Portland is part of the gateway to the Central West and is located between Oberon, Mudgee, Bathurst, Lithgow, and the Blue Mountains.

Well-known Australian brand names now adorn many of the historic shops and buildings, creating a strong link to "yesteryear" that is celebrated by the town.

The town of Portland grew up around the Cement Works and the company contributed greatly to the area, building facilities that were needed for employees.

A bath house, casino, an ice skating rink, Olympic swimming pool, and living quarters were supplied to workers.

The factories of Portland and the surrounding area required the transportation of limestone, coal, and other materials, and to this end, a number of private industrial railways and tramways were constructed.

[7] At an altitude of 925 metres above sea level,[2] Portland is the 21st highest town in Australia and classified as a temperate zone.

In 2001, Ron Bidwell, a signwriter by trade, together with his fellow "Letterheads" recreated vintage signs dating from 1895 to 1945 on local shop walls.

Thirty-four signwriters travelled to Portland to work with locals to restore and reproduce advertising used in the early part of the 20th century.

"The Williewa" is an open eucalypt forest with an abundance of Eucalyptus macrorhyncha (Red stringybark) and native wildflowers and is popular with picnickers, mountain bikers and bushwalkers.

There is a small well stocked dam and a plethora of birdlife as well as native wildlife, including Calyptorhynchus funereus (Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoo), Platycercus elegans (Crimson rosella), Alisterus scapularis (King Parrot) and Macropus giganteus (Eastern grey Kangaroo).