Springwood

Springwood is a town about halfway up the Blue Mountains in New South Wales, Australia.

West of Sydney, Springwood is a mainly suburban centre in the Blue Mountains. Home to the oldest railway station building in the Blue Mountains, Springwood is located between Valley Heights and Faulconbridge on the Blue Mountains railway line, south of Winmalee. It is a useful stopping point on the way to the major tourist centres further up the mountains.

Get in

By road

Springwood is on the Great Western Highway. From Sydney, follow signs to Penrith or other locations in the outer Western Suburbs and follow the Western Motorway. The Western Motorway changes into the Great Western Highway around Penrith. Exits to Springwood are clearly marked.

By train

1 Springwood Station is on the Blue Mountains line on Sydney's Intercity train network. Trains from Central station depart from the intercity platforms. Trains to the Blue Mountains run about every 30 minutes at peak times and about hourly at all other times. Expect the journey to or from Sydney's Central station to take about 1 hr 20 min. A PDF copy of the timetable can be found on TfNSW's website.

By bus

Springwood is served by the 690P bus from Penrith and the 690K bus from Katoomba.

Get around

Everywhere in the central Springwood area, where the shops are located, can be reached on foot within ten to fifteen minutes. Areas further out, which are mainly residential, can also be walked to but this may take rather more time. A car is easiest, but some buses run in the area.

See

• Braemar Gallery, 104 Macquarie Road. Th - Su, 10AM-4PM. This small art gallery showcases local contemporary artists. The exhibitions change regularly. Free. 
• 1 Norman Lindsay Gallery, 14 Norman Lindsay Crescent, Faulconbridge. Daily, 10am-4pm. This gallery and garden features the work of Norman Lindsay, a significant early 20th-century artist who also penned much-loved Australian children's book The Magic Pudding. He worked in a number of mediums, including etching, oils and sculpture. The gallery is on his former property. $17. 

Do

• Springwood Country Club, Hawkesbury Rd (some way out from the main town). Play golf here. It has an 18-hole course with par 69 (men) or 71 (women). 
• Fairy Dell walk. This forty minutes to one hour bushwalk heads through ferns and native bushland to Picnic Point and Lawson's Lookout. It starts on Springwood Avenue, behind the carpark at the back of the town square. 
• Springwood Aquatic and Fitness Centre. It includes an 25 metre pool as well as a separate children's leisure pool with waterslide. (The waterslide is only available at certain times - check the website.) Gym facilities including a sauna are also available. 

Buy

• The shopping is not fantastic in Springwood, but there are several clothing boutiques around, as well as jewellers, homeware stores and various other places. Local markets, where food, plants, crafts and other items are sold, are held at least monthly, mostly on Saturdays.
• Alternative Influence, just opposite the station, stocks lots of incense, candles, clothing, jewellery and so on.

Eat

You won't find haute cuisine in Springwood but there are a couple of OK restaurants, as well as many takeaway options and cafés.

• Jade Garden Restaurant, 135 Macquarie Rd, ☏ +61 2 4751 2187. Bland Chinese food. 
• Springwood Thai Kitchen Restaurant, 100 Macquarie Rd (opposite the station), ☏ +61 2 4735 3482. Unremarkable but passable Thai fare. 
• There are bistros at the Royal Hotel, Oriental Hotel and Springwood Sports Club.
• There is only one pizzeria, Napoli Pizza.
• There is a barbequed chicken shop and a fish shop around town.
• If you want to cook for yourself there is a supermarket and a butchery (opposite the church). There are also several bakeries.
• There are an increasing number of cafes serving good coffee with a variety of food menus including Cassiopeia, The Bakers Wife and Dbl Ristretto, 212 Macquarie Rd. A great cafe with nice strong coffee. (updated Mar 2018)

Drink

The two main pubs in Springwood are the Royal Hotel and the Oriental Hotel (known locally as the 'Ori'). Both have a bar and some dining facilities. They are on opposite ends of the main street, Macquarie Road. The Royal is located opposite the train station. To get to the Oriental from the station, cross the road after coming out of the station underpass and turn left. Walk along the footpath and continue until you cross Raymond Road. The Oriental should be in front of you.

If you continue a little further the new bowling club is on the left, but the Oriental is probably the nicest of Springwood's pubs.

Sleep

• The Royal Hotel. as well as being a pub and bistro, offers accommodation at $55/$85 (single/double). 
• The Pioneer Way Motel (located on the Great Western Highway, near the border of Faulconbridge and Springwood). offers accommodation. 

Go next

• Wentworth Falls
• Take a trip to some of the main attractions of the Blue Mountains in Katoomba, Glenbrook or Blackheath, among other places. Buses and trains (although infrequent) can take you to some of the most popular locations.
• Glenbrook – closer to Sydney