“No painter could beautify” was the words George Evans (a surveyor and explorer) use to describe Kangaroo Valley in NSW. And he was right!
Kangaroo Valley is a town in the city of Shoalhaven and just 2 hours from Sydney. It was formerly known as Osborne. You can access Kangaroo Valley by Moss vale road. According to the 2016 census Kangaroo Valley has over 879 people that call it home. Behind every town, there is a history but this town has a history definitely worth talking about. You will know why when you arrive in Kangaroo Valley, the place will blow your mind.
When you travel to Kangaroo Valley be ready to travel back in time. This place has amazing walking tracks and the lookouts are to die for! Kangaroo Valley was first inhabited by the Australian Aborigines called the “Wodi-Wodi” people. There were about 79 Aborigines who occupied this land for around 20,000 years.
After the “Wodi-Wodi” people, around 1817, the first white settlement started to dribble in. Dairy farmers utilised the natural fertile plains to set up dairy businesses. A local public school and church began to sprout. Slowly Kangaroo valley was transformed into a small village. After 130 years later, Kangaroo Valley still looks like it has not changed a bit. The fertile land looks as though it was barely touched, agriculture still exists. Artists are taking advantage of the natural history and environment that Kangaroo Valley has to offer so they have built an artistic community hub which has a strong presence today. However, due to the authenticity of Kangaroo Valley, Tourism and outdoor recreations have taken the top spot for the primary income of this region.
Kangaroo Valley undeniably, a place for families to leave their worries behind and absorb in the beauty that people back then were blessed with hundreds of years ago. These days, Kangaroo Valley attracts families and tourist because of its endless history and architectures, forest and bushlands, fertile soil and the beautiful cedar trees on show everywhere you walk.
In town, Kangaroo Valley has a Pioneer village museum that you can stop by and learn more, through artefacts made available onsite from late 19th -20th century. The pioneer village museum is located at 2029 Moss Vale Rd. Kangaroo Valley. It’s situated on 1 hectare of land. The museum has plenty of grassland for picnics, BBQ area, parking and public toilet.
Inside the museum, they have visual and audio displays to put you through a trance so you can absorb everything in and understand the era a bit more. To complement the visual effects and audios, they have exhibits at close range which you are able to observe and touch. There are activities for the whole family and loads of things for the kids to be excited about.
Another historical feature that Kangaroo Valley is well-known for and that is the iconic Hampden suspension bridge. This bridge was opened to the public in 1898, after 2 years of construction. Its exterior structure resembles an English castle. Today, Hampden suspension bridge is one of the most photographed bridge in NSW alongside the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
You will need at least more than one day to explore the whole of Kangaroo Valley because the place has plenty of trails walks to choose, from easy to difficult. You can jump on a bike and ride through the valley and there’s even a company that does horse riding; another alternative to enjoy Kangaroo Valley. If you don’t have the luxury to stay a bit longer to enjoy all of what Kangaroo Valley has to offer then at least stay half a day to a day so you can enjoy the Manning’s lookout.
Manning’s lookout is located in the Morton National Park. Start your walk at the carpark and follow the marked trail to take in the natural ecosystem that surrounds the national park. The sandstone plateau is a great platform for the varieties of plant species to thrive like, stringybark and peppermint, scribbly gum and old man banksia, shrubs-curly sedge and sunshine wattle, broad-leaved hakea and trigger plant, mountain devil and massive trees that engulf the area.
When you walk further in, you will reach the cliff-top, this is where you will enjoy panoramic views of Kangaroo Valley. Take your binoculars with you and enjoy birdwatching, while you are at Manning’s lookout. With endless varieties of birds such as gang-gang cockatoos and scarlet robins, diamond firetails and wildflowers to enjoy, a day at Manning’s lookout at Kangaroo Valley will be a day to remember. Near Moss Vale, there is a spectacular picnic spot where you and your family can park your belongings and roll out the picnic mat for a beautiful scenic lunch together.
A small note to remember, there is a park entry fee and it’s coin-operated so you must bring correct coins.
Kangaroo Valley also has other walks available for your family to take advantage of and they are the three views walk, McPhail’s trail, Cooks nose, Old Meryla road and Griffins fire trail. All trail walks have scenic views and there is plenty of flora and faunas for you to admire. A nice bike ride through Upper Kangaroo river road will take you to the natural flowing river with green vegetation and wildlife that inhabit Kangaroo Valley. Get ready to be mesmerised when you do the Valley floor ride where you will come close to historic dairy farming-land, cemetery and venture past the Kangaroo river swimming hole.
The town Kangaroo Valley is stuck in a time capsule, any visitor who comes to Kangaroo Valley will most definitely leave with plenty of memories to take home and an urge to want to come back.
Author: Tien Pham on November 09, 2018
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My name is Tien Pham, I’m a freelance copywriter and the owner of PhamtasticKopy.com
I love writing, and my passion is to share family experiences, so we can all benefit from each others knowledge.
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