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Mean max temp | Mean min temp | Annual rainfall |
24.7 °C 76 °F | 8.1 °C 47 °F | 602 mm 23.7 in |
Situated on the Belubula River, Canowindra (pronounced /kəˈnaʊndrə/ kə-NOWN-drə [2] ) is a historic township and the largest population centre in Cabonne Shire. The town is located between Orange and Cowra in the central west of New South Wales, Australia. The curving main street, Gaskill Street, is partly an urban conservation area.
The name of the town is derived from an Aboriginal language (Wiradjuri) word meaning 'a home' [3] or 'camping place'. [4]
Prior to the arrival of Europeans to Australia, the area now known as Canowindra was occupied for tens of thousands of years by a people known as the Wiradjuri. [5] These "people of the three rivers" were hunters and gatherers who exploited the resources available in the rivers and the lands, particularly the river flats. [6]
The first land grant of 640 acres to a European in the area was to James Collits by Governor Ralph Darling in 1829 as a reward for "pointing out a line of road from Mt. York to Bathurst". Subsequently, Collits' father, Pierce, was granted land adjacent to the original grant. [7] There is some evidence that James (or the succeeding owner, Thomas Icely) named the property "Canoundra". Collits owned other significant tracts of land in the area, together with a store and the first hotel. A settlement slowly grew, and as early as 1844 the village (now referred to as "Canowindra") was the site of a government pound. [4]
A post office opened at Canowindra in 1847 with mail coming from Carcoar, but the village was handicapped as part of a main route to the lower Lachlan, first by the lack of a bridge and later by the construction of the railway to Orange. The first bridge across the Belubula River at Canowindra was opened on 28 July 1875. [8] It was replaced by the Waddell Bridge in May 1901, [9] and by the current John Grant Bridge in 1997.
Gold has been mined at Canowindra; the Blue Jacket, Grant's Reef, Blue Maxwell, and Gospel Oak Mines, were located near the town. [10]
Bushrangers made four significant incursions at Canowindra within the space of a year, the first of which occurred in September 1863. Late on Saturday morning, 26 September 1863, the bushrangers John Gilbert and Ben Hall, with three other gang members (John O'Meally, Michael Burke and John Vane), arrived at Albert Rothery's 'Clifden' station at Limestone Creek, south-west of Carcoar, where they bailed up the occupants and "partook of dinner – regaling themselves with champagne and brandy". [11] [12] [13] : 136–137 From Rothery's the bushrangers proceeded to Canowindra (after having informed Rothery of their intended destination), arriving at the township at six o'clock in the afternoon. They firstly detained Constable Sykes, the only policeman stationed at Canowindra, and took him to Robinson's public-house. O'Meally and Burke remained at the inn while Hall, Gilbert and Vane "went on a foraging expedition" to the two stores in the township, belonging to Pierce and Hilliar, taking a quantity of men's clothing and three pounds in cash. They then adjourned to Robinson's house and ordered tea. The publican and his wife had departed for Bathurst, leaving Robinson's sister and "the two Miss Flanagan's in charge of the house". After they had eaten "Gilbert very politely requested one of the young ladies to play him a tune on the piano". Later in the evening a dance was proposed, which "continued till daylight the next morning". A number of the town's residents had also been brought to the public-house and it was reported that "the night's amusement" was "spoken of as one of the jolliest affairs that has ever taken place in that small town". [11] In the morning Hall, Vane and Burke rode to 'Bangaroo' station in search of horses, but finding none, returned to Canowindra where Gilbert informed them that troopers were camped on the opposite side of the Belubula River, now in full flood, waiting for the waters to subside. With the exception of Burke, the bushrangers crossed the flooded stream and camped on a hill overlooking the town. Burke crossed the next morning after the waters had dropped, after which the gang rode into "very rough country" to evade the police. [13] : 139–140
On Monday morning, 12 October 1863, John Gilbert, Ben Hall and John O'Meally returned to Canowindra and "held it against all comers" for three days and nights, "their proceedings being characterised by a cool audacity, which has hitherto been unequalled". The bushrangers stuck up the stores and public-houses in the township and established a base at William Robinson's public-house. Gang-members guarded the approaches to the town, and anybody who made an appearance was taken into custody and brought to the hotel. Their captives were told they must remain at the hotel, but they "might call for whatever [they] liked at the bushrangers' expense". On learning of the bushrangers' incursion, the local policeman, Constable Sykes, had started for Eugowra (being unable to cross the rising Belubula River to go to Cowra). However he was met on the road by the bushrangers and turned back. The outlaws confiscated his firearms and handcuffs and took him to Robinson's public-house, telling him "to go in and enjoy himself till he received further orders". Each dray and their horse- or bullock-teams that arrived during the three days were stopped; eventually numbering about twelve to fourteen, the teamsters were "lodged, fed and supplied with drink, free of expense" and no attempt was made by the bushrangers to interfere with their loads. At one stage Gilbert purchased a bundle of cigars and threw them on one of the tables in the hotel for anyone who cared to smoke them. A "pile of sweetmeats" was also provided for the enjoyment of all. [14] [15]
It was believed that the bushrangers were expecting a gold escort to arrive at the township (which never arrived). [16] Mid-morning on the Tuesday three landholders and businessmen from the Forbes district, Hibberson, Twaddell and Kirkpatrick, drove up to the hotel, where Ben Hall informed them they were to be detained. As they got down from their vehicle John O'Meally saw that Kirkpatrick was carrying a revolver, and held his own weapon at Kirkpatrick's head, "compelled him to give it up". "A first-class dinner was ordered" for the three squatters, "and the cost of this as well as everything else called for was defrayed by the gang". By the third day there were about forty people detained at the hotel. During the occupation the bushrangers only drank bottled ale and porter, insisting that the corks be drawn in their presence. The outlaws engaged in a variety of amusements, of which target shooting was a favourite. For those who resided in the neighbourhood wishing to visit their homes, a leave of absence was granted providing it did not exceed an hour. The bushrangers departed on the afternoon of the third day. That evening the bushrangers stuck up Thomas Grant's station on the Belubula River and burned it down as vengeance on the owner who had, on a previous occasion, given information to the police about their likely whereabouts. [14]
In the early hours of Wednesday morning, 4 November 1863, Gilbert, Hall and O'Meally went to Robinson's public-house in Canowindra and knocked on the door. Upon opening, the publican William Robinson "was confronted by Ben Hall, holding two revolvers levelled at him". Hall asked if there were any police in the house and then the three bushrangers "entered the bar and drank nobblers". They stopped for about a quarter of an hour. When they left they took two bottles of port-wine and two of Old Tom gin, for which they offered to pay with a £5 note (but Robinson was unable to provide change for that amount). [17]
On Tuesday, 21 June 1864, Ben Hall and two companions entered Pierce's store at Canowindra "without attracting notice". Finding the proprietor, John Pierce, alone they bailed him up and robbed him of about ten pounds in cash as well as goods from the store. In the belief he had further money hidden away the bushrangers burnt portions of the account books, but to no avail. They then took him six miles into the bush and tied him to a tree, threatening him with death and urging that he must procure £300 from his brother in Carcoar. Pierce was eventually freed when he was able to convince Hall and his men that no money could be obtained. [18] [19]
Since early days of European settlement the population of the town has grown steadily.
Year | Population | Notes |
---|---|---|
1866 | 120 | |
1871 | 200–250 | |
1890 | 400 | within one mile not counting Belmore 154 ( Mr Dry, Railway Inquiry 1890) |
1901 | 416 | Year of Federation |
1911 | 1,535 | Year after railway service opened |
1933 | 1,716 | Great Depression |
1947 | 2,271 | Post World War II |
1951 | 1,747 | Both mills had closed in 1950s |
1954 | 1,915 | Census [28] |
1961 | 1,749 | Census |
1966 | 1,717 | |
1971 | 1,679 | Finns Store closed 1970 |
2001 | 2,340 | Census data – Postal Area POA2804 |
2006 | 2,626 | Census data – Postal Area POA2804 |
2011 | 2,381 | Census |
The State Suburb (SSC) of Canowindra (SSC 10796) completely encompasses Moorbel (SSC 12709), Nyrang Creek (SSC 13059) and nearly all of Billimari (SSC 10354). The combined population of these SSCs in 2016 was 2,673. For the 2021 census the ABS released the population data based on the 2804 Postal Area and the total population had increased to 2,832.
Census data for the "Urban Centre and Locality" [29] which excludes Moorbel shows that between 2001 and 2016 the numbers have reduced from 1516 to 1395. However, the figures for wider area "State Suburb (SSC)" [30] show a modest increase in the count from 2,126 in 2006 to 2258 in 2016. [31]
In the Canowindra SSC, 88.2% of people were born in Australia and 91.5% of people only spoke English at home. The most common responses for religion were Catholic 29.7%, Anglican 26.6%, No Religion 16.5% and Uniting Church 8.9%. [1]
There are two residential areas associated with the town: South Canowindra and Moorbel.
The "Village of South Canowindra" is a rural place located south of the Bellubula River. [32]
Moorbel is a locality about 3 km E by N of Canowindra and 4 km SW by W of South Canowindra. In February 1917, residents of Belmore petitioned the postal inspector at Parkes for a postal receiving station. Because a place named Belmore existed in Sydney, the residents submitted other names, with Moorbel finally being approved by the Department of Lands in July 1917. [33] A local market is held at Moorbel Hall each month.
Located in Browns Avenue, the hospital was built as a memorial for the men of the district who served in World War I. [34] The foundation stone was laid in 1921 and the Soldier's Memorial Hospital opened, on Peace Day 28 June 1922. [35] Part of the Western NSW Local Health District, [36] the hospital has a limited number of acute and nursing home beds. The hospital also serves as a centre for various health services including rehabilitation and emergency. The emergency department was redeveloped in 2017. [37]
The town has three schools: a state co-educational Years 7–12 high school, Canowindra High School, a state K–6 primary school, Canowindra Public School and St Edwards Primary School, a Roman Catholic systemic K–6 primary school. [38]
Early childhood education is provided by the Canowindra Pre-school Kindergarten Inc. (a registered association that commenced operations in 1958 [39] ) and registered home based educators managed by Cabonne/Blayney Family Day Care Service. [40]
There is an active Lions Club. The branch of the Country Women's Association (CWA) which meets in its own hall with modern catering facilities was founded in 1924. [41]
A community garden which is open to all residents and visitors is managed by a local committee. [42]
The Canowindra Services & Citizens Club Ltd is a registered club providing a wide range of facilities for members and the community including a bistro and a community hall which can be hired by the public.
The Canowindra Garden Club organises talks and visits to gardens throughout the region raising money for charity. The club donated $6,000 to the Canowindra Soldiers Memorial Hospital in 2018. [43]
The Canowindra Historical Society operates the Canowindra Historical Museum which is located in the town's main street next the Age of Fishes Museum. On display are a shepherd's hut circa 1828, Harold Boyd's complete dental surgery, a wedding gown collection from 1881 to 1982, a reconstructed wool shed, wheat harvesters collection from 1843, photo collection and the Pioneers Wall. [44]
Canowindra Pastoral Agricultural and Horticultural Association manages the town's showgrounds and organises the annual show which has been held since 1900. [45]
When the special support needs of a local family with triplets diagnosed with a congenital form of muscular dystrophy and restrictive lung disease were identified in 2013, residents of the town and the wider central western NSW region started fundraising with the aim, inter alia, of building a house with appropriate design features for the use of the family as well as providing ongoing support. [46] A charity was registered in 2016 [47] Since then cash donations and in kind have been raised with the family moving into their new house in March 2018. [48] In 2021 following further fund raising a hydrotherapy pool was installed at the house.
Organised by the Canowindra Fine Music Group, [49] The Baroque Music Festival is an annual presentation of baroque and related music performances at various venues around the town. [50]
The town's branch of the CWA presents a "Sunday Serenade" at All Saints Church annually which showcases local performance talent. Monies raised are used to fund music and voice scholarships for local school children.
A number of sports clubs provide facilities and organised competitions. Such sports include Rugby league (men and women's playing as Canowindra Tigers), Rugby union (Canowindra Pythons), Cricket (Canowindra Sixers), Tennis, Lawn Bowls, Squash, Golf and Swimming. For younger age groups there is a pony club which meets fortnightly at the showground and a Little Athletics centre which participates in the Central Tablelands zone. [51]
The town has a council maintained sports oval with floodlighting, Tom Clyburn Oval. At the oval there are well maintained fitness stations, basketball courts and skateboarding facilities.
A nine-hole golf course is supported by a registered club.
Cabonne Council owns and operates the swimming pool which is open from late Spring to mid Autumn. [52]
Since 2016 Canowindra has been recognised by the Campervan and Motorhome Club of Australia (CMCA) as an RV Friendly Town. Facilities for caravaners and campers include low cost camp sites, easy access to the retail area, access to water and a free user friendly waste dump point. [53]
Radio stations Radio stations with transmissions able to be received in Canowindra include-
AM Band:
FM Band:
Television Canowindra receives five free-to-air television networks and their affiliates which are broadcast from nearby Mt Canobolas:
Subscription television service Foxtel is available in Canowindra and the surrounding area via satellite transmission.
Internet NBN FTTN internet service is available to most of the built up area of the town via a number of reseller ISPs.
Canowindra is considered to be part of the Cowra wine region [54] which is a sub-area of the Central Ranges wine zone. There are eight wineries centred on the town, some of which offer cellar door sales.
The Royal Hotel is on the site of another inn owned by Robinson and the plaque on the wall indicates present day understanding that this was the inn where Ben Hall's bushranging gang had their spree.
Other notable buildings include the nursing home, the Junction Hotel, Finn's Building, the Victoria Hotel, the former Bank of NSW and the former CBC Bank. The Trading Post, a homewares shop, won the inland tourism award for 2006. [55]
Canowindra is also popularly known as the Ballooning Capital of Australia. [56] [57]
In April 1988, an endorsed bicentennial activity the "Canowindra 88 Bicentennial Balloon Championships" was held in the town. [58] The 1988 event was also the Australian National Championship under the auspices of the Australian Ballooning Federation. The champion in 1988 was John Wallington. Subsequently, the 2011, 2013 and 2014 championships were also held in Canowindra. [59]
From 1995 [60] to 2005, an event known as Marti's Balloon Fiesta [61] was held in Canowindra. Funded in large part by Frank Hackett-Jones, it was primarily a fun event designed to bring together balloonists and spectators from local, national and international locations in a celebration of Central West hospitality and goodwill. [62]
The Canowindra International Balloon Challenge is the largest ballooning event in Australia and takes place in Canowindra in April. In 2010, the Challenge created a local balloon event that has grown to where it now attracts pilots and balloons from around the globe to build upon the principles of Marti's Fiesta, bringing businesses together to support a week-long event of ballooning competitions and skill-based activities. The use of location-enabled (GPS), point-of-view camera technologies was combined with live-to-web broadcasts via an online streaming platform for viewers to share in the spectacle and to join in the event virtually and for free.
A balloon glow is held as part of the event along with a local food and wine market based on the 100-mile principle where the products must be made or produced within 100 miles (160 km) of Canowindra. The last Sunday of the event also features a 'key grab', where pilots test their skill in an attempt to grab a large key from the top of a 10 metres (33 ft) pole.
This event coincides with food and wine events which brings participation from the greater Cabonne and surrounding districts during April each year. Canowindra also hosted the Australian National Balloon Championships in 2011, 2013 (awarded silver at the NSW State Tourism Awards in the Festivals and Events category [63] ) and 2014, creating a larger, more competitive event. In 2014, the event went fully international with pilots from Japan, the United States of America, Russia, Brazil and the United Kingdom competing.
In 2020, the Balloon Challenge was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [64] The 2021 event was held as scheduled on 26 April to 1 May. [65] [66]
Canowindra is the site of one of the world's great fossil discoveries from the late Devonian period. A chance discovery by a road worker in 1956 uncovered a sandstone slab packed with 114 fish fossils. This slab was from the Mandagery Sandstone, dating from the Devonian period in the Paleozoic era, more than 360 million years old. The "Canowindra slab" was initially removed to the Australian Museum, Sydney. The fish had been buried when trapped in a pool of water that dried up, stranding a school of armoured antiarch placoderms in the species Remigolepis walkeri and Bothriolepis yeungae . [67] Other important fossils include Canowindra grossi (a lobe-finned crossopterygian fish, the largest fish in the slab), two rare juvenile arthrodire placoderms and two small and inconspicuous juveniles of the Groenlandaspis genus. [68]
No further fossils had been recovered until January 1993, when a trial dig under the supervision of paleontologist Dr Alex Ritchie on the site using an excavator rediscovered the fossil stratum, where the mass mortality of fishes was preserved in detail (see Lagerstätte). Specimens can be viewed in the specially established The Age of Fishes Museum, with scientific support and funding from the Australian Museum. The Canowindra site has now been listed as part of Australia's National Heritage because of its international scientific importance. [69] [70] [71]
Work commenced in 1999 to build the Age of Fishes Museum at Canowindra, designed by the Australian architect, John Andrews. The 1956 slab, previously housed in Sydney, was returned in 2006 to be permanently displayed in the Canowindra museum. In 2019 the fossil bearing rock slabs that were previously stored under the grandstand at the Canowindra Showgrounds were transported to a purpose-built storage facility next to the Age of Fishes Museum. [72] [73]
In 2013 the naturalist and wildlife broadcaster Sir David Attenborough visited the Age of Fishes Museum and described the collection of fossils as "world class". [74] [72]
The official NSW State Fossil Emblem is Mandageria fairfaxi. The 370 million year old fossil fish from the Canowindra Fish Bed was named as the NSW State Fossil Emblem in 2015. [75]
Bushrangers were armed robbers and outlaws who resided in the Australian bush between the 1780s and the early 1900s. The original use of the term dates back to the early years of the British colonisation of Australia, and applied to transported convicts who had escaped into the bush to hide from the authorities. By the 1820s, the term had evolved to refer to those who took up "robbery under arms" as a way of life, using the bush as their base.
The Lachlan River is an intermittent river that is part of the Murrumbidgee catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, located in the Southern Tablelands, Central West, and Riverina regions of New South Wales, Australia.
Cowra is a small town in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre and the council seat for the Cowra Shire, with a population of 9,863.
Carcoar is a small town in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia, in Blayney Shire. In 2021, the town had a population of 271 people. It is situated just off the Mid-Western Highway 258 km west of Sydney and 52 km south-west of Bathurst and is 720 m above sea level. It is located in a small green valley, with the township and buildings on both banks of the Belubula River. It is the third oldest settlement west of the Blue Mountains. Carcoar is a Gundungurra word meaning either 'frog' or 'kookaburra'. Nearby towns are Blayney, Millthorpe, Mandurama, Neville, Lyndhurst and Barry
Grenfell is a town in Weddin Shire in the Central West of New South Wales, Australia. It is 370 km (230 mi) west of Sydney. It is close to Forbes, Cowra and Young. At the 2011 census, Grenfell had a population of 1,996. The town is served daily by connecting NSW TrainLink services from Sydney via Bathurst and Lithgow. Grenfell is approximately 5 hours from Sydney and 2+1⁄2 hours from Canberra.
Ben Hall was an Australian bushranger and leading member of the Gardiner–Hall gang. He and his associates carried out many raids across New South Wales, from Bathurst to Forbes, south to Gundagai and east to Goulburn. Unlike many bushrangers of the era, Hall was not directly responsible for any deaths, although several of his associates were. He was shot dead by police in May 1865 at Goobang Creek. The police claimed that they were acting under the protection of the Felons Apprehension Act 1865, which allowed any bushranger who had been specifically named under the terms of the Act to be shot, and killed by any person at any time without warning. At the time of Hall's death, the Act had not yet come into force, resulting in controversy over the legality of his killing.
Cabonne Council is a local government area in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire is located adjacent to the Mitchell Highway and the Broken Hill railway line, partly surrounding the City of Orange. The administrative centre is located at Molong.
Belubula was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales from 1904 to 1913. The electorate included much of the modern Cabonne Council and Cowra Shire and was named after the Belubula River, which flows through the town of Canowindra. In 1913 it was largely absorbed into Lyndhurst.
The Blayney–Demondrille railway line is a railway line in New South Wales, Australia. The line is used mainly for grain haulage and is owned by the Transport Asset Holding Entity, a government department of Transport for NSW. However, in 2004 the Australian Rail Track Corporation became responsible for operations over the line. The Lachlan Valley Railway operated heritage and tourist trains over the line, based at Cowra. It previously also operated general goods trains.
Eugowra is a town in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. The town is split between Forbes Shire and Cabonne Shire local government area, 341 kilometres (212 mi) west of the state capital, Sydney. At the 2016 census, Eugowra had a population of 779.
Eric Weissel (;) (1903–1972) was an Australian rugby league footballer, a state and national representative goal-kicking five-eighth. He played his club career in country New South Wales and is considered one of the nation's finest footballers of the 20th century.
Cudal is a town in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia, on the traditional lands of the Wiradjuri people. Cudal is in the Cabonne Shire Council local government area, 296 kilometres (184 mi) west of the state capital, Sydney. The town was first surveyed in 1867. Running through the town is "Boree Creek". Platypodes are common in the Boree Creek, giving Cudal the catchline 'home of the platypus' on signs entering the town. The place name, Cudal, could have derived from an Aboriginal word meaning 'flat'. At the 2011 census, Cudal had a population of 339. Industry and commerce in Cudal is a mixture of retail, government services, and agriculture. Cudal is surrounded by fertile basalt soils, the result of lava flows from Gaanha Bula Mount Canobolas, 30 kilometres to the east.
Belubula River, a perennial river that is part of the Lachlan catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, is located in the central west region of New South Wales, Australia.
The Gardiner–Hall Gang was an informal group of bushrangers who roamed the central west of the Colony of New South Wales, Australia in the 1860s. Named after leaders Frank Gardiner and Ben Hall, the gang was involved in numerous shootouts and robberies, including Australia's largest ever gold robbery, at Eugowra Rocks. The gang had its origins in 1861; its demise came with the execution of John Dunn in 1866.
The Age of Fishes Museum is one of only two Devonian fish fossil museums in the world and is a National Heritage site due to its international scientific significance. Located in Canowindra, New South Wales, Australia, it was established in 1998. The Museum was designed by Australian architect, John Andrews. The museum houses a huge collection of Devonian fish fossils found at the Mandagery Sandstone in the Canowindra area.
John Vane was an Australian bushranger who joined with the John Gilbert's gang for a short period during 1863. He rode with Gilbert, Ben Hall, John O’Meally and his friend Mick Burke, all of whom eventually met violent deaths. Burke, who had been Vane's childhood friend, died in a violent gun-fight at 'Dunn's Plains', near Rockley. Vane managed to avoid the fate of his companions when he gave himself up. In 1905 Vane collaborated with author and newspaper editor, Charles White, in recording his recollections of the period he spent as part of the bushranging gangs led by Gilbert, Hall and O’Meally. Vane’s biography, edited by White, was published in 1908.
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Nicola Scaife is an Australian hot air balloonist. She has won the FAI Women's World Hot Air Balloon Championship twice, in 2014 and 2016.
The COVID-19 pandemic in New South Wales, Australia was part of the worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The first confirmed case in New South Wales was identified on 19 January 2020 in Sydney where three travellers returning from Wuhan, Hubei, China, tested positive for the virus.
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