Capertee Valley
New South Wales
IF I TOLD YOU THAT where I live is pure heaven, would you believe me? Of course, you’d want to see it for yourself f irst, but I know you’d quickly be taken by its awe-inspiring beauty.
My home is nestled in Capertee Valley, which is little more than three hours drive from Sydney and just north of the town of Lithgow. It’s reportedly the world’s second-widest valley, after the Grand Canyon in the USA.
When I was a young girl, I knew it only as ‘the Glen’ and to me it was a magical landscape that could transform in front of your eyes at the will of the weather. It’s a place where sunsets often bathe its escarpments in exquisite hues of red and purple so dramatic they literally take the breath away.
My father’s family, the McLeods, sailed with the McLeans from Scotland’s Isle of Skye to Australia’s shores in 1837. It was said that they all fell in love with the valley, because to them it looked like the glens they’d left behind in Scotland. This explains the names of two notable hamlets in Capertee Valley – Glen Alice and Glen Davis. During World War II, Glen Davis was an important source of shale oil, which is a petroleum or natural gas a lter nat ive. The rem nants of a once-thriving industry lie there now in ruins, the vegetation slowly reclaiming it, although dedicated local custodians keep its history alive.
With an abundance of native wildlife, it’s no wonder the valley is becoming a mecca for animal enthusiasts from around the world, particularly birdwatchers. In fact, it’s now widely regarded as one of the world’s top birdwatching locations. Our once quiet little paradise seems to be a secret no more, with increasing numbers of tourists driving the scenic route through the valley, or camping at nearby Wollemi National Park, home to the Jurassic-era Wollemi pine.
People from all walks of life traverse the sections of the Bicentennial National Trail that pass through Capertee Valley. I have talked to many a weary traveller on the trail and each one has been amazed at the magnificence they see upon entering the valley, with many saying it is the favourite part of their adventure.
I am truly blessed to live in this paradise – I reckon you could spend your whole life wandering and exploring it and still want to see more. That is the charisma of ‘the Glen’, because it has no clear beginning or end. For me it is a photographer’s heaven and my favourite place in the world.