Cobargo, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Cobargo is a village in the south-east area of the state of New South Wales
in Australia
in Bega Valley Shire. In 2006, Cobargo had a population of 426 people. It is 386 km south of Sydney on the Princes Highway
between Narooma
and Bega
.
Cobargo's streetscape features many turn of the century buildings. It has developed in the last decade from a sleepy village into a popular tourist destination. Its attractions include olden-style stores, leather craftworks, potteries, an iron forge, award-winning winery, art galleries, tea rooms and antique shops. Wadbilliga National Park
is 20 km west of Cobargo.
The name Cobargo may have originated from the local Indigenous Australian
word 'cubago' which some sources claim was used to describe nearby Mount Gulaga
.
The area was settled in the late 1820s when graziers moved stock into the district. William Duggan Tarlinton was the first white man to set foot in the district in 1829, seeking pasture for his cattle. He later settled in the district and became one of its prominent citizens. By the 1830s the Imlay brothers had substantial holdings. Cobargo was known as 'The Junction' in the late 1860s as it was located at the junction of the Narira and Bredbatoura Creeks. A school opened in 1871 and by that year the village had a post office, store, hotel, church and blacksmith shops. Development gained pace following the construction of a bridge over the Narira Creek in 1882 and improvement of the coast road in the 1880s. By the 1890s the town was large enough to sustain a local newspaper, the Cobargo Watch. A butter factory was established in 1901 and continued butter production until 1980. In 1903 a branch of the Bank of New South Wales
was opened. The office built in 1917 on the corner of Bermagui Road operated until 1997.
The town was in decline for much of the twentieth century as transportation has made the larger centres more accessible, however like other nearby villages it has recently been revitalised as a tourist destination.
42 km north of Bega
, the closest regional centre, and is 19.4 km from the coast at Bermaguihttp://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Cobargo,+NSW&ie=UTF8&ll=-36.368222,149.887848&spn=0.239408,0.466919&z=11&iwloc=addr&om=1. It serves as the local village for the nearby localities of Coolagolite, Wandella, Yowrie and Dignam's creek. It is 386 km south of Sydney
based her collection of short stories A Long Time Dying on people and events in pre-war Cobargo. Olga Masters started her journalistic career on the Cobargo Chronicle at the age of 15 in 1934.
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in Bega Valley Shire. In 2006, Cobargo had a population of 426 people. It is 386 km south of Sydney on the Princes Highway
Princes Highway
The Princes Highway extends from Sydney to Port Augusta via the coast through the states of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, a distance of 1941 km or 1898 km via the former alignments of the highway ....
between Narooma
Narooma, New South Wales
Narooma is a town in the Australian state of New South Wales on the far south coast. The town is on the Princes Highway. The name is said to be derived from the Aboriginal word meaning ‘clear blue waters’. At the 2006 census, Narooma had a population of 3,100 people.Montague Island, a National...
and Bega
Bega, New South Wales
Bega is a town in the south-east of New South Wales, Australia in the Bega Valley Shire. It is the economic centre for the Bega Valley.-Place name:One claim is that place name Bega is derived from the local Aboriginal word meaning "big camping ground"....
.
Cobargo's streetscape features many turn of the century buildings. It has developed in the last decade from a sleepy village into a popular tourist destination. Its attractions include olden-style stores, leather craftworks, potteries, an iron forge, award-winning winery, art galleries, tea rooms and antique shops. Wadbilliga National Park
Wadbilliga National Park
Wadbilliga National Park is in south-eastern New South Wales Australia, 425 km southwest of Sydney via Cobargo, and 150 km south east of Canberra. The nearest towns are Narooma and Cobargo in the east, and Cooma on the plateau in the west....
is 20 km west of Cobargo.
The name Cobargo may have originated from the local Indigenous Australian
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
word 'cubago' which some sources claim was used to describe nearby Mount Gulaga
Mount Gulaga
Mount Gulaga is one of the highest mountains on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia. It rises above the village of Central Tilba and is within the Gulaga National Park...
.
History
Westpac
Westpac , is a multinational financial services, one of the Australian "big four" banks and the second-largest bank in New Zealand....
was opened. The office built in 1917 on the corner of Bermagui Road operated until 1997.
The town was in decline for much of the twentieth century as transportation has made the larger centres more accessible, however like other nearby villages it has recently been revitalised as a tourist destination.
Location
Cobargo is on the Princes HighwayPrinces Highway
The Princes Highway extends from Sydney to Port Augusta via the coast through the states of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, a distance of 1941 km or 1898 km via the former alignments of the highway ....
42 km north of Bega
Bega, New South Wales
Bega is a town in the south-east of New South Wales, Australia in the Bega Valley Shire. It is the economic centre for the Bega Valley.-Place name:One claim is that place name Bega is derived from the local Aboriginal word meaning "big camping ground"....
, the closest regional centre, and is 19.4 km from the coast at Bermaguihttp://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Cobargo,+NSW&ie=UTF8&ll=-36.368222,149.887848&spn=0.239408,0.466919&z=11&iwloc=addr&om=1. It serves as the local village for the nearby localities of Coolagolite, Wandella, Yowrie and Dignam's creek. It is 386 km south of Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
Literary References
Writer Olga MastersOlga Masters
Olga Masters née Lawler was an Australian journalist, novelist and short story writer.-Life:Olga Masters was born in Pambula, New South Wales, the second of eight children. Her early life was characterised by the poverty of the depression era, her family moving around the South Coast region in...
based her collection of short stories A Long Time Dying on people and events in pre-war Cobargo. Olga Masters started her journalistic career on the Cobargo Chronicle at the age of 15 in 1934.
Events
- Cobargo hosts a country market on the fourth Saturday of every month in the grounds of the Cobargo RSL Hall.
- An annual folk music festivalhttp://www.cobargofolkfestival.com/ is held here every February.