We spent yesterday arvo bush-bashing down to the Zig Zag Railway viaducts above Lithgow, NSW and looking around the place for a few hours.

In this shot you can see the No. 1 Viaduct on the Top Road track. A little further down is the larger No. 2 Viaduct. And on the Bottom Road (which is the train line near the bottom of this pic) is the No. 3 Viaduct.

Comprising rock cuttings, classical sandstone viaducts and tunnels, the Lithgow Zig Zag was, and remains to this day, a magnificent piece of engineering. Construction of this part of the rail system began in 1866 and was completed by the late 1890s. The line was decommissioned in 1910 with the construction of the Ten Tunnels deviation which is still in use today by state rail.

Back in the early 1970s, volunteers worked to bring the line back into operation as an iconic tourist railway which ran for decades, bringing with it tourism dollars to the wider Lithgow area.

In 2013, a huge bushfire swept through the area and destroyed a lot of the infrastructure and equipment used by the Zig Zag Railway. Since that day work has proceeded to slowly bring the tourist train line back into operation It is hoped it'll be up and running again in the next year or so.

Follow @zigzagrailway on Insta and Facebook for updates.

For more pics of this awesome area, check out the 4WD Swagman facebook page.

#zigzagrailway
#lithgow
#stoneviaduct
#railway
#bluemountains
#djimavicpro

Central West 4 Stars Hotels

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16 Jan - 18 Jan

Our top choices for Central West 4-star hotels

Iron/ironing board, free WiFi, bed sheets

Central Caleula Motor Lodge

Orange

Australia

Leoni

HK$816 total

includes taxes & fees

7 Jan - 8 Jan

Daily buffet breakfast (AUD 30 per person)

Rydges Mount Panorama Bathurst

Mount Panorama

Australia

Shaun

HK$988 total

includes taxes & fees

15 Jan - 16 Jan

BBQ/picnic Area

Quest Orange

Orange

Australia

Christopher

HK$969 total

includes taxes & fees

25 Jan - 26 Jan

Breakfast and dinner served

The Remington Orange

Orange

United Kingdom

Catherine

HK$1,369 total

includes taxes & fees

8 Jan - 9 Jan

Restaurant

Mercure Orange

Orange

Australia

Richard

HK$1,082 total

includes taxes & fees

18 Jan - 19 Jan

Premium bedding, pillow-top beds, minibar, blackout curtains

de Russie Boutique Hotel Orange

Orange

Australia

Xin

HK$1,182 total

includes taxes & fees

19 Jan - 20 Jan

2 restaurants, breakfast served

The Oriana Orange - Retro Hotel & Resort

Orange

Australia

Luke

HK$1,473 total

includes taxes & fees

6 Feb - 7 Feb

Garden

Lithgow Workies Club Motel

Lithgow Central

Australia

Peter

HK$985 total

includes taxes & fees

8 Jan - 9 Jan

Building design

Turners Vineyard

Orange

Australia

Andrew

HK$1,011 total

includes taxes & fees

8 Jan - 9 Jan

Bar (on property)

Town Square Motel

Orange

Australia

Cary

HK$1,062 total

includes taxes & fees

7 Jan - 8 Jan

Bar (on property)

Zig Zag Motel

Vale Of Clwydd

Australia

Yasmine

HK$1,043 total

includes taxes & fees

9 Jan - 10 Jan

Breakfast and dinner served

Black Gold Motel

Wallerawang

Australia

John

HK$1,166 total

includes taxes & fees

9 Jan - 10 Jan

Daily continental breakfast (AUD 18 per person)

Heritage Inn Bathurst

Bathurst CBD

Australia

Sharon

HK$895 total

includes taxes & fees

7 Jan - 8 Jan

Birthday party area

Bowen Inn Motel

South Bowenfels

Australia

Nick

HK$870 total

includes taxes & fees

11 Jan - 12 Jan

Breakfast and dinner served

Station Motel Parkes

Parkes

Australia

Damien

HK$863 total

includes taxes & fees

12 Jan - 13 Jan

Outdoor pool, pool loungers

Town & Country Motor Inn Forbes

Forbes

Australia

Wayne

HK$940 total

includes taxes & fees

18 Jan - 19 Jan

Property entrance

Aastro Dish Motor Inn

Parkes

Australia

James

HK$922 total

includes taxes & fees

4 Feb - 5 Feb

Indoor pool

North Parkes Motel

Parkes

Australia

Danny

HK$769 total

includes taxes & fees

6 Feb - 7 Feb

Free self-parking

Country Gardens Motor Inn

Cowra

Australia

Mike

HK$802 total

includes taxes & fees

18 Jan - 19 Jan

Property grounds

Forbes Victoria Inn

Forbes

Australia

Debbie

HK$778 total

includes taxes & fees

12 Jan - 13 Jan

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Learn more about Central West

Head to sights like Parkes Golf Club and Parkes Showgrounds as you discover Central West.

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The Three Sisters landmark in the Blue Mountains. Joined list of UNESCO Heritage Sites in 2000.

Top Central West Hotel Reviews

Rydges Mount Panorama Bathurst

Rydges Mount Panorama Bathurst

10/10 Excellent

"Room was spotless and huge also with a great balcony view of the track "

Quest Orange

Quest Orange

10/10 Excellent

"Great stay at the Quest, it is in a great location and easy to walk to most restaurants and shops. Balcony was good to have, but overlooked the car park. Kitchen was handy and was well stocked. The couch was a little uncomfortable, but not too bad. Shower was awesome! All and all we had a wonderful stay and would highly recommend the Quest."

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