When I was down on the farm a few weeks ago we explored around the area a bit and took the road out to Hill End. Hill End was a gold mining town back in the 1850s when the gold rush was on in central western NSW. By 1870 it had a population of 8,000 people served by two newspapers, five banks, eight churches, and twenty-eight pubs! When the gold declined the population dramatically declined and by 1945 it was down to 500 people.
At the present time there are only a few shops and houses still here. At its peak mining leases were given out and they actually took up most of 
the town and probably most consisted of tents therefore there wasn’t a lot of growth within the town of actual buildings or housing so it remains a small area which you can walk around today.
Hill End is classified now as a historical site and is run by the National Parks and Wildlife services. They have done a great job in the town of placing a plaque in front of a former building site so you could get the essence of what was where when it was in its heyday.
In the 1940s Russell Drysdale, a famous Australian Painter used Hill End for inspiration for his best known work – The Cricketers.
It as autumn at the time we were they and were welcomed coming into Hill End by a lovely line of yellowed trees.
Definitely a great place to visit if ever in central western NSW. Australiana at its finest built on the backbone of the gold rush.
daysandmonths 
Fantastic photos. #3, the one with the car really rocks. It’s good to have places like this. Keeps the memories and history alive. Greetings to the land down under.
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Thanks Reinhold it was so interesting you felt like you were back then with little effort and that car just sitting there was a bonus 🙂
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What a fantastic location for exploring and taking photographs. I hope to make it to Australia some day but until then I’m very glad to be an armchair traveller by following your blog.
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Thanks Laura it was great to go back to the “wild west”. Glad you came along for the ride to Hill End with me 🙂
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I love history and reading your description of Hill End in NSW was no exception. It still looks like an interesting place, and one I wouldn’t mind visiting myself. Your photos really show it off……and now I want to find out more about it!
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Thanks Barb ,it really was like exploring the wild west and I could easily imagine being back in the 1800s. Would love to have had more time to explore 🙂
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I had a pen pal in NSW many, many years ago. It was like a whole ‘nother world to me, so it is tremendous fun for me to follow you and see what she wrote about all those years ago. So glad this is preserved as historical.
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That’s so interesting Loisa I wonder where she lived? Glad you enjoyed the post. It is a fascinating place that’s for sure and I wish I had more time to look further into it as it is one of the things that made our country what it is now – the Gold Rush. 🙂
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22 Perkins St, West Ryde, NSW. I saved several letters and a beautiful scrapbook she had sent for my birthday one year. Amazing that I still had this!
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I always enjoy reading the descriptions you put with your photos, So many places in Oz I will never see, but you manage to enlighten me with your words and I can enjoy the fine photos you take. Thanks Karen. (my favourite was the old car and the Mail coach).
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Thanks Claudette, glad you could come on the journey with me. I loved that old car, it looked like it was there waiting for a gangster to get out.. so weird to see it but strangely normal at the same time! 🙂
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Kaz these are wonderful shots. So wonderfully Australian old town and still so unique.
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Thanks Ms V. It was so uniquely Australian, so fascinating but it did remind me of being in the wild west of America, I guess because it reminded me of the old Western movies I used to watch. 🙂
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Love all these photos Karen..some beautiful scenes you have captured..
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Thanks Di very much 🙂
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Love the church and the abandoned car Kaz! Looks like heaven for a photographer!
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It was Jane, I wish I had more time there. That car was so strange to come upon just sitting there behind the old house but strangely not. There were also a lot of kangaroos just lounging in the paddocks of course when I didn’t have my camera with me but I did manage to snap one. A lovely place to visit that’s for sure 🙂
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Funny I was going to say it reminded me of a ghost village here in France (tragic story too sad to relate here) and then I saw the kangaroo and decided it really wasn’t like France at all !
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The kangaroo really did stamp it Australian didn’t it. If it were more like France i wonder if my fascination for all things French would be so strong? I would be quite interested to know which village it reminded you of and i could look into it myself. I’m always fascinated by towns and why there were there, how they survived or why they declined.
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The village was Oradour sur Glane, a terrible wartime tragedy – you’ll find plenty about it, but it’s not happy reading. Visited last year and there were no camera signs everywhere but people were ignoring it, to be honest I’d have felt too disrespectful to take photos there. It was the car in your photo which made me think of it. Gosh that was a gloomy comment! I shall shut up there and wish you a very good and peaceful Sunday Kaz!
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Thanks Jane. Yes some places can effect you greatly. I remember visiting the memorial in Hawaii out in the bay and got quite upset that people were laughing and taking photos when i felt so sombre and upset by the events that happened. I appreciate your sharing and wish you an enjoyable weekend too.
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😉
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a beautiful gallery Kaz- I’d love to visit some day.
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What a wonderful set of so beautiful photos.
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Thanks so much Sartenada 🙂
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I love these. Great shots.
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lovely shot of the kangaroo!
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Thanks he was a big brute posing for the camera
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