Christmas Eve is a time for tradition, family and gathering around the table. At The Oriana Orange, The Peacock Room sets the scene for a festive evening of beautiful food and warm hospitality.
Guests are invited to enjoy a traditional three-course Christmas dinner, featuring a generous selection of festive favourites, beautifully prepared meats, seasonal accompaniments and a classic Christmas dessert.
With elegant surroundings, festive table settings and the welcoming atmosphere of The Peacock Room, the evening offers a wonderful opportunity to celebrate Christmas with family and friends.
A specially prepared Christmas menu replaces the regular à la carte offering for the evening. Bookings are essential.
Their cattle would love to meet you!
The big, furry bovine have been raised in a gentle and calm environment where all their humans interactions have been positive. They would love you to spend some time brushing, feeding and cuddling them. Cows are patient creatures and very partial to being brushed while they share their cattle knowledge with you.
The Lucknow Goldfield was discovered in 1851, soon after Australia's first payable gold was found at nearby Ophir.
The Wentworth Main Mine is located on the eastern side of Lucknow and relates to the 1890s and 1930s mining booms.
At its peak, the Wentworth Goldfield was one of the richest in NSW and Lucknow was a thriving mining village amid a network of mine shafts and mullock heaps.
William Charles Wentworth invested in land at Lucknow in the 1830s and discover all about the mine workings, poppet head, stamper battery and other infrastructure while walking through mine site. There is also a hologram workman who shares a mine of information.
Visitors require a medium level of fitness as it is a 300 metre round trip with approximately 30 steps on a gravel surface. The mine is open on the first weekend of each month from 10am- 2.30pm. Entry is free.
Please note the site may close during severe weather events.
The Lucknow goldfield was discovered in 1851, soon after Australia’s first payable gold was found at Ophir, near Orange. The Wentworth Main Mine was central to later mining booms in the 1890s and 1930s.
The entire mining area was situated on land initially owned by William Charles Wentworth; the gold field was known as the Wentworth Field until the name Lucknow was adopted in 1863. It is said the name ‘Lucknow’ derived from good prosperity the town offered i.e. luck now.
The Wentworth Main Mine tells the story of gold mining in this region, from its early stages in the 1850s, through three stages, until its closure in the 1950s. It has been estimated that these fields yielded around 14,000 kilograms of gold in all.
The self-guided walk around the site helps re-capture the gold rush era complete with a blacksmith's shop, a stamper battery, a boiler, a mine manager's cottage and the two poppet heads that still loom in the sky.
One hundred and sixty years on, the landscape around Lucknow is still dominated by its gold mining heritage. Poppet heads, mine buildings, mullock heaps and bluestone dam walls are still visible in and around the village.
The view from Towac Pinnacle lookout at sunrise or sunset is well worth the walk.
Set amongst the tall shady gum trees on the southern side of Pinnacle Road, the reserve features picnic shelters, toilets and barbeques constructed from bluestone. The northern side of the road has a walking trail that climbs to Towac Pinnacle with spectacular views of the Towac Valley.
Historic Lucknow is a familiar sight for those travelling from Bathurst to Orange along the Mitchell Highway. Easily identifiable by the distinctive ‘poppet head’ and other mining relics that greet visitors as they enter town, there are traces of the gold rush era throughout the village.
Established during the gold rush of 1851, Lucknow was one of the richest goldfields in NSW. The Wentworth Main Mine, open on the first weekend each month, makes the perfect starting point to explore the town on foot, via the Lucknow Heritage Trail, a walking tour that takes visitors on a journey through the historic buildings and local folklore.
Today Lucknow is home to an eclectic mix of destinations: historic mine site and museum, lolly shop, cafe, fashion and homewares, local pub (with Gin Distillery) and an ever-popular skin and boot barn.
Family owned and operated, Hillside Harvest is located just 10 kilometres from Orange, offering a unique country experience in a working orchard setting.
Established for over 75 years, the orchard produces cherries, stone fruit, apples, pears, figs and berries. When in season, visitors can enjoy pick your own fruit and taste it fresh from the tree, surrounded by open skies and rolling orchard views.
The orchard offers something to discover in every season. Autumn brings vibrant colour and golden leaves. Winter is calm and crisp, with bare trees and fresh country air. Spring reveals the beauty of blossom as the orchard comes to life and Summer it's all about the fruit picking.
Visitors can explore at their own pace, then stop at the orchard café for a coffee, light lunches and sweet treats, including apple pies made with fruit grown on the property. Picnic hampers can be enjoyed under the trees or taken for a walk through the orchard.
The farm providore shop features hand picked fruit, regional produce, giftware and homewares, with fruit available year round.
Guided farm tours are available by appointment, offering insight into life on a working orchard.
A 20min drive from Orange, this small picnic spot part way up Mount Canobolas is a peaceful place to recharge with a snack and enjoy views before you set out on local walks.
Breathe in the fresh country air as you spread your lunch out on a picnic table beneath red stringybark and peppermint trees. Feast your eyes on the city of Orange below, and rolling hills stretching as far as your eye can see. From here you can also see the summit of Mount Canobolas, a dormant volcano.
The best time to come for wildflower displays is spring when the snowgrass understory bursts into life with blooms of violet kunzea, yam daisies, bacon and egg plants and ground orchids.
Bring your binoculars and keep an eye out for endangered flame robins with brilliant orange-red breasts, and crimson rosellas. If you come around dusk, you may hear the haunting call of the boobook owl or the chatter of sugar gliders.
From here there are plenty of opportunities to stretch your legs. The trailhead for Spring Glade walking track is just 1km up the road. Climb this track to the top of Mount Canobolas, then link up to Summits...
Terry and Julie invite you to visit Orange Mountain Estates family-owned and operated winery with a winery experience offering you tours of the vineyard and winery before tasting traditional handcrafted wines.
Taste Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gruner Veltliner, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Rose, Pinot Noir, Shiraz/ Viognier, Cabernet Sauvignon and their internationally acclaimed Mountain Ice Viognier (the only ice wine style of Viognier in the region), and the rich Cherry Liqueur.
Orange Mountain has so many choices of National and International medal-winning wines you are sure to find quality in every tasting.
Visit the Orange Mountain Estate website to book a winery experience with owner/winemaker Terry you can even enjoy regional produce from the neighboring orchard, Hillside Harvest with your wine tasting.
Spring Glade walking track is an invigorating way to reach the summit of Mount Canobolas. It offers a relatively easy walk and connects with several other trails in the area.
Along Spring Glade walking track, you’ll pass through grassy woodland and beautiful groves of trees which offer plenty of shade to break up your walk. Bring a picnic and beeline for the top of the mountain if sweeping scenic views are what you’re looking for. Summits walking track is also nearby for you to meander around the area, or you can take Snowgum walking track which intersects with the path along Spring Glade walking track and takes you all the way to places like Federal Falls.
Spring Glade walking track is good at nearly any time of the year, and scenic views are extra special while breathing in the crisp autumn air. Be mindful of the weather and keep your eyes peeled while birdwatching as there are sulphur-crested cockatoos and ringtail possums living in Mount Canobolas State Conservation Area.
An inland oasis for native wildlife and protected species like the eastern bent-winged bat, Borenore Karst Conservation Reserve near Orange is a great place to get in touch with nature.
The ancient limestone caves are the feature attraction at Borenore, and there are several that are open to explore. The most popular is Arch Cave, and it's a good idea to bring a torch so you can see the stalactites, stalagmites, columns and flowstones inside.
Drive the scenic Borenore trail and finish up with a picnic or barbecue lunch at the caves. The picnic area is a large grassy area, with plenty of shady trees and space for games.
Summits walking track connects two of the park’s summits, Mount Canobolas (also known as Old Man Canobolas) and Young Man Canobolas, traversing a saddle between to two mountains and joining up with some of the other walking tracks along the way.
Before you head off on the walk, take some time to admire the scenic view from the summit of Old Man Canobolas; you'll be able to see the town of Orange and surrounding countryside.
When you’re on your way, you’ll first hike along a downhill track that passes through snowgum grassy woodland. Keep an eye out for grey currawongs during summer and look for white throated tree creepers. From there, you’ll wind uphill to the summit of Young Man Canobolas.
If you’d like to turn this short walk into a longer day walk, you can join up with the Spring Glade, Snowgum or Nature tracks; look out for signage along the way.
Take an easy stroll through the snowgum forest of Mount Canobolas State Conservation Area along Snowgum walking track. It’s a short walk that you can start at the summit of Mount Canobolas or from Federal Falls campground if you’d like a more challenging walk.
You’re bound to be impressed by the beautiful snowgums that line this scenic walk, their branches making an intricate pattern above you. They make a lovely canopy to sit underneath on a hot day and during winter when snow sometimes falls, it’s like an Australian white Christmas.
The walk is generally fairly easy, so a good one for children, however it does become a little steeper on the approach to Federal Falls campground.
