Louth, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Louth is a village on the eastern side of the Darling River
in New South Wales
, Australia
. The village is in Bourke Shire, 99 kilometres south west of Bourke
and 132 kilometres north west of Cobar
. The town is made famous by the Louth Races which are held in August each year, attracting crowds of nearly five thousand. At the 2006 census
, Louth and the surrounding region had a population of 103.
The community has a pub (which serves as a cafe and store), school, tennis club and turf club.
The town was established in 1859 when Thomas Andrew Mathews, an Irish immigrant from County Louth
, built a pub to serve the passing trade along the then busy Darling River. At one stage the town grew to have three hotels, a cordial factory, three bakeries, two butchers, a post office, three churches, a Chinese garden, a general store and a police station. The post office still remains and has been beautifully restored and is now a privately owned bed and breakfast
.
When T.A. Mathew's first wife, Mary Mathews, died in 1886, he had a unique headstone built that is now an Australian National Monument. At dusk each night, the cross reflects the setting sun across the town acting as a beacon of light that on the anniversary of her death lights up the doorstep of where her family home once stood.
In 1888 the first mechanised shearing of sheep, in the world, took place at Sir Samuel McCaughey
's Dunlop Station
, a property located within the Louth district.
One notable descendant of Thomas Andrew Mathews is Sarah Matthews, who currently resides with her family in Galway on the west coast of Ireland. It is said that her father Finbar, hailing from Co. Louth, added the second T in the surname Matthews to compensate for the loss of the second R in 'Finbarr'. Finbar has also erected a memorable headstone in Carragh Hill, Galway to commemorate his darling wife Anne (neé Jenkins) that is now also an Irish National Monument. Sarah is now an accomplished author publishing two best-selling books; 'Libyan Heart' and 'The Stolen Colours of The Land'.
Darling River
The Darling River is the third longest river in Australia, measuring from its source in northern New South Wales to its confluence with the Murray River at Wentworth, New South Wales. Including its longest contiguous tributaries it is long, making it the longest river system in Australia.The...
in 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 village is in Bourke Shire, 99 kilometres south west of Bourke
Bourke, New South Wales
-Transportation:Bourke can be reached by the Mitchell Highway, with additional sealed roads from town to the north , east and south . The town is also served by Bourke Airport and has Countrylink bus service to other regional centres, like Dubbo...
and 132 kilometres north west of Cobar
Cobar, New South Wales
-Notable people:*Nik Kosef, former rugby league player for the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, 1996 premiership player, NSW & Australia representative*Ernie Toshack, cricketer, member of Bradman's Invincibles* Jemma Heather, state representative 4 times....
. The town is made famous by the Louth Races which are held in August each year, attracting crowds of nearly five thousand. 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,...
, Louth and the surrounding region had a population of 103.
The community has a pub (which serves as a cafe and store), school, tennis club and turf club.
The town was established in 1859 when Thomas Andrew Mathews, an Irish immigrant from County Louth
County Louth
County Louth is a county of Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Louth. Louth County Council is the local authority for the county...
, built a pub to serve the passing trade along the then busy Darling River. At one stage the town grew to have three hotels, a cordial factory, three bakeries, two butchers, a post office, three churches, a Chinese garden, a general store and a police station. The post office still remains and has been beautifully restored and is now a privately owned bed and breakfast
Bed and breakfast
A bed and breakfast is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast, but usually does not offer other meals. Since the 1980s, the meaning of the term has also extended to include accommodations that are also known as "self-catering" establishments...
.
When T.A. Mathew's first wife, Mary Mathews, died in 1886, he had a unique headstone built that is now an Australian National Monument. At dusk each night, the cross reflects the setting sun across the town acting as a beacon of light that on the anniversary of her death lights up the doorstep of where her family home once stood.
In 1888 the first mechanised shearing of sheep, in the world, took place at Sir Samuel McCaughey
Samuel McCaughey
Sir Samuel McCaughey was an Irish-born pastoralist, politician and philanthropist in Australia.-Early life:McCaughey was born at Tullyneuh, near Ballymena, Ireland, the son of Francis McCaughey, farmer and merchant, and his wife Eliza, née Wilson.McCaughey came to Australia with an uncle, Charles...
's Dunlop 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...
, a property located within the Louth district.
One notable descendant of Thomas Andrew Mathews is Sarah Matthews, who currently resides with her family in Galway on the west coast of Ireland. It is said that her father Finbar, hailing from Co. Louth, added the second T in the surname Matthews to compensate for the loss of the second R in 'Finbarr'. Finbar has also erected a memorable headstone in Carragh Hill, Galway to commemorate his darling wife Anne (neé Jenkins) that is now also an Irish National Monument. Sarah is now an accomplished author publishing two best-selling books; 'Libyan Heart' and 'The Stolen Colours of The Land'.