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Orange NSW: A Notable Historic Town

Located in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia, Orange is 254 km (158 mi) west of Sydney and 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) from the extinct volcano of Mount Canobolas.

Interestingly, the town of Orange grows apples rather than oranges in its rich volcanic soil. However, the town was not named for fruit but chosen by Major Thomas Mitchell in 1846 to honour Prince William of Orange, who he had served in the Peninsular War. 

In earlier days, Orange was known as Blackman's Swamp after Bathurst’s chief constable, John Blackman, who led an expedition through the area to Wellington in 1823.


The Wiradjuri People

Before European settlement, the Wiradjuri people lived a hunter-gather lifestyle across the Central West area for thousands of years. Every so often, they would meet with other Aboriginal groups for ceremonies, corroborees, trading, and to resolve disputes.

The spiritual beliefs of the Wiradjuri people centred around Baiame, the creator being of the Dreamtime and his emu wife, Goobperangalnaba. The Wiradjuri had a connection to their totems, usually an animal, bird or fish. These totems regulated many of the social practices, and people with the same totem could not marry each other. Totems are still valued today as a connection to kin, country and the Dreamtime.

The Wiradjuri people had many places for ceremonies and meetings. Mt Canobolas --the name comes from the Wiradjuri words meaning two shoulders -- was where male initiation ceremonies were once held. Stone tools have also been found there.

As the Wiradjuri language was a spoken language, much of it has been lost. However, Stan Grant Senior and consultant Dr John Rudder, are working to reclaim the language and produced A First Wiradjuri Dictionary in 2005.

Many Wiradjuri artefacts have been found in the vicinity of Suma Park Reservoir and in the district of Browns Creek at Lewis Ponds.

Bracken fern and animals such as kangaroos, snakes and lizards were staple food sources of the Wiradjuri. Sadly, few carved trees, which were burial markers for important people, and initiation sites, exist today.
"Across Australia" (1912), Authors: Spencer, Baldwin, Sir, 1860-1929 Gillen, Francis James
The grave fe of Yuranigh, a Wiradjuri man, who worked as a guide to Sir Thomas Mitchell and whom he regarded as a “guide, companion, councillor and friend”. Yuranigh died in the 1850s and he was buried near Printhie, NSW

1813: George Evans

The Orange area was first sighted by Europeans on 23 June 1813 when George Evans saw what he described as “high, distant mountains”, the mountain range, which included Mount Canobolas, as he was heading south-west from Bathurst.
 On 23rd May 1815, Assistant Government Surveyor George Evans named the mountain Jamison's Table Mountain. However, by 1835/6 the name Mount Canobolas derived from the Aboriginal name Coona Baloo (twin heads or two) was adopted. Sydney Mail (NSW : 1912 - 1938)

1822: Convict Settlement.....For a Time

The temporary convict settlement of Blackman's Swamp was established on Dairy Creek, near Chinaman’s Bend, by Captain Percy Simpson in 1822 and named after John Blackman before the group made their way to a permanent settlement north at Wellington.

Chinaman's Bend Cemetery is most likely Orange's first burial ground. It was named for the Chinese market gardeners who leased land on the river bend in the 1880-90s. 

The assistant surveyor J. B. Richards marked the name of the locality of Orange for the first time when he was working on a survey of the Macquarie River in 1829. Later that year, settlers began to arrive.

The first settlement consisted of a few bark huts. W. E. Sampson and J. Moulder bought the first land in the area.

An Australian bush hut

1830s: Pastoralists

Andrew Kerr senior, one of Orange’s early pastoralists, arrived in Australia in 1825 from Scotland and purchased a property at Yullundry in the Molong district. Then in 1836, he bought the property, “Wellwood”, at auction, outbidding William Charles Wentworth. He paid 8/- per acre for 1195 acres in December 1836.

Wellwood is visible from the Mitchell Highway, partway between Orange and Lucknow.
John McGuire, the son of the proprietor of the Blue Bell hotel, Sydney, was born in 1827. At the age of nine, he ran away and lived with Aboriginal people on the Western Plains of NSW. Read a newspaper article here

1840s

In 1844 Surveyor Davidson was sent by the authorities to check on settler encroachments onto the land that had been set aside for a village, and to advise on the location for a township. Davidson suggested the township could be located at Frederick's Valley, Pretty Plains, or Blackman's Swamp.

Blackman's Swamp was chosen as the place for a town. However, Major Thomas Mitchell in 1846 changed the town's name to Orange to honour Prince William of Orange, with whom he served during the Peninsular War in Spain.

On 15 December 1845, Sir Thomas Mitchell started from Boree near Orange with a large party of 32 people, including Edmund Kennedy, and three Aboriginal people: The Wiradjuri man named Piper from his previous expedition and Yuranigh (also Wiradjuri) and a boy named "Dicky". The grave of Yuranigh can be found at Molong. Here
Engraving of Major Sir Thomas Mitchell
Mitchell wrote of Yuranigh, his "guide, companion, counsellor and friend" that "his intelligence and his judgment rendered him so necessary to me that he was ever at my elbow … Confidence in him was never misplaced. He well knew the character of all the white men in the party. Nothing escaped his penetrating eye and quick ear. Yuranigh was particularly clean in his person, frequently washing, and his glossy shining black hair, always well-combed, gave him an uncommonly clean and decent appearance."

The western track forked just beyond Blackman's Swamp (Orange). One track went via Borenore to the Lachlan Goldfield and the other to Molong.

The first Orange Courthouse was built in 1848 of slab and bark. 

1850s

In 1851 the population of Orange was 28.

In 1851 gold was found at nearby Ophir leading to the gold rush. Gold was also found at other areas around Orange, which led to Orange becoming a gold trading centre.
Ophir Bluff, near Orange, NSW, where gold was first found in Australia Powerhouse Museum Collection -

Some Businesses of Orange

John Peisley 

John Peisley was born on 16 December 1806 in Parramatta, the son of John Peisley (former convict) and Elizabeth Boswell. He married Mary Dean in 1833. The site of the Carrington Hotel at Orange was originally John Peisley's Store in the mid-1850s and is believed to have been the first brick building in the town. 

After Orange was proclaimed a Municipality in 1860, Peisley became the first Chairman of Orange Council. Peisley Street, Orange, is named after John Peisley.
Mr John PEISLEY (1805 - 1871) Son of John Peisley, farmer and former convict, and his wife Elizabeth Boswell, a publican. Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly in 1862. Storekeeper at Orange, NSW. Parliament of NSW
New South Wales Government Gazette (Sydney, NSW : 1832 - 1900), Tuesday 8 September 1868

Woodward's Store

John Woodward, who was one of the most prominent citizens in Orange, being one of the first aldermen elected to the Orange municipal council, of which he remained a useful member for a period of 12 years continuously until his demise. Residents of the older generation will well remember the late Mr. Woodward as one of the most prominent men of the town. He was mayor of Orange for one term. He conducted his business on upright principles, and was known by the name of "Honest John Woodward." The street on the western boundary of the town is named after him. His store was known as "Manchester House," and stood where the Metropolitan Hotel now stands. 
Leader (Orange, NSW : 1899 - 1945) Mon 6 Jan 1913

Dalton Bros.

James Dalton senior from Limerick Ireland opened a bark and slab store in Orange in 1849. In 1853, his son, James junior,  became a store-keeper in Orange and his brother, Thomas, soon joined him and Dalton Bros was formed.

The brothers built a flour mill in 1861 and became the largest wholesale distributor west of the Blue Mountains. They roasted and ground coffee on a large scale, built large wool stores and an impressive retail store in 1865. By 1871, they had acquired three stations, Gulgo, Milbey and Bygoloree, in the Lachlan district. James built a house at 70 Byng Street, Orange, in 1860, where eleven of his twelve children were born.
James Dalton Mayor of Orange, NSW, circa 1869

1860s

In 1860 the population of Orange was 400.

The discovery of gold in the region resulted in increased crime and the need for better facilities to deal with bushrangers like Ben Hall, who was locked-up at Orange, in the courthouse below, before his trial in 1862. This courthouse was constructed in 1861.

The rich volcanic soil around Orange was favourable for farming and the town continued to grow, becoming a municipality in 1860. 
Dawson Court House Courthouse, Orange, NSW, constructed 1861 (demolished)
Dalton Bros. Flour Mill, Orange, N.S.W. State Library of NSW, was built in 1861
Dalton Bros Stores on Summer Street, Post Office, Coroner's & County Clerks' Offices, Summer Street, centre, south side, Orange NSW, State Library of NSW
Metropolitan Hotel Motel was built in 1864 as John Woodward's store and became a hotel in 1886.

Gladstone Hotel was established as the Globe Hotel in 1865 and renamed the Gladstone Hotel in 1874.

1870s

In the 1870s the Dalton Bros. were still doing well and in 1876, James built a magnificent mansion called Duntryleague (In 1935, the estate was bought by the Orange Golf Club). However, aware that the building of the railways out to Orange could Destroy their monopoly, the canny Dalton Bros established an importing agency in Sydney, managed by Thomas, and in 1878, built Dalton House, in Pitt Street, Sydney. The railway from Sydney reached Orange in 1877. Read more

In 1871 the population of Orange was 1456.

In 1877 the railway arrived at Orange when a single line railway from Blayney to Orange opened on 19 April 1877. In this year, 8,160 hectares (20,170 acres) of land was being farmed in the area.
J. Woodward's store, Byng Street, Orange, NSW, looking east from corner of Anson Street (with Stockwell's Commercial Hotel second from left), dated 1870-1875, State Library of New South Wales. 
Panorama of Orange, NSW, circa 1870-1875, State Library of New South Wales
Summer Street streetscape from Nelson Bros, Orange, NSW, 1870-1875, State Library of New South Wales
Royal Mail Coach behind Stockwell's Hotel, Byng Street, Orange, NSW, dated 1870-1875. State Library of NSW
Anson Street, Orange, NSW, looking south from Byng Street and showing Bowen's Boot Warehouse, Orange, NSW. State Library of NSW
The original hospital building, Orange, N.S.W. Dated 1870-1875. State Library of New South Wales
Bowen's Steam Flour Mill, Orange, N.S.W. Dated 1870-1875. State Library of New South Wales
Photograph of the Bank of New South Wales in Orange, NSW, Australia taken between 1870 and 1875
Couple in front of brick house with shingle roof, three chimneys, a picket fence with E. J. Heap's Brewery at rear, Orange, dated 1870-1875. State Library of NSW
Charles Stockwell, innkeeper, and his Commercial Hotel with Royal Mail coach outside, Byng Street, Orange, dated 1870-1875, State Library of NSW
Summer Street and Anson Street, Orange, ca. 1873, State Library of New South Wales
Patrick Fahy's Steam Engine Hotel, Orange, 1870-1875, 1870-1875, American and Australasian Photographic Company, from glass negativeON 4 Box 1 No 174, State Library of New South Wales
Freeman's Journal (Sydney, NSW : 1850 - 1932), Saturday 8 August 1874

Heaps Brewery

E.J. Heap's Brewery, Orange, NSW, dated 1870-1875. N.S.W. State Library of NSW
Heap’s brewery began in Moulder Street Orange in the 1870s. The firm was taken over by Elwin and Co. in 1880, then in 1903, became Walker and Co. The business was bought by Tooheys in 1926 and brewing ended.

1880s

The present courthouse was constructed in 1883 and it is the fourth court on this site. 
Orange Post Office and Land Survey Office. Dated: 14/12/1885. NSW State Archives
In 1889, 260 hectares (640 acres) south of Orange was purchased for a Mental Hospital. However, a plan was not drawn-up until 1909.

1890s

Orange, NSW, L to R: Amy Kite, Jim McShane holding horse, John Rotton, Emma Kite (nee Blakefield), Stella Ebsworth. Jim McShane later married Amy Kite (about 1880-90), SLNSW
Australian Star (Sydney, NSW : 1887 - 1909), Thursday 28 August 1890
 Gifford and Jones Importers, Orange, NSW, Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1871 - 1912), Saturday 27 June 1896
 The Waratah Football Club, Orange, NSW, was formed in 1888, P. COULSON. P. DALEY. 0. BOYLE, H. GLASSON. Captain.a. BAEEY. W. EYIE3. 13. TANNER. M. J. STACKP00L. J. GILLESPIE.
THE A TEAM, 18.13. n. CR0EEMAN. J. BOUFFLEE. J. CHIPIIN. E. II UP. FORD. P. FLANAGAN. H. I AEAKCE. C. LEAK. J. PATTERSON. A. E. EYLE3,Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1871 - 1912), Saturday 12 November 1898 (check for correct spelling here)
View of Duntryleague, built in 1876 by James Dalton. This image appeared in The Freeman's Journal, 1 April 1899
Kelly's Rugby Hotel was established as the Carriers Arms Hotel and the name was changed to the Rugby Hotel in 1898.

1900s

Orange was proposed as a site for Australia's national capital city before Canberra was selected.
The offical party journeys to Orange, NSW, Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1871 - 1912), Saturday 10 November 1900
 Proposed federal capital area, Orange, NSW, Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1871 - 1912), Saturday 10 November 1900
DISCOVERY OF ABORIGINAL WAR WEAPONS. ORANGE, Tuesday. During ploughing operations in what is known as Eade's paddock, Rosehill, a few miles from Orange, a number of aboriginal stone axes, spears, and boomerangs were thrown up. The locality was probably the scene of an aboriginal camp many years ago. Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Wednesday 20 June 1900
Elkin's Brewery, Orange, NSW, Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1871 - 1912), Wednesday 4 March 1903
 Dalton Mill, Orange, NSW, Leader (Orange, NSW : 1899 - 1945), Saturday 21 December 1907
Dalton Mill, Orange, NSW, Leader (Orange, NSW : 1899 - 1945), Saturday 21 December 1907
 The Executive and the Mayor (Orange). P. Tidex (hon. treasurer), Alderman P. j Flanagan (Mayor of Orange), T. I. Gardiner (president), J. M'Carthy (vice-president), W. J. Johnson, (vice-president). Sitting: Messrs. S. J. Jackson (vice-president), A. W. Wright (hon. secretary).Australian Town and Country Journal (Sydney, NSW : 1870 - 1919), Wednesday 6 November 1907
 Eight hour day demonstration, Orange, NSW, Australian Town and Country Journal (Sydney, NSW : 1870 - 1919), Wednesday 4 November 1908
The Orange Public School, NSW,  Australian Town and Country Journal (Sydney, NSW : 1870 - 1919), Wednesday 28 April 1909
 Offices of Messrs. Harton and Company, in Lord's Place, Orange, NSW, Australian Town and Country Journal (Sydney, NSW : 1870 - 1919), Wednesday 15 November 1911
Bank of New South Wales and H.A. Punch, chemist, Orange, NSW,dated 1900-1939, SLNSW
Leader (Orange, NSW : 1899 - 1945), Monday 21 August 1911
 The stockyards of Orange, NSW, Australian Town and Country Journal (Sydney, NSW : 1870 - 1919), Wednesday 15 November 1911
Town hall, Orange, NSW, Australian Town and Country Journal (Sydney, NSW : 1870 - 1919), Wednesday 17 September 1913
Leader (Orange, NSW : 1899 - 1945), Wednesday 3 May 1916

WWI

Almost 2,000 men and women from the Orange district served in the First World War, 258 of them did not return. Read more
Governor-General inspecting the Cadets at the Town Hall Orange, NSW, Sydney Mail (NSW : 1912 - 1938), Wednesday 3 April 1918
Armistice Day Celebrations in Orange, 13 November 1918. Orange City Library
 Laying lhe First Pipe of the Orange Sewerage Scheme, NSW, Australian Town and Country Journal (Sydney, NSW : 1870 - 1919), Wednesday 17 February 1915
Orange Water Supply Auxiliary Dam at Meadow Creek. NSW. Sydney Mail (NSW : 1912 - 1938), Wednesday 15 January 1919

1920s

Orange was a prosperous town in the 1920s, with the growth of various industries. The Orange Woollen Mills opened in 1927 and manufactured a range of fancy worsteds and woollens. At one stage, the woollen mill was the second largest employer in the district.

In 1928 Dalton Brothers was taken over by Western Stores.
Summer St, Orange, NSW, dated 1929
Couple with BSA motorcycle and sidecar - Orange, NSW, circa 1920s, State Library of NSW
Cook Park, Orange, NSW, Sydney Mail (NSW : 1912 - 1938), Thursday 7 October 1926
Day of the motor, scene at the Orange Show, NSW, Sydney Mail (NSW : 1912 - 1938), Wednesday 12 May 1926
Daily Telegraph (Sydney, NSW : 1883 - 1930), Thursday 4 October 1928
On Monday, January 8 1923, the first power pole was put in place outside the Orange Town Hall in Byng Street, where it still stands today. The switches to provide electricity across the Municipality were released on September 8 1923.
Orange Mental Hospital, showing the administrative building and hospital wards, NSW, Daily Telegraph (Sydney, NSW : 1883 - 1930), Friday 6 November 1925
Young boy sitting among buckets of cherries at a cherry orchard in Orange, New South Wales, 1929, NLNSW. 
Orange, NSW, 1929, NSW State Archives

1930s

Labor Daily (Sydney, NSW : 1924 - 1938), Friday 26 September 1930
Daily Telegraph (Sydney, NSW : 1931 - 1954), Tuesday 20 December 1932
An air view of Orange Mental Hospital, NSW, Daily Telegraph (Sydney, NSW : 1931 - 1954), Monday 26 December 1932
Back to Orange, NSW, Sydney Mail (NSW : 1912 - 1938), Wednesday 4 January 1933
Labor Daily (Sydney, NSW : 1924 - 1938), Wednesday 10 January 1934
Crew of the royal train for the Duke of Gloucester and 36 class locomotive, Orange, 27 November 1934 / Sam Hood, State Library of New South Wales
Leader (Orange, NSW : 1899 - 1945), Wednesday 30 January 1935
Hotel Canobolas was built by Tooheys Ltd in 1938 on the site of the Club House Hotel c1876-1938.
Procession at Orange, NSW, Sydney Mail (NSW : 1912 - 1938), Wednesday 23 February 1938
Forbes Advocate (NSW : 1911 - 1954), Tuesday 7 March 1939
Light Horse Camp, Orange, NSW, Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Friday 13 October 1939

1940s and WWII

Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954), Saturday 6 September 1941
See woodcut by Ludwig Hirschfeld-Mack imprisoned at internment camp, Orange. here
Housing Commission homes at Bathurst & Orange, NSW, dated 4/1943. State Archives & Records Authority of New South Wales
During World War Two, Australia had about 14,000 Italian prisoners of war, and some of these were held at a POW camp at Orange for a time. As so many Australian men had left the country to fight in the war, some of the more trustworthy Italian prisoners were sent out to the farms as workers.

In the 1940s, there was a small arms business in Orange to aid Australia's war effort. At one time, more than 2,300 people were employed at this munitions factory, also attracting many migrants to the region. This factory closed in 1945-6.

Email Limited was established in 1934 and had a plant at Orange which manufactured domestic appliances. In 1968, the company was the first to gain an SAA certificate for refrigerators and freezers. The name of the factory changed from Emmco to Email and later to Electrolux.

Many migrants from post-war Europe made their way to Orange to take advantage of the many factory and farming jobs in the region. Read more
Leader (Orange, NSW : 1899 - 1945), Monday 24 April 1944
Leader (Orange, NSW : 1899 - 1945), Monday 24 April 1944
In 1946, 100 years after it was first being established as a village, Orange was proclaimed as a minor city.
 Brilliant horsewoman from Orange (NSW), Daphne Campbell, 1s the star actress in The Overlanders, the Australian film which has been acclaimed by critics and audiences in London. Daily Mercury (Mackay, Qld. : 1906 - 1954), Saturday 9 November 1946
An Australian woman who fell in love with an Italian prisoner of war at Orange, Nsw, during WWII , Mail (Adelaide, SA : 1912 - 1954), Saturday 11 December 1948
View of Summer Street, Orange, NSW, between 1942-1949, NSW State Archives




Newcastle Sun (NSW : 1918 - 1954), Thursday 4 October 1945
Orange Railway Refreshment Room, NSW, - interior showing staff behind counter, dated: 16/07/1945

1950s

Tribune (Sydney, NSW : 1939 - 1976), Saturday 11 February 1950
In 1952 Orange was the largest cherry producing area of NSW.
Orange, NSW, dated 26-27/1/1955. State Archives & Records Authority of New South Wales
Good Neighbour (ACT : 1950 - 1969), Wednesday 1 August 1956
National Advocate (Bathurst, NSW : 1889 - 1954), Saturday 3 January 1953
Orange Mental Hospital, dated 26-27/1/1955, State Archives & Records Authority of New South Wales. Bloomfield Hospital, built from 1923 to 1931, Orange was a purpose built mental hospitals set in a park like setting
Orange swimming pool, Orange, NSW, dated, State Archives & Records Authority of New South Wales
The Coronet Theatre in Orange NSW, 1958
Factory production, 'Westinghouse' at Orange, NSW, circa 1958. Part of the refrigerator assembly line at the Emmco factory at Orange, NSW where 1200 people are employed [photographic image] / photographer, Don Edwards. 1 photographic negative: b&w, acetate. t National Archives of Australia 

Men of Letters

The great Australian poets' Banjo Paterson (1864 –1941)) and Kenneth Slessor (1901 – 30 June 197) were born in Orange, although, Paterson lived in Orange for only a short time as an infant. Read "Five Visions of Captain Cook by Kenneth Slessor" here. Those who object to Cook for the resulting dispossession of Aboriginal people can still admire him as an explorer who steered a wooden vessel across thousands of miles of open ocean, which can be compared to going to the Moon or Mars.

The bush poet Banjo Patterson who wrote "Waltzing Matilda", was born at the property "Narrambla" and was related to the first Prime Minister of Australia, Edmund Barton.

The noted Australian book publisher, book collector and passionate supporter of Australian literature, Walter W. Stone, was also born in Orange.
sculpture commemorating Banjo Paterson at Orange, NSW.  Amanda Slater

Car Racing

The first Australian Touring Car Championship, known today as V8 Supercar Championship Series, were held at the Gnoo Blas Motor Racing Circuit, at Orange in 1960.
Molong Express and Western District Advertiser (NSW : 1887 - 1954), Friday 24 September 1954
Gnoo Blas Circuit, Orange NSW, speedway program October 1955

1960s

Main street from Hotel Canobolas, Orange, NSW, dated 8-9/11/1962. State Archives & Records Authority of New South Wales
The CBN 8 Televison Station Orange commenced broadcasting on 17 March 1962.
Toshiba 14KD black-and-white television set, 1962. Daderot
Western Herald (Bourke, NSW : 1887 - 1970), Friday 14 June 1963
Western Herald (Bourke, NSW : 1887 - 1970), Friday 14 February 1969

In 2015 the population of Orange – 40,000

Around Orange

This building was originally John Peisley’s store, solicitor J.C. McLachlan’s office, then the Railway Hotel in 1873, then the Belmore, Carrington Club and Carrington hotel, Now offices. Orange, NSW
The Metropolitan Hotel in Orange was built in 1864 for John Woodward's store and became a hotel in 1886
Duntryleague was built in 1876, designed by Benjamin Backhouse, a good example of mid Victorian era Filigree style for James Dalton and named after the place of his birth in Ireland
"Mena", Kite Street, Orange, NSW (1875). James Dalton built this house for his Sons but was later turned into a maternity hospital in the 1930s. It was then turned into a block of flats but has since been renovated
"Newstead", Orange, NSW, close to Cook Park on Hill Street. Circa 1890 Victorian architecture
Kelly's Rugby Hotel Orange - 133 Lords place, Orange, NSW, formerly the Carriers Arms Hotel, established in 1922
Palmers Building (former AJS Bank), built in 1876, Summer Street, Orange, NSW
Originally Dalton Bros. building, later the Myer building, founded in 1849
The former Hibernian Australasian Catholic Benefit Society building in Orange, was founded in 1868
Hotel Canobolas, Orange, NSW. 248 Summer Street, Orange.This hotel was built by Tooheys Ltd in 1938 on the site of the Club House Hotel c1876-1938. Jan Smith
Bowen Terraces Bathurst Road, Orange, NSW, circa 1876. Part of 256.2 hectares (633 acres) granted to Joseph Moulder in 1836. In 1875 Henry Thomas Bowen purchased 3.281 hectares (8.11 acres) from Moulder and in 1876 he constructed Bowen Terrace
Heritage house, Byng Street, Orange, NSW
"Croagh Patrick" (formerly ‘Llanello’) was built for Edwin Lane of the ‘Clifton Grove’ family in 1883. Operated as the Croagh Patrick boys’ home in Orange in the 1960s
"Wolaroi" was built in 1884 for J C McLachlan, now Kinross Wolaroi School, Orange, NSW
Scout Hall built 1934, Kite Street, Orange NSW Australia. Stephen Gard
Department of Lands Building, Kite Street, Orange opened 1885
Former Town Hall, Anson Street, Orange, NSW, stuccoed Italianate, Foundation stone laid in 1887, completed in 1888
Centrepoint Arcade, Orange, NSW, circa 1876. Palmers Buildings, Summer Street. Ian Sutton
Kite Street, Orange, NSW, circa 1875. Victorian Gothic Revival era architecture
Orange's oldest standing home, built in 1858, Endsleigh House: built by pardoned convict pioneer, Joseph Moulder, and retained by his descendants. Read here
The Union Bank of Australia building at 84 Byng Street, Orange, NSW, was established in Orange in 1857 in temporary premises and in 1858 opened in the present building
Orange Public School opened in 1852 in Anson Street, Orange, NSW
Gladstone Hotel, Orange, NSW.Corner of Byng and Hill Streets, Orange. NSW, Opened as the Globe Hotel in 1865. Jan Smith
The Royal Hotel in Orange, NSW was established in 1859 and was once the old booking office site and the former passenger pick-up point for Cobb & Co.
Victoria Hotel, Orange, NSW.336 Summer Street, Orange. This Hotel was established in 1844 as the Coach and Horses Hotel. It was renamed the Victoria Hotel in 1880 and rebuilt in 1922. Jan Smith
File:Orange Community Health Centre.jpg
"File:Orange Community Health Centre.jpg" by Bluedawe is licensed under CC BY 3.0
Snow covered farmland near Orange, NSW, Alexander Hayes
Ex Strand Theatre, Orange, NSW, 311 Summer St, Orange, NSW. (Google)
Uniting Church, corner of Kite and Sale Streets, in Orange in Kite Street called St John's
"Cotehele" the Magistrates House, was built for JT Lane, the first Magistrate located west of the Blue Mountains in 1878
Former Australia Cinema at 181-183 Lords Pl Orange
The Gladstone Hotel ws originally y called the Globe Hotel in 1865 and renamed the Gladstone Hotel in 1874
 A fire brigade has been operation in orange since 1870. Fire station at 79 Summer Street, Orange NSW, built 1904, read here
Eudora" house, Prince Street, Orange, NSW
Terminus Hotel (former) Peisley Street, Orange, NSW, circa 1875
"Craigielee" house, Summer Street, Orange, NSW
"Gobabla" house, Franklin Road, Orange, NSW
Miniature Railway Matthews Park, Orange, NSW. Stephen Gard
Chinaman's Bend Cemetery, near Orange, NSW, 5066 Mitchell Highway
St Joseph's Church - Corner of Hill and Byng Streets, Orange, NSW. Catholic Church of Orange was  opened in the year 1871
Holy Trinity Church of Orange - designed by Thomas Rowe, opened 1879
James Parker, 1806-1850, buried Chinaman's Bend Cemetery, Orange NSW



Ophir Reserve

Muttama and Bongongolong, NSW: Once Were Gold Towns

Muttama 


Located about 33 kilometres from Gundagai, Muttama is a small village in the Riverina area. The name is Aboriginal and means "like it" or "Take It" from the Wiradjuri people who hunted and gathered across the region.

In 1845, F. Tait was granted a licence for Muttama Run.
Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), Friday 6 January 1882
Gold mining began at Muttama about 1862 at Muttama Reef Mine. 

In 1882, there was a gold rush at Muttama and a population of about 1000 people. 
Mrs Scott and friends with Murray Scott's Brescia Bugatti, "Glenmore" homestead, Muttama, NSW, ca. 1926-1930. State Library of NSW
Muttama Reef Post Office opened on 1 February 1876 and was renamed Muttama Post Office in 1889. The post office closed 12 October 1979.

Muttama Rail Station opened 1 June 1886 just after the construction of the Tumut Branch Line. The railway station closed in 1975 and the Tumut Branch Line ceased to function in 1984. Today only the station masters residence remains.
Muttama was served by a railway station on the Tumut branch from 1886-1975 when passenger services were discontinued. All goods traffic on line was suspended after flooding in 1984
Muttama Hall, NSW opened 1925
The former Immaculate Conception Church at Muttama, NSW, was built of "wood and iron" by Father Butler, was opened in March 1902 by Bishop Lanigan
Abandoned building at Muttama, NSW
Ruins of Muttama reef mine
John Noble, who was known as "Marvellous" due to his habit of saying, "ain't that marvellous?", at the end of each sentence, was a Wiradjuri man born at Muttama squatting run. He was present at the opening of Parliament House in Canberra by the Duke and Duchess of York on 9 May 1927.

The remembrance gates to the recreation ground were built in 1947, to honour the men and women of Muttama who served in the two world wars.

Bongongolong

Located 17 km (11 mi) north-west of Gundagai, NSW, Bongongolong is a word of Aboriginal origin, most likely derived from the Wiradjuri people.

Europeans settled the lands around Bongongolong in the 1800s, primarily as grazing land for livestock.

In 1874, T. McMahon was prospecting for gold in the Bongongolong area, when he discovered a meteorite which stayed in the possession of the McMahon family and was used by the family as a firestop in an open fireplace for four or five years. The meteorite was described by Hodge-Smith in 1937, in Australian Meteorites. Memoirs of the Australian Museum.

Gold was discovered in Bongongolong Creek in 1879 and in 1886, there were reports of a gold rush in the area and according to the Cootamundra Herald, "three miles along the line of reef was taken up in leases ranging from 3 to 20 acres. The Bongongolong Reef Company, a Wagga Wagga syndicate, have accepted tenders for the erection of a ten stamper battery".
Adelong and Tumut Express and Tumbarumba Post (NSW : 1900 - 1925), Friday 18 May 1900

The public school at Bongongolong was established in 1880.

In 1889 the manager of the Bongongolong Crushing Battery was committed for trial for his part in the fraudulent sale of impure smelted gold.
Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), Friday 23 August 1889
By the 1890s a community hall and post office had been built at Bongongolong. The town was also mentioned in "Those Names", a Poem by Banjo Paterson. But the boom years were soon over and the town began to decline.
Burrowa News (NSW : 1874 - 1951), Friday 12 November 1926
The local school closed in 1961 and little is left of Bongongolong today.


Things To Do and Places To Go


Gundagai Historical Museum