Day 4 Tuesday 17/6/2025 Carcoar to Lithgow, strong chilly wind, 0 to 11

We wake up to frost and ice this morning, the grass is frosty and our water pipes and hatches are frozen. Thank goodness for the diesel heating. It was only last night that Woody was showing off our diesel heater to the neighbours. They’re now shuffling about in woolly onesies. It’s a hilly drive into Bathurst with roadside warnings for black ice and snow. It’s not that cold, thank goodness. Though I do see a sign for ‘goats in coats’ whatever that is.

The city of Bathurst is big and busy. With a population of around 45,000, it is bustling. A little trivia, Charles Darwin once visited Bathurst and was probably its most famous visitor.

We manage to find a parking space not far from the pathology clinic where Woody is due to have a blood test. I grab a coffee and find a seat in the impressive civic square opposite the courthouse and attractive domed building just begging to be sketched. The Bathurst War Memorial Carillon towers above me, it has 35 bells *warmemorialsregister.nsw.gov.au. Also in this park is the George Evans Expedition Statue. George Evans was given the task of surveying this area once the Blue Mountains had been crossed. *Statue information plaque. At first glance the memorial did seem amusing…below George Evans and his Aboriginal guide is a man with what appears to be a sheaf of wheat, on the other side is a woman, who to my less serious eye looks to have kicked off her shoe and is massaging her foot. I can imagine her saying “That was one hell of a walk, my feet are killing me”.

It’s a long climb up to Lithgow the town that is tucked into the foothills of the Blue Mountains. Lithgow is quite a surprise for us, it is a coal mining town with a very long Main Street that is flanked by 2 and 3 storey buildings. It has a distinct 1950’s feel. I would imagine that it could become a tourist attraction if each building was painted in bright colours. What really surprises us though is the number of smokers on the street.

We head for the caravan park for an early afternoon and find that we have a site that overlooks the Bowenfels Railway Viaduct, which is two bridges of different eras crossing Farmers Creek. The manager tells us that if we’d like to get up before 7:00am we could watch the Indian Pacific train cross the viaduct. I’ll pass thanks. What is it with trains on this trip. Between us and the viaduct there’s a farm and before we know it, we’ve got half a dozen goats and a flock of Guinea fowl begging for snacks and attention.

We top up our water tanks because the park taps will be frozen again tomorrow morning.

Woody cooks a Prawn Thai Curry for dinner.

Today’s name winner is Curly Dick Road, I’d love to know the history of that one.

Accom: $55.00, Fuel: $73.37, Towing Kms: 112Kms

Power, water, toilets, showers, dump point