THE suitably heritage listed surroundings of the State Mine Heritage Park provided the fitting setting for the farewell breakfast which concluded a full weekend of activities hosted by Lithgow for the 2011 Keep Australia Beautiful awards.

The hugely successful weekend began with a welcome buffet in the Civic Ballroom on Friday evening and concluded with the Sunday breakfast within the confines of the time capsule of Lithgow’s mining history.

For most of the 350 or so delegates from the far corners of regional NSW it was their first visit to the mine museum and cameras were constantly flashing to record the unfamiliar spectacle.

Lithgow council had assisted in setting up tables and chairs in what was the old bathhouse then the Lions Club members once again took on the massive challenge of feeding the hungry hordes.

All went like clockwork, as had most of the weekend’s arrangements and compliments were coming thick and fast for Lithgow’s organisational abilities — all against the backdrop of the smell of bacon and eggs wafting over State Mine Gully.

Adding to the occasion was the return of the historic union movement banners, some dating back to the 19th century, again hung on public display on loan from the usual museum custodians.

The banners were once carried proudly in union demonstrations and various parades dating back to the 19th century.

They are rarely out of the possession of the Sydney Trades Hall but the State Mine Museum has been privileged to have them on loan twice.

Consequently it is indeed a unique attraction for Lithgow and received plenty of comment during the Tidy Towns function at the museum at the weekend.

The union banner exhibition is expected to remain in place until the new year and is well worth an inspection.

“It was a community team effort,” she said.

Mrs Graves was speaking at the latest meeting of Council after civic congratulations had been extended by Mayor Neville Castle.

“People who just pick up litter as they walk around town were all part of this”, she said.

But much more was taken into consideration in the assessment.

“Graffiti is part of it. The way we maintain our homes and gardens. It is about our environment and our cultural heritage. Places like our Small Arms Museum which assessor Dick Olesinski said could be the best in the world, and the State Mine Museum and Zig Zag Railway.”

“Lithgow has lot of things happening for it and we are proud to have come home with this award.”

Mrs Graves said her committee hoped that that the status that comes with the title of Australia's Tidiest Town would help influence new business to invest in the local area.













Image courtesy Lithgow Mercury (Click to enlarge)

For 15 years without fail the cavalcade from the motorcycling fraternity has made the run from Portland to Lithgow, picking up gifts from collection points along the way for distribution during Christmas week by the Lithgow Salvation Army and St Vincent de Paul volunteers.

More than 40 riders took part this year, led as always by Santa himself on Peter Spillett's Honda Goldwing.

Also riding pillion behind Ulysses member Barry Missingham was Salvation Army Captain Sandra Edge.

“That was something I've wanted to do for a long time,” she confessed later.

After a stop at Wallerawang the riders continued into Lithgow and along Main Street before heading off to an assembly at the State Mine Museum.

There the gifts were handed over to representatives of the two support organisations who will be making up the Christmas hampers.

Cash donations from the Ulysses Club were also presented.

The Ulysses collection was in addition to a recent toy run by the local street machine club and appeals by Westfund and Target.

Any late donations should be made by tomorrow if possible to allow time for volunteers to wrap the gifts and organise the distribution.

Image courtesy Lithgow Mercury (Click to enlarge)

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Image courtesy Lithgow Mercury (Click to enlarge)

The Eskbank locomotive depot was established in 1882 with the installation of a 60 foot Sellers Cast Iron turntable.

The three road engine shed was completed in 1886.

The depot operated up until the early 1920s when the facility became too small to accommodate the locomotives it was required to service.

By 1924 a new depot was established at its present location which was then known as Corney Town at the base of the Scenic Hill.

By 1930 the engine shed at the Eskbank depot was demolished and the turntable relocated to Coolah.

The servicing and turntable pits were covered with fill, ash and spent ballast and tracks laid on top to create a storage and shunting yard which remained in operation up until the early 1990s.

In 2000 the historic site revealed its secrets again when work begun to excavate the area to re-establish Eskbank as a working depot as part of the tourist railway to connect the town with Blast Furnace Park and the State Mine Museum.

After five years in the planning and many meetings with Railcorp the Eskbank development finally took delivery of a Sellers Cast Iron turntable which was identical to the type originally installed at Eskbank, which was relocated from long disused Wollongong yard.

The relocation was made possible as the area in Wollongong is being redeveloped to enable the establishment of a state of the art stabling facilities for the new electric trains.

As a consequence a home had to be found for the displaced heritage item.

The turntable was donated to the Eskbank development by Railcorp, disassembled and prepared for transport by Taylor Rail with the whole project managed and over seen by Novo Rail.

The exercise was carefully planned and executed and went with out a hitch with the table and all of its components arriving via four semi trailers into the Eskbank yard.

The success of the transfer was due in part to the expertise Novorail brought to the fore to ensure that this historic item arrived without incident.

Work will now begin on cleaning up the cast iron frame and pivot and preparing the pit to enable the table lowered into it.

The exhibition, arranged through Unions NSW, features banners from the Sydney Trades Hall collection that were carried during the Eight Hour Day and Six Hour Day marches of a past era.

The banners date as far back as 1895 and cover a wide range of union interest.

The exhibition runs until October and can be viewed between 10:00am to 4:00pm at weekends or by arrangement for group bookings.

More images from the Exhibition

Photo by John Oates

A group who interested in establishing a rail heritage centre has met with the State Member, Gerard Martin, Department of State Regional Development, Council officers, the General Manager and Mayor Neville Castle.

In a Mayoral Minute presented to the latest meeting of Lithgow Council, Cr Castle said the proposal is to have the Eskbank Rail Heritage Centre established in the Eskbank area of Lithgow.

The proposal is to include employment, training and tourism, as well as establishing a rail maintenance workshop which would undertake heritage rail restorations, as well as commercial rail work including locomotive and wagon repairs.

There would also be an establishment of a rail specific training facility which would include the training of apprentices in traditional and lost trades, as well as rail safety and qualifications.

There is also the possibility of using the State Mine Branch Mine as a practical training ground.

“There would also be an establishment of Lithgow as a base for a luxury day trains, including a 180 luxury seat train based at Eskbank where journeys would depart and terminate in Lithgow,” Cr Castle said.

“The members of the Eskbank Rail Heritage Centre have also been in communication with a Hunter heritage rail group that has had difficulty in finding time placements on the very cluttered Hunter rail network, who may be looking to relocate to Lithgow.

“This particular project is expected to bring eight to 10 permanent jobs to Lithgow, as well as increased training in the TAFE who the group have already been in contact with.

“The Department of State and Regional Development has been given a document as an expression of interest created by one of their officers that has met with this rail heritage group.

“This expression of interest will be the first step in the attempt to get government funding for their project,” the Minute said.

In supporting the Minute, Cr Howie Fisher said the proposal is an exciting one, 'one that Council is obligated to get behind'.
“This will put Lithgow on the map as the steam heritage centre of NSW,” he said.
Councillors adopted Cr Castle's recommendation that Lithgow support in principle the concept of the Eskbank Rail Heritage Centre.

It was also adopted that Council assist this organisation in preparing for any possible grant applications while Council's Economic Development Officer is to work with the Eskbank Rail Heritage Centre to help further their proposal.

Photo by John Oates