Glen Davis

Glen Davis is not a well known town in regional New South Wales. It is located in the Capertee Valley and is about a three and half hour drive from Sydney.

In its former life Glen Davis was home to a workforce of two and a half thousand men working in the shale oil industry.

The industry was established in the late 1930s to reduce Australia’s dependence on overseas oil as a world war loomed.

The shale oil plant at Glen Davis was never profitable and these activities ceased in the 1950s.

The town’s name originates from industrialist George Davis, who was a driving force in setting up shale oil operations at Glen Davis.

The word ‘glen’ is a Scottish word for valley and has been applied in a number of countries to name places. It is also used in naming a nearby town, Glen Alice.

Remnants of the shale oil works still remain in Glen Davis and can be seen from a lookout at their rear of the site. Take a left onto Goora St, just before the town and follow the road eastwards.

The Glen Davis lookout is located at the back of the decaying shale oil buildings and plant.

The easy walk up to the lookout provides a great view of not only the plant but the valley and surrounding sandstone cliffs and hills.

A few small ruined brick buildings also exist at the lookout itself along with some discarded industrial items.

As you drive around the small town of Glen Davis you may notice an Ampol logo from the 1950s, a red winged horse.

It is painted on a white wall and is in surprisingly good condition. In front of it is an abandoned petrol bowser.

If you brought your lunch and you need to as there are no shops, enjoy it on the shaded seats in front of the community centre.

This quaint and forgotten town has grand surrounds and is well worth a visit. It is also a reminder of a chapter in Australia’s history.

discarded heavy duty cabling - not your usual tourist attraction!

Pantoney’s Crown can be seen from Glen Davis Rd as you head toward Glen Davis - well worth a stop to appreciate its majesty

Greg Sommers20 March 2023capertee valley, nsw national parks, nature photography

Beautiful Capertee Valley - a two day tour from Sydney

Sydney Nimble Tours has continued its quest to identify new locations to visit outside of Sydney. Our goal is to find the best places within four hours of Sydney.

This extended radius opens up many areas we have not previously considered.

With this in mind we visited the Capertee Valley and stayed two nights.

The Capertee Valley is the world’s second largest canyon, and can only be described as extraordinary.

When you drive through it you will see numerous majestic mountains, cliffs and stone pagodas. I thought to myself why haven’t I been here before?

The valley also includes the remarkable butte, Pantoneys Crown.

We were fortunate enough to stay with friends who really knew the area and took us on bushwalks that showed just how beautiful this region is. Many thanks to Duncan!

The Capertee Valley is bordered by and encompasses several national parks. The valley is a highly rated bird watching area and we were treated to the sight of a soaring wedge tailed eagle.

You may also come across kangaroos, wallabies and wombats in one of the valley’s national parks.

In addition to the flora and fauna the region also has some delightful small caves, pure freshwater streams and creeks plus many ‘out there’ geological formations.

We plan to include a visit to the Capertee Valley in our next extended tour which will focus on the Mudgee region.