The Central West Region in the heart of New South Wales boasts a blend of agriculture, wine makers, historic villages, mining, National Parks and forests and outstanding natural beauty. It encompasses the locality west of the Blue Mountains and Sydney, north of the Riverina and south of the New England Region. The foremost towns and villages in the region are Lithgow, Parkes, Bathurst, Forbes and Orange. South of Bathurst are the spectacular Abercrombie Caves that are very popular with touirists. The locality has a rich heritage including some renowned bushrangers and links to the major gold-rush era in New South Wales. The historic goldrush villages Hill End, Sofala, Ophir, Gulgong and Rylestone showcase this era with many buildings from this era still preserved and used in the towns. The
local museums are worth visting. The area also has a rich Aboriginal heritage and many fine examples of Aboriginal rock paintings on display. Cowra and Mudgee have recently become well known for their vineyards and wine. Many of the local wineries offer wine tastings at their cellar door outlets, some with cafes and restaurants. In the major township of Dubbo is the world famous Western Plains Zoo, which has an open-plain display of over 1,400 animals from many countries throughout the world. The Central West district is also very famous for astronomy research and includes the Parkes Radio Telescope and the Anglo Australian Observatory at Sliding Springs, Coonabarabran. There are several other lesser known observatories located in the region, situated at Dubbo, Bathurst, Gilgandra and Cowra.
The Central West Region includes more than eight Nature Reserves and twelve National Parks. Amongst the most famous is the Warrumbungle National Park established about 30 km west of Coonabarabran. These parks offer wonderful opportunities for magnificent scenery, native fauna and flora, photography, camping, mountain bike rides, bushwalking and rock climbing. The area is also renowned for gliding and hot-air ballooning.