The geographical heart of the Hunter Valley, Singleton is a major service centre to the whole region and the focus of coal mining activities in the Hunter Valley.

Where is it?: Hunter Valley. Scone is 76 km north west of Newcastle; 209 km north-west of Sydney via Cessnock.

Lookouts: Apex Lookout - just beyond Bridgman Rd, Maison Dieu Rd heads left off the highway at the north-western end of town and passes through the industrial area. Turn left into Hambledon Hill Rd (watch for the little blue lookout sign), then turn again after 600 m into Lookout Rd (signposted to the right). There are good views over the Hunter River flood plain.

Things to see and do
Heritage Walk: Singleton has some fine heritage buildings. In fact it has good examples of all the main phases of Australian architectural history. Many of the commercial and administrative buildings date from the boom period which ensued from the arrival of the railway in 1863. An historic walk brochure is available from the tourist information outlets which includes a map outlining the sites of the relevant buildings. These include - Anglican Church of St James (1875-79); Railway Station; All Saints Church and associated buildings (1875-1912); Ewbank and outbuildings (1884); Club House Hotel (c.1879); Minimbah House, Whittingham (1875-77).

Royal Australian Infantry Corps Museum: located in Range Road on the way to the Singleton Army Barracks (the main training facility for the Royal Australian Infantry Corps). The museum has an historically inclined collection of infantry equipment, weapons and memorabilia dating back to Australia's first overseas military excursion to the Sudan in 1885.

Surrounding area

Lake St Clair: The lake, covering 1540 ha, is named after St Clair homestead, now buried beneath the lake. The dam, completed in 1983, has a storage capacity of 283 000 million litres. Waterskiing, swimming, fishing and boating are popular pursuits. The lake has been stocked with bass, perch and catfish.

Yengo National Park: stretching over 70 km from Wisemans Ferry to the Hunter Valley, Yengo National Park is a wild area of steep gorges and rocky ridges. The area is rich in Aboriginal and cultural heritage. The historic Old Great North Road, an intact example of early 19th century convict road-building, follows the south-east boundary of the park. Included as part of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage, the area also includes the Mt Yengo Aboriginal Place and much of the reserve is declared wilderness.