EXPECTANT women in the Blue Mountains have been told that as of today they can no longer give birth at their local hospital because of staff shortages, and will have to travel to Nepean or Lithgow hospitals.

ONE of nine men awaiting trial on charges of planning a terrorist attack has been moved from his high security cell at Lithgow Jail after an alleged escape plot was foiled.

LITHGOW boys Johnathan and Brendon Van Veen are yet to convince Nelson Bay coach Robert Relf they are the real deal, but the pair are expected to feature on the representative scene this season.

A sign outside the Wallerawang power station, west of Lithgow, depicts a silhouette of the plant's giant cooling tower with a wispy cloud gushing from the top. Below the image are two words: "Water Vapour".

A WORLD of wizards or a wonder of 19th-century engineering whichever the Zig Zag Railway at Lithgow brings an opportunity for families to discover some old-fashioned fun while admiring what many consider a construction masterpiece of its time.