Eugowra, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Eugowra is a town in the Central West
region of New South Wales
, Australia
. The town is located in the Cabonne Shire Local Government Area, 341 kilometres (212 mi) west of the state capital, Sydney
. At the 2006 census
, Eugowra had a population of 535.
Eugowra is said to be named after the Indigenous Australian word meaning "The place where the sand washes down the hill". Before European settlement, the Wiradjuri
people inhabited the Eugowra area. European exploration in the area began in 1815 and was followed two years later by John Oxley
passing through the area on an expedition to explore the inland. Pastoral settlement began with the establishment of Eugowra station
in 1834.
The town was established in the 1860s on the site of the station where the route for travellers to the Lachlan
gold fields crossed the Mandagery Creek. The John Bull Hotel (later the Fat Lamb Hotel) was constructed, followed by a bridge over the creek. In 1881, the town was laid out and a police station, courthouse and school were built.
It was near Eugowra where Australia's largest gold robbery took place. The infamous bushranger
, Frank Gardiner
and his gang, including Ben Hall ambushed the Forbes
-Orange
Cobb and Co
coach
on 15 June 1862. The bushrangers stole 77 kilograms of gold and £3,700 in in cash.
Today, the town includes a supermarket, two hotels, a newsagent, a butcher and golf and bowling
clubs, as well as farm produce suppliers, a lucerne
plant and a sawmill
. Eugowra is known for its granite
, with more than 2000 slabs of local granite used in the new Parliament House, Canberra
in Canberra
.
Central West
Central West may refer to;* Central West , an area of New South Wales, Australia* Central West, the western region of ITV Central's broadcasting area in the United Kingdom, covering Birmingham and the wider West Midland region - see Central Independent Television...
region of New South Wales
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...
, 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...
. The town is located in the Cabonne Shire Local Government Area, 341 kilometres (212 mi) west of the state capital, 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...
. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Eugowra had a population of 535.
Eugowra is said to be named after the Indigenous Australian word meaning "The place where the sand washes down the hill". Before European settlement, the Wiradjuri
Wiradjuri
The Wiradjuri are an Indigenous Australian group of central New South Wales.In the 21st century, major Wiradjuri groups live in Condobolin, Peak Hill, Narrandera and Griffith...
people inhabited the Eugowra area. European exploration in the area began in 1815 and was followed two years later by John Oxley
John Oxley
John Joseph William Molesworth Oxley was an explorer and surveyor of Australia in the early period of English colonisation.October 1802 he was engaged in coastal survey work including an expedition to Western Port in 1804-05...
passing through the area on an expedition to explore the inland. Pastoral settlement began with the establishment of Eugowra station
Station (Australian agriculture)
Station is the term for a large Australian landholding used for livestock production. It corresponds to the North American term ranch or South American estancia...
in 1834.
The town was established in the 1860s on the site of the station where the route for travellers to the Lachlan
Lachlan River
- Course :The river rises in the central highland of New South Wales, part of the Great Dividing Range, 13 km east of Gunning. Its major headwaters, the Carcoar River, the Belubula River and the Abercrombie River converge near the town of Cowra. Minor tributaries include the Morongla Creek...
gold fields crossed the Mandagery Creek. The John Bull Hotel (later the Fat Lamb Hotel) was constructed, followed by a bridge over the creek. In 1881, the town was laid out and a police station, courthouse and school were built.
Bushranger
Bushrangers, or bush rangers, originally referred to runaway convicts in the early years of the British settlement of Australia who had the survival skills necessary to use the Australian bush as a refuge to hide from the authorities...
, Frank Gardiner
Frank Gardiner
Frank Gardiner was a noted Australian bushranger of the 19th century. He was born in Scotland about 1827 and migrated from to Australia as a child with his parents in 1834,. His real name was Francis Christie, though he often used one of several other aliases including Gardiner, Clarke or Christie...
and his gang, including Ben Hall ambushed the Forbes
Forbes, New South Wales
-Notable residents:*Carolyn Simpson - Judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales; Member of the first all-female bench to sit in an Australian court*NSW Deputy Premier Carmel Tebbutt was born and raised in Forbes....
-Orange
Orange, New South Wales
Orange is a city in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. It is west of the state capital, Sydney, at an altitude of . Orange has an estimated population of 39,329 and the city is a major provincial centre....
Cobb and Co
Cobb and Co
Cobb and Co is the name of a transportation company in Australia. It was prominent in the late 19th century when it operated stagecoaches to many areas in the outback and at one point in several other countries, as well....
coach
Stagecoach
A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers...
on 15 June 1862. The bushrangers stole 77 kilograms of gold and £3,700 in in cash.
Today, the town includes a supermarket, two hotels, a newsagent, a butcher and golf and bowling
Bowls
Bowls is a sport in which the objective is to roll slightly asymmetric balls so that they stop close to a smaller "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a pitch which may be flat or convex or uneven...
clubs, as well as farm produce suppliers, a lucerne
Lucerne
Lucerne is a city in north-central Switzerland, in the German-speaking portion of that country. Lucerne is the capital of the Canton of Lucerne and the capital of the district of the same name. With a population of about 76,200 people, Lucerne is the most populous city in Central Switzerland, and...
plant and a sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
. Eugowra is known for its granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
, with more than 2000 slabs of local granite used in the new Parliament House, Canberra
Parliament House, Canberra
Parliament House is the meeting facility of the Parliament of Australia located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. The building was designed by Mitchell/Giurgola Architects and opened on 1988 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia...
in Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
.