Visiting the small town of Sofala is like stepping back in time. It is one of the most unusual gold mining towns and it has a authentic charm and atmosphere. The town itself sits on the banks of the Turon River.
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| Main street |
When we arrived, the heavy wet weather continues. There are free camps available up and down the river however 2 out of the 3 we visited we couldn't fit the motorhome in due the the trees and the very rough tracks. It didn't help that there had been lots of heavy rain recently and with the the potential of getting bogged, let alone flooding, we decided to stop overnight on the bitumen just around from the bridge, in fact we were right in front of the old bridge which rescued after a past severe flood ripped the bridge from its moorings. It is now part of a picnic area just at the entry to the "main street".
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| Old restored foot bridge |
Sofala is a delightful village in the historical Bathurst region with a rich and intriguing colonial gold mining heritage. It would seem that the town hasn't changed much in 50 years. It is surrounded by beautiful national parks and is about 40km north of Bathurst on the road to Hill End.
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| This beautifully restored old miners cottage is available for rent |
Michelle discovered a second hand book shop that is absolutely crammed full of books of every sort. This is a really book lovers paradise. In fact Michelle had to visit yet again the next day before leaving. Apparently it is connected to Slado's Bookshop in Bathurst which is closing it doors permanently, leaving this Sofala shop open for book lovers.
Down the road further is a wonderful old pub The Royal, and a museum which was closed at the time of our visit due the late hour most likely as well as several other mini businesses.
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| Slado's Book Shop |
We heard that trout fishing is also popular in the area and of course there is also gold fossicking, even tours you can book if you're feeling lucky. Though we only stayed the one night, I hope we can come back in warmer weather and explore this town and just sit back and unwind watching the river flown by.
We camped down by the river April last year and really enjoyed the peaceful surroundings. Shared the area with about 5 other caravans so still plenty of room to move. The town is lovely and well worth a stroll down each side of the main road and yes we found the old bookshop and bought a few books. Also took lots of photos of all the lovely old buildings and scenery while we were there.
ReplyDeleteIt is s lovely quiet spot. I think I mentioned that there is more than one camp ground, but I do recall only one that Rob felt safe to drive into due to the heights of the tree branches. It would be a fabulous spot to get away from everything!
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