Fast facts
- Small-scale industrial town surrounded by bush and spectacular lookouts
- In the Capertee Valley on the western edge of the Great Dividing Range
- 231 km north-west of Sydney, population 1,800
Why go there
Kandos is a gateway to the wonderland of Wollemi National Park, the rugged home of one of the rarest plants in the world, the Wollemi Pine, and other endangered and threatened species of plants, marsupials and birds.
It’s a great base for bushwalking, water sports and enjoying the great outdoors.
History
Kandos was established in 1913, when the New South Wales Cement Lime and Coal Company was set up to take advantage of local supplies of limestone, which was lifted from the quarries by an enormous aerial ropeway.
The town got its name from an acronym based on the names of the six directors of the company. Kandos was one of the first towns in NSW to have electric lighting, which was generated at the factory.
Things to do
- Discover local social and industrial history at the Kandos Bicentennial Museum.
- See the aerial ropeway that the cement company uses to convey limestone from its quarries.
- Camp beside Windamere Dam and go for a swim, or try your luck fishing for perch, Murray cod and catfish.
Don’t miss
- The crags, gorges and forests of Wollemi National Park.
- Aboriginal hand stencils up to 7,000 years old at Dunns Swamp.
- Engines of the Industrial Revolution at the Turon Technology Museum.
- Wine tasting at a local cellar door.
- An overnight stay in a motel, lodge or bed and breakfast.
