Activities

During your stay in our holiday houses, there are varied activities to keep you occupied.

There are few places that can rival Glen Davis as it is the gateway to the Wollemi National Park & the wilderness within. It is also the headquarters of the Colo River, which flows all the way to Sydney, & it encompasses some of the most spectacular scenery found anywhere.

If you are interested in organised paid fun parks, restaurants, and lots of shops and people you won’t like Glen Davis. Most of our guests are there for the solitude and lack of mobiles and other forms of social media. Instead bring some good walking shoes, camera, paints, etc and enjoy the numerous valley walks, view and study the vast range of wildlife & birds.

There are plenty of photographic opportunities and explore the banks of the Capertee River and walk on down to Coorongooba National park which lies adjacent to our boundary. Apart from individuals and families we often have theatre and film crews staying to make commercial recordings.

We hope we can add to your enjoyment during your stay at Glen Davis by providing some interesting suggestions and provide some answers.

One of the most popular activities is to join THE NATIONAL OIL TOUR OF THE RUINS.

Where: We do a weekly tour every Saturday. We meet at the front gate of “the Poplars” Canobla Ave, Glen Davis.
Historic Tours: Guide is Graeme on 0416 115 295 & email:

Price: The tour costs $25pp, ($10 for children under 12 yrs) (cash only- if you can bring the exact change that is always helpful!) and takes approx 2 hrs – its a walking tour, so dress for the weather, wear covered shoes, and bring some water.

TOUR TIMES:

In the summer – daylight savings times – Tours are from 5-7pm – sunset tour
The rest of the time (when the weather isn’t so hot) – Tours are from 2- 4pm
Sometimes private tours are available by arrangement, but they are more expensive.

The Glen Davis Boutique Hotel has a cafe that is open on Saturdays only. Its a lovely place to enjoy a coffee or lunch and soak up the history of the valley….

A list of local parks and accommodation is supplied and if you are a keen historian and know any additional information regarding the Processing Plant at Glen Davis we would love to hear from you. In fact if you just want to enrich us with your knowledge jump on the blog page.

The Glen Davis Works
Walk around the 300 acre property

The cottages at Anderson Square are located 300 meters from the front gate and there are several walks that will give you access to the Oil Shale Ruins. Here you can see the remains of the old processing plant including the Workshops, Power house, Fracking Plant, Tank Farm, Retorts and a vast number of other buildings connected with the retorting and processing of shale oil. You could spend days here exploring the vast network of the original pant. A plan of the Layout is available in both houses together with a history of the operation and social history of the plant. There haveĀ been many articles and books written regarding the plant including the History of Glen Davis written by Leonie Knapman

Farm Walk
There are tracks leading to the Capertee River which has a vast array of wildlife and if you are a keen birdwatcher there are many opportunities to capture the sounds of the bird life.
(list of birds sited). Some keen bird watchers have recorded up to 70 different species in one day.

Hiking
The Poplars is situated right next door the the Cooroogooba National Park which is about 6 kms from the houses. You can also walk up to the old Mine entrance at the top of the hill that offers great views of the Capertee Valley. There are many other walks in the area including the Pipeline Walk to Newnes, however, this is not achievable in one day and requires a fair bit of planning.

Biking
Many trails around the The Gullies Road and the main road to Coorongooba National Park. Make sure you bring puncture repair kits as punctures are not uncommon.

Painting
The Capertee Valley is a renowned destination for artists and from time to time we have art groups staying at the cottages.

Historical Tour of the Glen Davis Works

Where: We do a weekly tour every Saturday. We meet at the front gate of “the Poplars” Canobla Ave, Glen Davis.
Historic Tours: Guide is Graeme on 0416 115 295 & email:
Note: Summer – Dec 1 to March 30 tours will be from 5-7pm instead of 2pm
Price: The tour costs $25 pp, ($10 for children under 12 yrs) (cash only- if you can bring the exact change that is always helpful!) and takes approx 2 hrs – its a walking tour, so dress for the weather, wear covered shoes, and bring some water.

In the summer – daylight savings times – Tours are from 5-7pm – sunset tour
The rest of the time (when the weather isn’t so hot) – Tours are from 2- 4pm
Sometimes private tours are available by arrangement, but they are more expensive.