Rydal is a heritage village west of Lithgow on the way to Bathurst .
From Lithgow, take the Great Western Highway for 15 km from Bowenfels to the Rydal turnoff (signposted) at Mt Lambie. From this intersection, it is approximately 6km to the village.
Rydal has an altitude of nearly 1,000 m. and it sometimes snows in winter.
Today Rydal is a peaceful historic place to visit with a village population of approx. 80 and about forty houses surrounded by farmland.
The first steam train arrived in Rydal on the 1st July 1871 and the western line terminated here. When traveling to the west you came by train from Sydney to Rydal and then by Cobb and Co coach to towns such as Bathurst, Orange, Wellington and Forbes.
The gold and farm produce from these areas was shipped overland to Rydal and then loaded on the train for Sydney. At this time Rydal had eight hotels, five blacksmiths, five stores and was probably the busiest railway station in the State after Central.
Later with people wishing to visit Jenolan Caves, they came to Rydal by train, then by horse-drawn vehicle to the Caves . This was until the introduction of motor coaches.
Along the road from Mount Victoria to Bathurst (that was built by Major Thomas Mitchell in the 1830's) the village of Rydal developed. Rydal was given its name in 1843 by Governor George Gipps in honour of the poet William Wordsworth who lived in the Village of Rydal in England (in a house called Rydal Mount).
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