Wednesday 24 September (NSW)
Orange to Londonderry

Accommodation: Bill and Sue's at Londonderry

Directions for the day: From Orange we swing southeast and then head east for Bathurst on the Mitchell Highway, through the central western slopes region. As we continue on to Lithgow, we start to climb through some pretty hilly country. We are now driving through the foothills of the Great Dividing Range. From Lithgow take the Bells Line of Road - a steep climb up out of Lithgow, but once we are up the top of the mountain we drive along a lovely sweeping road with magnificent views. We also have entered the Blue Mountains National Park, and stay within the Park boundary until just west of Richmond.

We follow the Bells Line of Road all the way to Richmond, then turn south out of the town onto Londonderry Road. Just short of the village, we turn left on Reynolds Road, and Bill and Sue's is about 1km down that road.

Richmond
Elevation 19m
Climate in September
Max 21°C
Min 7°C
Rain 40mm
Raindays 5

Some history

Bathurst is on the banks of the Macquarie River, and is the centre of a thriving grain, fruit and pastoral district. It has a population of 26,000. It is the birthplace of former Prime Minister (1945-1949) Ben Chifley. Today it is more renowned for the Mount Panorama racing circuit.

Lithgow is a coalmining town of some 11,500 people on the north-west fringes of the Blue Mountains National Park. It has two power stations, and is a town for railway enthusiasts.

Richmond is one of the five Macquarie towns in NSW, the town site being named by Governor Macquarie in 1810 It is located on the banks of the Hawkesbury River, and has a population of 7,900. The RAAF base at Richmond is the oldest Air Force establishment in Australia.