Koorawatha, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Koorawatha is a town in the Central West
region of New South Wales
, Australia
, on the Olympic Highway between Cowra
and Young
. It was once a large and thriving centre of activity but now has only a hotel and a cafe. It is, nevertheless, a very fine old-style hotel, though not a fancy one, with a remarkably elongated-looking stuffed wombat in pride of place on top of the main fridge. The wombat was run over one dark night on a lonely mountain road by a local man, who was so saddened by the accident that he had the creature suitably preserved, and presented it to the Koorawatha Hotel.
At the 2006 census
, Koorawatha had a population of 258.. The town's name is derived from an aboriginal word for 'pine trees'.
Koorawatha is located near the Illunie Range which contains the Koorawatha Nature Reserve, an important tract of virgin bushland.
Keen bird watchers may find much to reward them at the Koorawatha Falls area at the Nature Reserve.
For several years until recently Koorawatha had its own newsletter, the "Koora Chat", which could be picked up from the cafe.
The German Greens activist Petra Kelly
once owned a building block of land in the centre of the village, which she had never actually visited. The photographer Olive Cotton
(1911-2003) lived on a farm near Koorawatha for more than fifty years
The township is famous for a gun battle between police and the bushranger Ben Hall. On 20 May 1864 Hall, ably assisted by Tom Gordon and Jimmy Dunleavy attempted to hold up the Bang Bang Hotel (demolished in the 1940s) but found themselves involved in a desperate gun battle with two policemen. Hall and his accomplices were forced to retreat.
After this they proceeded to the Bang Bang hotel, and held up all those on the front verandah, instructing them to stay where they were. Two constables Scott and McNamara were at the stables tending their horses and upon seeing this drew their pistols. John Gilbert
, the notorious bushranger who was part of Hall's gang opened fire and fired three shots at the constables who returned fire, advancing towards the mounted bushrangers as they fired forcing Mount and Gilbert to retreat [but who is this mysterious Mount character? A horse?]. While McNamara kept Mount and Gilbert at bay, Scott took careful aim at Hall as he galloped away - and fired. The bullet struck his hat knocking it from his head. Gilbert and Mount galloped after Hall abandoning the robbery.
At the site of the gun battle there is a sign where the old Bang Bang Hotel used to be. It is inconspicuously located under a peppercorn tree in the township, about half a kilometre west from the Olympic Highway.
Richie Benaud
the famous Australian cricketer and cricket commentator is also reported to have lived some of his childhood in the town.
The Hairy Man of Koorawatha is sometimes rumoured to roam the Illunie mountain range beyond the little township. The full
details of the "Hairy Man" episode may be established by reference to the ballad of the same name by Tom Freeman (pseud.), published in the "Bulletin Reciter", 1901.
"The Decline of the North", a poem by Peter Porter (poet)
, makes reference to rustic scenes near Koorawatha, which he visited in the mid 1970s with his two daughters, Katherine and Jane. The phrase "armoured lizards" refers to Tiliqua rugosa asper, a docile, endemic, easily-caught species, otherwise known as shinglebacks.
Central West, New South Wales
The Central West region refers to the area west of the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia. It has an area of 63,262 square kilometers....
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...
, on the Olympic Highway between Cowra
Cowra, New South Wales
Cowra is a town in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia in the Cowra Shire. It is located on the Mid-Western Highway, 317 kilometres west of Sydney on the banks of the Lachlan River at an altitude of 310 metres above sea level. At the 2006 census Cowra had a population of 8,430...
and Young
Young, New South Wales
-Demographics:On census night, 7 August 2001, there were 6,821 people counted in Young. There were 238 people who identified as being of Indigenous origin in the 2001 Census...
. It was once a large and thriving centre of activity but now has only a hotel and a cafe. It is, nevertheless, a very fine old-style hotel, though not a fancy one, with a remarkably elongated-looking stuffed wombat in pride of place on top of the main fridge. The wombat was run over one dark night on a lonely mountain road by a local man, who was so saddened by the accident that he had the creature suitably preserved, and presented it to the Koorawatha Hotel.
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,...
, Koorawatha had a population of 258.. The town's name is derived from an aboriginal word for 'pine trees'.
Koorawatha is located near the Illunie Range which contains the Koorawatha Nature Reserve, an important tract of virgin bushland.
Keen bird watchers may find much to reward them at the Koorawatha Falls area at the Nature Reserve.
For several years until recently Koorawatha had its own newsletter, the "Koora Chat", which could be picked up from the cafe.
The German Greens activist Petra Kelly
Petra Kelly
Petra Karin Kelly was a German politician and activist. She was instrumental in founding the German Green Party, the first Green party to rise to prominence worldwide.- Early life :...
once owned a building block of land in the centre of the village, which she had never actually visited. The photographer Olive Cotton
Olive Cotton
Olive Cotton was a pioneering Australian modernist female photographer of the 1930s and 40s working in Sydney. As a female photographer in Australia of that era, she was overlooked and her work at the Dupain studio was considered "art" rather than commercial. Cotton only became a national "name"...
(1911-2003) lived on a farm near Koorawatha for more than fifty years
The township is famous for a gun battle between police and the bushranger Ben Hall. On 20 May 1864 Hall, ably assisted by Tom Gordon and Jimmy Dunleavy attempted to hold up the Bang Bang Hotel (demolished in the 1940s) but found themselves involved in a desperate gun battle with two policemen. Hall and his accomplices were forced to retreat.
After this they proceeded to the Bang Bang hotel, and held up all those on the front verandah, instructing them to stay where they were. Two constables Scott and McNamara were at the stables tending their horses and upon seeing this drew their pistols. John Gilbert
John Gilbert (bushranger)
Johnny Gilbert was an Australian bushranger shot dead by the police at the age of 23 near Binalong, New South Wales on 13 May 1865.John Gilbert was the only Australian bushranger never to go to prison...
, the notorious bushranger who was part of Hall's gang opened fire and fired three shots at the constables who returned fire, advancing towards the mounted bushrangers as they fired forcing Mount and Gilbert to retreat [but who is this mysterious Mount character? A horse?]. While McNamara kept Mount and Gilbert at bay, Scott took careful aim at Hall as he galloped away - and fired. The bullet struck his hat knocking it from his head. Gilbert and Mount galloped after Hall abandoning the robbery.
At the site of the gun battle there is a sign where the old Bang Bang Hotel used to be. It is inconspicuously located under a peppercorn tree in the township, about half a kilometre west from the Olympic Highway.
Richie Benaud
Richie Benaud
Richard "Richie" Benaud OBE is a former Australian cricketer who, since his retirement from international cricket in 1964, has become a highly regarded commentator on the game....
the famous Australian cricketer and cricket commentator is also reported to have lived some of his childhood in the town.
The Hairy Man of Koorawatha is sometimes rumoured to roam the Illunie mountain range beyond the little township. The full
details of the "Hairy Man" episode may be established by reference to the ballad of the same name by Tom Freeman (pseud.), published in the "Bulletin Reciter", 1901.
"The Decline of the North", a poem by Peter Porter (poet)
Peter Porter (poet)
Peter Neville Frederick Porter, OAM was a British-based Australian poet.-Life:Porter was born in Brisbane, Australia, in 1929. His mother, Marion, died of a burst gall-bladder in 1938. He attended the Church of England Grammar School and left school at 18, and went to work as a trainee journalist...
, makes reference to rustic scenes near Koorawatha, which he visited in the mid 1970s with his two daughters, Katherine and Jane. The phrase "armoured lizards" refers to Tiliqua rugosa asper, a docile, endemic, easily-caught species, otherwise known as shinglebacks.