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The Golden Highway
The great inland corridor from the north

Four children enjoying drinks at an outdoor table with a large satellite dish in the background on the Golden Highway

For travellers arriving from the Hunter and the north, the Golden Highway is a journey through the soul of inland NSW – past horse studs, boutique wineries, striking silo art and enormous, cloud-filled skies.


The Dish, Parkes

Downtown plaza with a church steeple, roundabout fountain, and mountains in the background in Mudgee

Stop in the beautifully preserved gold rush village of Gulgong before rolling into Mudgee, where more than 40 cellar doors, a vibrant food scene and a handsome historic town centre make it easy to linger.



Mudgee


Safari tour bus with zebra stripes and a giraffe standing beside it in a dry savanna setting

Continue south to Lithgow, or head west through Dubbo – home to the world-renowned Taronga Western Plains Zoo – before pressing on to Parkes, where the iconic ‘Dish’ and its outstanding Astronomy Centre sit beneath some of the darkest, most star-filled skies in the country.


Taronga Western Plains Zoo