Central West

The Central West is an inland region in the Australian state of New South Wales. The Central West of New South Wales contains some of the oldest cities on the inland side of the Blue Mountains. The area is known for its produce, including cold climate fruits and wines. It contains some of the best restaurants in New South Wales outside of Sydney.

Lithgow is at the foot of the Blue Mountains west of Sydney and is accessible via either the Bells Line of road from Windsor or the Great Western Highway from Penrith. All drivers from Sydney to the area would take one of these two roads, and then travel west on the Great Western Highway and the Mitchell Highway to the other towns.
Lithgow, Orange, Bathurst and Blayney are all stops on the Countrylink XPT train to Dubbo, and several flights from Sydney to the area operate every day.

The area has some public transport connecting most of the cities and towns. Several buses run between Lithgow, Bathurst, Orange and Dubbo every day, with a lesser number to the smaller towns. However, the only way to reach the many out-of-town attractions like orchards and wineries is by car.

The area surrounding Orange is home to many orchards. The area produces cherries in summer and apples in autumn. It is the largest apple growing region in Australia. Many orchards have road-side stalls which sell in season fruit extremely cheaply. Locals buy apples by the bucket load and cherries by the crate.