EXPLORING CENTRAL NSW TRAVEl
The gems of Central West NSW start to shine as soon as you turn off the Great Western Highway. Not saying that the townships of Bathurst, Orange and Dubbo aren't great places to visit at all – they are buzzing hubs for their regions. It's just that places such as Millthorpe, Canowindra, Cowra, Forbes, Condobolin and Wellington all offer intrepid travellers something different. The one constant is down-to-earth country hospitality.
Millthorpe was established in 1834 and once the railway line was established in the 1870s, local wool producers had access to the lucrative Sydney markets. The town boomed off the sheep's back. On weekends, ‘Little Leura’– as the locals call it – is a tourist's delight and gets very busy. There's a vast range of places to stay from pubs to B&Bs, and we can see why with a range of places at which to eat, drink and be merry. For the shoppers, the cobblestone streets have a wide selection of antiques, arts, boutique shops and providores. Our favourite was The Bower, with its eclectic mix of wares and host Julia, typical of the country charm we would get
