Merriwa is a unique and friendly town nestled in the Upper Hunter Valley. You will enjoy the traditional, welcoming, friendly atmosphere of a country town, whilst being astonished by the pride and progressiveness of the community. Situated on the golden highway, it is an ideal place for a stopover.

Museum

The Old Colonial Cottage was built in 1847. It houses the Merriwa Historical Society and the Museum. The Building was originally built as a private residence by Mr Leard, but has since be used as a bank, meeting room for the local Lodge, meeting room for the School of Arts as well as a place for local dances. At one stage the cellar was also the residence for the Fitzroy Hotels chef.

The Building currently holds the Merriwa Museum, which presents an extensive display of Local History. It entails 3 rooms plus a cellar and encases many donated items from the local residence. A great place to take a step back in time and appreciated what life was like for our ancestors.

Bottle Museum

Merriwa not only offers the Historical Museum but also a fascinating Bottle Museum. The Bottle Museum (tours by Arrangement) contains in excess of 5000 bottles, ranging from hand made bottles with specially moulded neck pieces and the round bottom torpedo bottles of the early 1800's, to the famous marble stoppered cordial bottles of the 1870’s. The Collection was donated to the district by local residents and contains many rare and interesting bottles.

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Tourist Welcoming Centre

Situated on the Golden Highway, this centre gives you a chance to view and purchase local products, as well as displays of antique machinery and a very interesting shearing display. This centre also houses artists in residence. This facility also offers a grey and black water dump station. With plenty of parking, bus facilities and public toilets, this is a great place to stop and venture round.

Town Walk

While in Merriwa, take the Town Walk, brochures are available from the Merriwa Visitor Information Centre. This walk allows you to retrace the steps of the early settlers and visit historic buildings. The walk gives you a living insight into the days gone by. The buildings included in the Town Walk are The Anglican Church (1848), The Catholic Church (1881), The Fitzroy Hotel (1892) and The Royal Hotel (1914).

Goulburn River National Park

South of Merriwa, the Goulburn River National Park spans 70000 hectares of mostly sandstone country around 90 kilometres of the Goulburn River. From Merriwa access is via the Ringwood Road, which is located 8km west of Merriwa.

The Park which is rich in wildlife is ideal for bush walking, canoeing, swimming, photography and wildlife observation. Bush Camping is available at Spring Gully, to the north of Wollar Village along Mogo Road. Basic facilities including toilets, BBQ’s and tables are provided.

The Goulburn River National park offers you a great range of Australian Wildlife. Eastern Grey Kangaroos, Wombats, Red-Necked Wallabies and Wallaroos, Goanna and Bearded Dragons are common, while the water shelters the Long-Necked Tortoise, Shrimp, Catfish and Mullet, as well as Platypus.

Lees Pinch Lookout off Ringwood Road (parking area closed since 2019/2020 bushfire damage) provides spectacular views over the park. A short loop walking track and picnic area offer a great opportunity to stretch the legs and take in views overlooking bronzed sandstone cliffs and the majestic bush of the park. A sight described by many as breathtaking and exquisite.

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The Drip & Hands on the Rock

The Drip is a picnic area adjacent to the Goulburn River. The river flows over a rock platform at the base of an overhanging cliff face, dripping clear spring water. The sandstone cliffs are riddled with caves and crevices and the area harbours a large range of flora and fauna. The Steep gorges that tower above the river bed are composed of sedimentary rocks while tertiary basalts cap the surrounding hills. The Drip is a great place to relax and have a picnic or take a bushwalk around the river. National Parks Page

The Goulburn River National Park is also rich in Aboriginal History and contains many different Aboriginal Sites. These sites contain Aboriginal cave paintings which include a site known as “Hands on the Rock”, this painting was created by the Aboriginals applying pigment around there hands with red, white and yellow clay. There have also been discovered axe-grinding grooves and scarred trees. These sites are of historical importance and we ask that you do not disrupt or disturb any of the sites.

The Battery

The Battery picnic area is 14km east of Merriwa on the Golden Highway (Geomaps description). Visitors will find a picnic area with toilet facilities next to spectacular basalt rock formations estimated to be around 35 million years old. These rock formations are a fairly common natural phenomenon, known as columnar jointing. They are basalt rocks formed from volcanic lava. The basalt lava initially erupted at about 1,200 Degrees and solidified as it cooled. As cooling continued to the normal surface temperatures, shrinking of the basalt led to a pattern of fractures. This formation is fascinating and is a great place to stop and have break.

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Cassilis

This small village is around 43 kilometres West from Merriwa on the Golden Highway. The town was originally a thriving mining centre and the Cassilis Gold Mining Company in Powers Gully was the biggest working company until 1915. The Cassilis Historic Area now contains many important mining relics, including the coloured sands which are heritage listed. The town’s main street has also been declared as an urban conservation area. Cassilis a beautiful village relatively untouched and well worth a look at. Royal Hotel
For more Cassilis info, try this Sydney Morning Herald travel link

Merriwa Parks

Picnics in the Park, Merriwa is proud of its attractive and well kept parks where visitors can enjoy a picnic or just relax in a peaceful and tranquil setting. Take pleasure in the relaxed tempo of country living at its best. A Picnic by the water or near a play gym for the children, what ever you’re fancy Merriwa can meet it.

Somewhere to Eat

Merriwa is home to a selection of eateries.

We have the local Bakery with a great selection of fresh baked bread, cakes, pastries and sandwiches.
Eat@153 is between the Bakery and the Newsagent.
Sansko Cafe is across the street.
Twisted takeaway is adjacent to the Royal Hotel.
The RSL offering Lunch and Dinners.
The Royal Hotel Bistro.
The Sports club offers a Chinese restaurant.
The BP Service Station has a MiniMart and a range of take-away foods.
Or Do-It-Yourself from the IGA

All these eateries offer a great selection of foods as well as a great place to break your journey.

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Merriwa offers every one a peaceful place to stop and relax. Wether you stay for an hour, a week, or the rest of your life we know that you will enjoy what our great community has to offer.

Layla was here 13/07/2019