Yerranderie is a pretty long drive from anywhere and that’s precisely what makes it extra special. Once a prosperous silver mining town it’s now an off beat destination for lovers of quiet bushland, wild swimming and those that want to have a poke around what is now known as the ‘ghost town’. As a fan of all three, our trip here didn’t disappoint.
Though most people choose to camp, we opted to stay in the old mining cottage named after it’s former occupant, Slippery Norris - he’s even buried in the front garden, a fact that didn’t bother us but seemed to cause quite a stir when I shared it on my Instagram stories!
There’s no wifi or phone signal at Yerranderie, so this is a back to basics experience where the constant chiming of bell birds by day and bugs by night lulls you into a feeling of deep relaxation. In fact we enjoyed it so much we decided two nights wasn’t long enough and are already talking about a return visit.
So while we have a lot more to discover at Yerranderie, here’s our initial experience to help you plan your own trip. However, my biggest tip would simply be to chat to the resident caretaker, hearing some local history and stories about the area really brought the place to life in a way no information boards could (and Yerranderie is pretty lacking in those at any rate!)
Things to do when visiting Yerranderie
Have a poke around the ghost town
Granted, wandering the street, yes solitary street, of Private Town in Yerranderie doesn’t take long, but it’s a must do.
Although, sadly, the museum is no longer you can still take a peek through the windows of some of the old buildings, including the bank, tailors, general store and post office. The buildings date back to the late 1800’s/early 1900’a and have a wild west feel, retaining all of their early settlers charm.
There are also some more upscale buildings in nearby Government Town, a short drive away on route to the cemetery.
It really only takes five or ten minutes to look around Private Town, but it’s a really fun introduction to the area.
Visit some of the mines
There used to be various maintained walking tracks that took you around many of the small makeshift mines in the area. Alas, following the 2019/2020 bushfires most of the tracks fell into disrepair and have become very overgrown.
Wandering off-track around mine sites is obviously a bit of a no no, so the easiest one to visit is Silver Peak Mine which is located just a 400m walk away from the last of the old buildings in Private Town (and it’s signposted).
The walk is on a gravel path and very easy. There’s a slight incline at the end but it’s not challenging. There is a walkway and cage over the mine shaft which is a staggering 450m deep. Peering into the abyss it struck me that the mine ran deeper than the length of the walk we’d just done from town and that was quite a staggering thought!
The mine ceased operations in 1928 but had been prosperous prior to this. In its heyday over 2200 miners lived and worked in Yerranderie. Today just a handful of residents remain and all mining operations have long since ended.
There isn’t much to learn of the areas history and stories from simply wandering around Yerranderie, but if you stop and chat to the caretaker he can share plenty of stories which really bring the area to life.
Take a dip in the infinity pool
Yerranderie seems like an unlikely place to find one of the Blue Mountains best infinity pools, but there you have it, it’s an area that’s full of surprises!
It’s an off-track walk to reach the pool, but only 400m long and follows the creek the whole way, so it would be nigh on impossible to get lost! It’s also pretty easy if you don’t mind a bit of rock hopping and some uneven terrain.
The treasure at the end of the walk is a spectacular infinity pool set inside a mini gorge. The water is as clear as it gets and it’s an iridescent blue green when the sun shines - which it does a lot of the time in Yerranderie!
Getting into the pool involves a bit of light scrambling which you can read more about in our detailed guide.
Picnic beside the secret gorge pools
The huge grassy expanse of the Private Town campground makes for a great picnic spot, so this one is only going to be for you if you don’t mind putting in a little extra effort to gain maximum seclusion.
The gorge pools which are located along the Tonalli River are very beautiful and the first one has a tiny sandy area just large enough to lay out a blanket. It’s a short walk to reach the river though very few people venture here. Dragonflies skim the surface of the water and there’s the constant sound of gentle cascades helping to put you into full relaxation mode.
Continuing along the river is all off-track and involves wet boots, but it will bring you to a spectacular canyon-esque pool with emerald water, deep enough for a little swim surrounded by nothing but wild beauty.
The river is remote and there is no phone signal so it would be wise to explore with a PLB in case of emergency. Here’s how to find them.
Climb Yerranderie Peak
This is something we actually didn’t do, but I’m including it here for the very intrepid. The route to the top of Yerranderie Peak used to be well maintained and relatively easy going. Today it’s completely lost to dense bush and requires route finding on steep slopes.
The views are said to be incredible and we were so keen to try it, but after chatting to the caretaker we decided it might be a bit beyond our comfort level, however, people do still climb it which is why I’m mentioning it here.
Where to stay
The campgrounds
There are two campgrounds at Yerranderie, Private Town Campground and Government Town Campground. Private Town is where the most atmospheric old buildings are and will be most people’s first choice. There are plenty of shady places to pop your tent up and car camping is also possible.
The bell birds chime throughout the day and the whole campground has a lovely vibe. We visited on a weekend and there were a fair few campers around, but no noise whatsoever.
There’s a good amenities block with flush toilets and hot showers.
Bookings are made via the National Parks Service website.
The historic buildings
There are three historic buildings you can stay in, with a fourth larger lodge currently set to be restored. There’s the miners hut we stayed in, Slippery Norris Cottage (sleeps 4), the old bank (sleeps 3) and the Tailors Room (sleeps 4).
We can only really speak to the one we stayed in, but we could see (as no one was staying there) that the tailors room doesn’t have bathroom facilities, these would be shared with the campers.
Slippery Norris Cottage was a fun place to stay, it’s got heaps of character and though rustic, has everything you need. There is a full kitchen with lots of cooking utensils and a large fridge freezer, sizeable dining table, two smallish sofas and two bedrooms.
There’s a fab fireplace which we sadly didn’t get to use as it was so hot, but would be amazing in winter. The bathroom with hot shower is attached to the cottage but there’s no internal door, you access it via the verandah.
Pillows, doonas and towels are provided, you just need to bring sheets and pillow cases.
All windows are screened but there must have been quite a few holes as in the evening with the internal lights on, it did get a bit buggy - we learnt not to have the windows open with the lights on after that!
As the character of the place has been preserved you can expect lots of peeling wall paper, dusty nooks and crannies and the like, but I really enjoyed the experience of staying here for something a little bit different.
The hut is situated on the edge of the campground so you would hear campers if they were noisy, but everyone staying on our visit was whisper quiet so happily that wasn’t an issue.
The nearest town
If you want to day trip to Yerranderie, your best bet is to stay in Oberon, roughly a two hour drive away. If you’re coming from further down the mountains, such as Katoomba, you’re looking at a three hour plus drive which is a pretty hefty day trip.
Oberon has a few motels, caravan parks and airbnb’s if you’re looking for a bit more comfort or you need to be connected to the outside world : )
The Yerranderie access road
Reaching Yerranderie requires driving for 63km down an unsealed road (via the Oberon-Colong stock route). It is not a 4WD road unless it’s wet or there has been very severe weather. However, not everyone will feel comfortable taking a 2WD along this road. There are some ups and downs, though no very steep sections and the road surface is generally quite good. Occasionally there is an unfenced drop to the left but the road is not narrow. There are 4 fords to cross and a few rocky puddles.
My advice if you’re planning to visit in a 2WD or you’re not sure about unsealed roads in general, is to ring the Oberon branch of the NSW Parks Service. I rang them twice before visiting (the first time our plans fell through) and they were brilliant. They know the current conditions of the road and can give you an accurate assessment to help you decide. If concerned you could try to aim for when the road has been more recently regraded.
For us the road was so much better than I’d been expecting, with no difficult terrain at all. Not dissimilar to the road out to Walls Lookout in Kanangra, but with a few hills thrown in and the odd rocky patch. Although the majority of cars we saw out at Yerranderie were SUV/4WD’s, we also saw a van and they didn’t have trouble. But as I say, a call to the Oberon office will be by far your best way to understand current conditions on the road.
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