| NEWNES NEWS (CURRENT CONDITIONS & WHAT IS HAPPENING AT NEWNES) |
| News flash (Friday 20 November, 7pm) WOLLEMI NATIONAL PARK (AND NEWNES) IS CLOSED TO VISITORS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. There are a number of bush fires in the area, including one on the Wolgan River near Newnes. PLEASE STAY AWAY - COME AGAIN SOME OTHER DAY. |
What is on this page:
| WARNING NOTICES | THE WEEKLY REPORT | KIOSK HOURS | OTHER MATTERS | LINKS |
| Go to the bottom of this page for links to other pages on this web site. | ||||
| Report for weekend ending: Mon 16Nov2009 | Changes since last update are highlighted in blue font. |
| Please note that this page only gives current information. If you have not been to Newnes before, please see linked pages for more general information on the subjects concerned. |
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| WARNING NOTICES. |
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1. ROAD CLOSURES AT WOLGAN GAP. The road down Wolgan Gap is currently being upgraded with updated drainage and a new road surface. Single-lane stop/go working under flagmen may be in operation weekdays until further notice. Delays should be expected. Lithgow City Council regrets to advise the temporary road closure of the 'Gap Section' of Wolgan Road for a period of 2 days to bitumen seal the roadway. Wolgan Road will be closed on Monday 30 November 2009 and Tuesday 1 December 2009 between the hours of 8.30am and 4.00pm. Council are working to tight deadlines and reserves the right to vary this mesage should delays be experienced. This notice is served under Section 122 - Roads Act 1993. Provisions will be made for Emergency Service. |
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2. TOTAL FIRE BANS AND NATIONAL PARK ACCESS RESTRICTIONS. • This is now a declared bushfire season and "No fires without a permit" restrictions are currently in force. (Please refer to Basic Information page for explanation of allowable fires at Newnes.) • Current weather conditions suggest that "Total Fire Ban" conditions may be in force this week and into the weekend. Check RFS web-site before you come to Newnes. • There is an old-style fire danger "clock" at Newnes, but it is normally maintained on weekends only. • It is recommended that you use gas fires at Newnes and avoid lighting "open" (wood) fires, regardless of whether fire restrictions are in force or not. • Avoid lighting open fires during periods of high winds (at Newnes, these are usually from the north-west and come just before a southerly "change"). • Open fires are not permitted at all on "Total Fire Ban" days. |
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Refer to Basic Information page for explanation of allowable fires at Newnes.
Please check external links at bottom of this page to determine the current situation regarding weather, bushfires and fire restrictions. |
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| NEWNES - The Weekly Report from last weekend |
| I was expecting a quiet weekend, but it was quite warm to hot, so people were coming in for ice creams and drinks. The big rush was late on Saturday when 64 school cadets arrived looking for some refreshment after a day of hiking in the hot weather. They left by coach on Sunday, just after the arrival of another two (empty) coaches that had dropped off another school group. Did not see too much of that group, although at least some were on the main camping area on Sunday night. |
| Weather could be a problem this week. The weekend was clear, but Monday was a "Total Fire Ban" day. I expect there could be more such days this Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Thomas and I are monitoring the situation and the fire sign at Newnes should be updated daily. |
| The road at Wolgan Gap will be closed for two days at the end of the month. See the warning notice at the top of the page and the road report below for more details. |
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Weekend Visitor Statistics: I managed to count twelve ordinary groups on the main camping ground on Saturday night, including one large one. This was in addition to the school cadet group. There was another camp near the gates, another south of the NPWS sign and two groups on the flat near the pub. Over the river there were four in or near "The Oval", while all five independent camping sites from there to the works were occupied. Most had left on Sunday, with just one group remaining in the main camping area as well as two more school groups. There were daytrippers about on both days, but outnumbered by campers. |
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Newnes Historic Wilderness Retreat: The Colo and Wolgan cabins were booked over the weekend and there are some more bookings for this week. I think there are bookings for next weekend. |
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If you are thinking of coming, check with Thomas for availability. Cabins should be booked in advance and you need
to ring 6355-1247 (not the kiosk number) to book. At any time when the cabins are free, visitors are welcome to inspect them. Please ask at the kiosk. |
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The new public toilet and shower block at the Newnes Hotel: Again, no work this week, due to work with other areas of the pub property. |
| As the kiosk and the attached facilities are all privately owned and run, we are asking for a gold coin donation if you only just wish to use the kiosk toilet facilities without otherwise supporting the kiosk. The donation box is in the kiosk and donations are used to help with the cost of building the new loos. A big thanks to all those who have helped so far. |
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The Weather for last weekend: There was only 2mm of rain during the week and most of that seems to have come on Friday. There was no rain at all over the weekend. Saturday was fine and very warm, with just a few odd clouds in the afternoon. Sunday was fine and hot with just a slight breeze. There was some clouds in the afternoon, with the suggestion of a change, but temperatures remained much the same. Monday was fine and heading into another hot day, this time with a Total Fire Ban in force, Present forecast suggests mostly fine weather right up to and into the weekend, with Thursday, Friday and Saturday being rather hot. This suggests that there could be Total Fire Bans on these days, so check the RFS web-site if you intend to come to Newnes on these days. Any rain could be in the form of thunderstorms, which can be a fire risk themselves. There may be a cool change through late on Saturday. |
| For up to date weather information it is best to check on conditions (see "Links" below) before leaving for Newnes. |
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The Wolgan Road: The entire 2.5km of road down Wolgan Gap has now been stripped of bitumen and reformed. However, watch out for corrugations, particularly on steep pinches and curves. The 40km/h limit is still in place and it is recommended that you stay well under this. In a letter dated October 8, Lithgow Council included the following advice: "Over the coming weeks ... the old damaged guard rail at the top of the gap will be ... replaced with new guardrail from the lookout platform area (inclusive) and will run down the hill for some 1.5 kilometres." [There has been no action so far with the guard rail. There are some temporary plastic barriers for 150m at the top, but currently NOTHING on the edge beyond this. Be extremely careful passing vehicles when coming up the hill - don't drive too close to the edge!] "Council will also be constructing a permanent drainage channel along the inner edge of the hillside. It is expected that the drainage channel will be approx 1.2m wide with a depth of 120mm; this will be mountable by vehicles in order to maximise the pavement width for motorists." [The shallow "V" shaped concrete channel extends from about 400m from the top of the hill all the way to the bottom. It appears to be complete except for nearly all the culvert entries. Work continues with reforming the surface on the top 800m of road.] "Council will be two-coat bitumen sealing the entire Wolgan Gap upon finalisation of sub-pavement work. ..... Unavoidable delays can be expected during this work." [This has been scheduled for Monday 30 November and Tuesday 1 December. The Wolgan Road will be closed all day on these two days. See warning notice at top of page.] |
| From the bottom of the gap, the gravel section of the road through the valley (14km) is quite good, although there are some corrugations on the entrance to the second creek crossing and on the curve at the entrance to Emirates. The road beyond this to Newnes (8km) is also good, although the section past the Corn Paddock has a few potholes. |
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General road conditions are now posted on the Access to Newnes page. Please read that page if you have not been to Newnes before, or if you have not been to Newnes for some time. |
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| Newnes Kiosk - Scheduled opening hours next weekend: | |
| Saturday, November 21: | About 9.30am to 6.00pm |
| Sunday, November 22: | About 9.30am to 6.00pm |
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The kiosk may also be open outside of these hours. Please note that, when closed, the kiosk is a private residence and visitors should not loiter in the area. | |
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| Other Matters: |
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Newnes Hotel Merchandise: Some of the special 2007 Centenary sales items are still available, including the fridge magnet, coffee mugs, place mats and coasters, sweat shirts and Centenary poster. The Centenary stubby holders proved to be very popular and has sold out as a Centenary item. However, we now have regular stocks of this item that does not have the "Centenary" wording. The "Memories of Newnes" DVD is still available, as is another DVD, a transfer of the old "Moving of the Newnes Hotel" video. These DVDs can be viewed at the kiosk. |
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The Emirates "Wolgan Valley Resort and Spa": This development opened on Thursday October 1. The entrance to this development is on the Wolgan Road, 14km from the foot of Wolgan Gap and 8km south of the Newnes Hotel. The actual resort site is some 3km south of this, behind Donkey Mountain and well hidden from public gaze. A detailed report on progress (to end of 2008) can be found on our Emirates Wolgan Valley Resort and Conservation Reserve page. There have been various reports in the "Lithgow Mercury" and in Sydney papers during October in connection with the opening of this resort. |
| Please note that access to this resort is restricted to guests and staff and it is not open to the general public. There is a security gate along the entrance road just out of sight from the Wolgan Road. |
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Glen Davis news: Some people have asked us about this, and we have been told that there are tours through the oil-shale works site at Glen Davis every Saturday starting at 2.00pm. Meet the owner of the property at the gate. |
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Newnes Research: I am always interested in meeting people and/or their families associated with Newnes during the operating period. I am also interested in old photos and other memorabilia. If you have such items and are willing to share them, and I am now able to scan-copy such items at the kiosk "while-you-wait". |
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| Links for further information: | |
| Newnes Accommodation: |
"NEWNES HOTEL HISTORIC WILDERNESS RETREAT" -
"www.lisp.com.au/~newnes/". Bookings should be made in advance. To book, ring: 6355-1247. |
| Road Conditions: | A general description of the Wolgan Road and likely road conditions appear on the Access to Newnes page. |
| Bush Fire Information: |
RFS - Fire Danger Map
(Newnes is in Area 10, "Central Ranges") RFS - Current Fires |
| Weather: |
The Bureau of Meteorology has an on-line four-day weather
forecast for the Central Tablelands weather district. For other general information and links about the weather at Newnes, see Basic Information page. For on the spot information (Saturdays and Sundays only) ring 6355-7355 during shop hours. |
| Emirates Resort: |
This development has its own web-site at: www.wolganvalley.com
. Click here for direct link to Emirates photo-library. For a report on progress and our comments, see Emirates Wolgan Valley Resort and Conservation Reserve page. |
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