The 60km dirt to Yerranderie 

A couple of the old houses in East Yerranderie

 Historic Yerranderie Village

Up to old mine

Silver Peak Mine; walkway

Looking down the mine

Mine cage

Old police station

HE SAID:

Our Yerranderie trip was expected to be a long day out, and it was. We were off from the house before 8am, and didn't hit Yerranderie until well after 11. We had stopped a couple of times to look for orchids, and once for a cuppa. At least we found the cuppa!

The town itself was similar to many other old Australian mining towns that have met their demise. The unusual history of the town, becoming privately owned, makes it stand out from most of the others.