Newnes Industrial Ruins

The Newnes Industrial Ruins are the remains of a former shale oil works located in the Wolgan Valley within Wollemi National Park near Lithgow, New South Wales. Built from 1906 by the Commonwealth Oil Corporation, the site processed oil shale until closure in 1932. Notable for its beehive coke ovens, retorts and brick structures set against sandstone cliffs, it is a state heritage-listed example of Australia's early oil shale industry.

Visitors can explore extensive brick and stone ruins of the former shale oil refinery set in a bushland clearing surrounded by dramatic sandstone cliffs of the Wolgan Valley. Features include rows of beehive coke ovens, retort remains, distillation structures and old railway formations with interpretive signage. The site is open and largely undeveloped, with walking tracks through the ruins, forested surroundings and views of the valley escarpment. It is a self-guided historic site within Wollemi National Park.