A good rainforest walk really lifts my spirits. Walking and hiking are my go-to forms of exercise, as I’m away from most people and out enjoying nature. You should know by now, I love plants, trees and wildlife, and rainforests are a hive for all kinds of birds. So, in a state of feeling a little down lately, a rainforest walk was exactly what I needed. But there was something special about this one. We got to explore the site of an old gold mine!
The History of Copeland Tops
Where Did It Go?
Copeland Tops was once a farming and agricultural town before it became famous for gold mining. It was in 1875 when a group of timber-getters found gold in the area, drawing parties from all over the country to try and claim a bounty of their own. With the boom of miners, a village grew. Roads and streets were built, along with schools, churches, stores and a police station. The mines at Copeland Tops were one of New South Wales longest running gold mines, but unfortunately, there was no infinite supply. The production of gold in the area reached a low point in 1890. With this depression, along with some changes to the surrounding area and the people in the early 1900s, the town’s population began to decrease. As more and more people moved, and the remaining population passed away, Copeland Tops was taken over once again by the beautiful forest landscape it had been before.
Heigh-ho Heigh-ho It’s To The Mines We Go!
We drove quite a long way to find this place, but it was definitely worth it! And besides, the scenery was amazing. I’m not usually one for long car rides, but in this case, I could just sit comfortably listening to my music and looking out the window at all the farms and farm animals. Yes, I still get excited when I see a horse or a cow. But we also got some pretty sweet views of the mountains ahead. A perfect allusion to the journey ahead.
The first thing I noticed when we started the walk was how beautiful everything was around us. Everything was so green. So vibrant. There were so many different plants and trees along the track with different characteristics and personalities, creating a forest wonderland for any nature lover. There was overgrown moss everywhere, making it a scene from a fairytale. And even better; mushrooms! These were mushrooms I’d never seen before, with so many shades of colour in the one fungi. They almost looked like giant pencil shavings; well the brown ones anyway. They also had the same in green! As we walked further it seemed like we stepped into prehistoric times with the giant staghorn ferns and hanging vines. With every step we took, the forest would reveal more and more beauty. And we haven’t even gotten to the mines yet.
One thing to note about this walking track is that some areas can be quite steep and some places can be very slippery. It’s not necessarily a difficult hike, but you need to be fairly agile. But as we ventured on, we saw a couple mine openings that had been fenced off for safety. I found it almost mesmerising to see how these once busy mines had been left to the forest to degrade after all those years. Some of these entrances were still completely visible to admire, whereas others were almost buried under dirt and rubble. You really had to look for these ruins along the way otherwise you could completely step over them without noticing.
We soon came across what was once a boiler for the mines. This boiler was used to provide power to crush the ore collected from mines in the area. Pictures can’t portray how large this thing really was in person, it was unreal. Seeing it left here to rust and deteriorate was almost eerie. This was when I truly understood that Copeland Tops was a ghost town. Everyone just packed up and left without looking back at their old lives in the mines. Once the earth had nothing left to give, the people moved on.
Now as I said before, most of the mine openings weren’t really noticeable unless you were keeping an eye out for them. But this one was hard to miss! As we turned a corner, we were greeted with an amazing view of an abandoned mine shaft sitting among the forest floor. You could actually walk up to this one and look inside, with the wooden support beams and rubble. Again, it was fenced off for obvious reasons but because this mine wasn’t buried under years of weathering, you could still see a fair way inside. The opportunities for photography along this walking track are really interesting with scenes like this. It’s a weird oxymoron with a man-made gold mine among the beautiful natural rainforest.
The mine remnants were not the only things to see along the Copeland Tops walking tracks. Towards the end of the trail was a giant fig tree. When I say giant, I mean GIANT. Anyone standing by this tree was instantly reduced to the size of a pixie. The roots were standing almost a metre off the ground and outstretched to every surrounding tree. Adding to the serenity of the walk are small creeks and flowing water along the way. And what a perfect ending to the day to see a blue fairywren in their native home! I’ve never seen one in person before but they’re even more spectacular seeing them with your own eyes.
Copeland Tops has a lot to see and do. Whether you’re looking for a good hike, want to be closer to history, or just want to spend time in nature amongst the trees and birds, you’ll definitely be entertained here. Everyone needs to get outside in nature sometimes. And if a few abandoned mine shafts and machinery will inspire you to do that, then Copeland Tops is the perfect place for you!
All photos in this post were taken by me.
The Travel Journal 
Leave a comment