Fossickers Tourist Park

The gold-mining heritage is deeply embedded into Nundle (five minutes’ walk), a historic mining town with a glittering collection of gold and gemstones displayed at the Information Centre. Understand the backstory of the colonial gold rush at Mount Misery Gold Mine Museum, pick up bespoke textiles at Nundle Woollen Mill, one of the oldest operation spinning mills left in Australia, and have a potter around boutiques selling jewellery and gems. For more active pursuits, try swimming, sailing, boating or fishing for trout on the Chaffey Dam (15 minutes’ drive), keeping an eye out for pelicans and ibis as you go. Right next to the campground, cycle along the riverside path sheltered by plane trees, or if you’re keen to get out into the forest, take a bush walk on a section of the long-distance Fossickers Way. “Fossicking” is the local word for panning for precious metals or stones, and if you’d like to try your luck, hire panning equipment at the Mount Misery Gold Mine Museum and see whether you find gold or sapphires in the Peel River.