Portland's impressive Masonic Hall dating from 1923

 

Portland (including Sunny Corner)
Industrial town with an attractive rural setting
Portland, with a population of a little over 2000, is an industrial town surrounded by beautiful countryside within the local government area of Lithgow, 167 km north-west of Sydney and 925 metres above sea level. Today the economic focus of the town is the Mt Piper Power Station and related coal mines. Wool and forestry are other major local industries. However, the first successful manufacture of cement in NSW was carried out here late in the 19th century, based on local limestone deposits, and cement production is still an aspect of the local economy . The old bottle kilns survive from those days.

The Portland district was occupied by the Wiradjuri people prior to white settlement. The first European in the immediate vicinity was James Blackman who surveyed a road from Bathurst to the present site of Wallerawang in 1820. The following year he journeyed north from Wallerawang, marking out a road to what is now Mudgee. In the process he passed only a few kilometres to the east of Portland and crossed the Cudgegong River. Today Blackmans Flat and Blackmans Crown bear his name.

In 1828 Peter McPherson was granted land around Pipers Flat. Local limestone was used in the construction of his son's houses in the 1830s, thus earning the area the name of Limestone Flat, although it was officially known as Cullen Bullen until the end of the century.

William Russell took up land which included what is now Portland in the 1830s. In 1863 Thomas Murray selected a portion of land on what would become the townsite of Portland and established his first lime kiln on what is now the corner of Lime and Villiers Streets.

The railway arrived in 1883 and the station was called Cullen Siding until 1889. The Cullen Bullen Lime and Cement Company established operations at the nascent village that year. The first cement-making kilns west of the Blue Mountains were subsequently built here in the early 1890s. A school, also known as Cullen School, opened in 1884, moving to the present site in 1895.

It was not until 1894 that the village was gazetted as Portland. Some sources say it was named after the Isle of Portland, offshore from England. Others suggest there was a Portland cement-making process, though perhaps that process has some connection with the aforesaid island.

The present cement works opened in 1902 and Portland was declared a town in 1906.

Today one of the interesting aspects of Portland is that it is still very much connected to the nearby coalmines. Note, as you drive through the town, the number of houses that are burning coal and the number of houses with coal piles outside.

Things to see:  

Tourist Information
Tourist information is available from the Lithgow Visitors' Centre, tel: (02) 6353 1859.

 

Masonic Hall
Located at the top of the town's main street (Wolgan Street) is an impressive building (probably the largest building in town) with elegant Doric columns. It was completed in 1923 and is a symbol of the status the town enjoyed at that time.

 

 

The bottle kilns dating from the 1890s - the first cement-making kilns west of the Blue Mountains

 

Bottle Kilns
The brick bottle kilns, the first cement-making kilns west of the Blue Mountains, are located at the northern edge of the Blue Circle Southern Cement Works. To get there head west through the main section of the town and turn north off Laurie St into Kiln St which becomes Carlon Rd. This can be confusing. Ask a local if you have difficulty. The two bottle kilns were built in the early 1890s. They are on the far side of the Cement Works from the town.

 

Williewa Creek Picnic Area
If you ignore the Kiln St turnoff and continue straight up the hill, along Laurie St, you will find yourself in Ridge St. The cattle gates to the left lead to Williewa Creek which is a good spot for picnicking, bushwalking and relaxing. Bushwalking can also be enjoyed on the town common.

 

Charlie Pinch's Museum
The museum contains a large collection of Australian memorabilia. To get there follow Williewa St eastwards past the Catholic school then take the first left and keep your eyes peeled for the sign. Tours of the museum can be organised by prior arrangement, tel: (02) 6355 5046.

 

Portland Pottery Studio
Domestic and sculptural pottery is available at 5 Dulhunty St, tel: (02) 6355 5170.

 

Grassy Gully Enterprises
Grassy Gully specialise in leadlight work. There are panels, lampshades, ornaments, sun-catchers and jewellery boxes, tel: (02) 6355 5518.

 

Mt Piper Power Station
Boulder Rd heads east from Portland for 6 km until it meets up with the Mudgee Rd, 7 km north of Lidsdale. At this corner is The Energy Expo, the information centre of Mt Piper Power Station with hands-on, high-tech interactive exhibits that cater to all age groups. It is open daily and free of charge from 9.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m., tel: (02) 6354 8155.

The Expo is located in a lovely landscaped setting, often frequented by kangaroos.There is a picnic area with a playground, tennis courts, electric barbecues and amenities. Tours of the power station are conducted daily from the Energy Expo at 9.30 a.m., 11.00 a.m., 1.30 p.m. and 3.00 p.m.

The Mt Piper plant is almost fully automated and computer-driven (one reason for extensive local job losses). It operates two 660-megawatt turbo-generators. Each is about 50 m long and weighs 1342 tonnes.

About 18 000 megalitres of water per annum are provided by the Fish and Cox's rivers for cooling purposes. The water is pumped from Lyell Dam (see entry on Bowenfels), about 20 kilometres from the power station to the Thompsons Creek dam which provides an additional 27 000 megalitres.

Coal is crushed to powder in large coal mills, using 80 tonnes of steel balls in a large rotating steel cylinder.The coal dust burns like a gas, and gives off large amounts of heat in a very short time. When both generating units are operating at full load, approximately 14 000 tonnes of coal are consumed daily

 

Sunny Corner
Sunny Corner, surrounded by large tracts of pine forest, is a small village located 14 km south-west of Portland or 7 km off the Great Western Highway (turn off at Meadow Flat).

Sunny Corner started out as a goldmining town around 1860. A post office opened here in 1862 followed by a police station and school. There were over a dozen crushing machines in town at the peak of the goldrush.

The Winterton silver reef was discovered in 1881 and NSW's first major silver-smelting operation commenced here in 1884. By the following year there were 768 men working the mines which, all-told, produced silver to the value of 891 000 pounds.

The township was gazetted as Mitchell in 1885 but was renamed Sunny Corner in 1887, although the school was known as Mitchell School until 1899. The state's first School of Mines and Industries opened here in 1886 but closed due to lack of public support. The last mine, employing 100 men, closed in 1896. Operations were briefly resumed from 1917 to 1922 due to high silver prices. Reafforestation began in 1946 stimulating the development of a local timber industry.

The Honeysuckle Gallery Creative Clothing and Patchwork shop offers complimentary tea and coffee and you can picnic in the garden. It is open weekends from 10.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m., tel: (02) 6359 5244.

 

 

 

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Portland