Our local environment

The Rylstone-Kandos Environment
Six spectacular river valleys
The Rylstone–Kandos district is about 200 kilometres west of Sydney (3 hours drive) on the western edge of the Blue Mountains wilderness area. The district encompasses six valleys: those of the upper Capertee, the upper Cudgegong, Coxs Creek, Bylong, Lawsons Creek and the lower Cudgegong. The valleys are divided by spectacular uplands, some of which are covered with rich basalt soils.

Wild canyons, cliffs and undisturbed forest
Rylstone and Kandos are gateways to Wollemi National Park – the largest wilderness area in NSW and part of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area — a maze of canyons, cliffs and undisturbed forest.

Wollemi National Park is the only place on earth where the extremely rare and endangered Wollemi Pine is found. The Wollemi Pine is one of the world's oldest and rarest plants, dating back 200 million years. Less than 100 adult trees exist in the wild, in a remote gorge which is not accessible to the public. In order to protect the trees their location is a closely kept secret.

Parts of Wollemi National Park are accessible: Ganguddy (a.k.a. Dunns Swamp) has popular walking trails and camping sites.