Porters Mount Road
6 km
distance
45 min
Contour time
4.0
avg score
Unsealed
surface
Scenery
New South Wales
The Central West around Grenfell and Young is one of NSW's quieter agricultural regions - wheat, canola and livestock...
Road quality
4.0 RQS
Every segment scored on 40+ data signals.
Accessibility
Fully sealed
Best in 4WD. Peak season: Autumn-Spring.
7-day forecast
Open country track on the Central Tablelands rim. Rocky in places but not technical enough to require anything beyond a standard high-clearance 4WD. Good for a driver looking for a moderately engaging track without remote risk.
Scored 4.0/10 by Contour's road quality algorithm across curviness, surface, elevation and traffic. Best suited for 4wd drivers.
The road
Porters Mount Road sits in the granite country of the Central West tablelands near Grenfell - a part of NSW that most 4WD enthusiasts overlook because it lacks the dramatic ranges of the coast or the outback mystique of the far west. What it offers instead is honest rocky terrain with good hilltop views and a pastoral landscape shaped by 180 years of farming. The track climbs through open woodland over granite boulders to a ridgeline that marks the edge of the tablelands. From the high points the country drops away to the west and the flat plains become visible. The difficulty is moderate - Grade 3 - and a standard high-clearance 4WD handles the rocky sections without drama. The real value is the combination of the drive with the surrounding district. Grenfell is the birthplace of Henry Lawson, and the bushranger Ben Hall operated through this granite country in the 1860s. Lake Wyangala in the granite hills 40 minutes southwest is a good camping and fishing destination that extends the trip into an overnight.
Why this road
The region
The Central West around Grenfell and Young is one of NSW's quieter agricultural regions - wheat, canola and livestock on the tablelands, stone fruit and cherries in the hill country toward Young. Porters Mount sits on the edge of the tablelands where the land drops away into the plains to the west. The granite country that characterises this landscape produces interesting bouldering features and good hilltop views. Ben Hall, one of Australia's most notorious bushrangers, operated throughout this region in the 1860s.
History
The Grenfell area was the territory of bushranger Ben Hall's gang in the 1860s. Hall grew up in the district and his gang operated between Bathurst, Forbes and the Central West tablelands. Porters Mount is in the same rolling granite country Hall used for cover.
Before you go
Fuel in Grenfell or Young. The track is on private or leasehold land at the property fringe - check local access conditions before visiting. Suitable year-round in dry conditions. No services on route.
See a routing error?
Flag itWorth stopping for
Grenfell township
The birthplace of Henry Lawson (1867) - the historic main street has a good mural trail and the Lawson birthplace cottage is preserved on a nearby farm property.
Lake Wyangala
A reservoir in the granite country 40 minutes southwest of Grenfell - popular for camping, fishing and watersports.
Route
Start
Grenfell region
End
Porters Mount
Gallery
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