Candelo is a town in south-eastern

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. It is in the

Bega Valley Shire The Bega Valley Shire is a Local government in Australia, local government area located adjacent to the South Coast, New South Wales, south-eastern coastline of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire was formed in 1981 with the amalgamation of t ...

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...

, south of the state capital,

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

and north-west of the popular coastal holiday destination of Eden. In 2011, Candelo had a population of 732 people. Candelo was named by

Peter Imlay Peter Imlay (1797–1881) was a Scottish-born pioneer settler in southern New South Wales. Peter and his brothers Alexander (1794-1847) and George (1794?-1846) operated in the region as pastoralists, whalers and shipbuilders. Life and care ...

, the first European settler in the area, who named his original 1834 house "Candelo House" after the town of Candelo, Italy. The area around Candelo was first settled by Europeans in the 1830s, and the village was developed in the 1860s at a crossroads, following the passage of the New South Wales Land Act of 1861 which allowed closer settlement. Candelo hosts notable community events such as the Candelo Village Festival, a biennial music and arts festival. The inaugural festival was held in 2008. The Candelo Show, held every January is an annual agricultural and horticultural exhibition event that has been running since 1883. The Candelo Markets are held on the first Sunday of the month and have been running since 1982. They exist primarily to fund community projects in the Candelo area. These markets are notably a dog free zone, however, it is widely known by many tourists to turn a blind eye to the local bureaucracy and insist in bringing their hounds. Sapphire Speedway is located within the Candelo locality. The track is 600m and features a Clay/Granite mix. Among the divisions that run at the track are RSA Limited Sedans, SSA Production Sedans, Junior Sedans and Dirt Karts.

References

Towns in New South Wales Towns in the South Coast (New South Wales) 1860s establishments in Australia Bega Valley Shire {{SouthCoastNSW-geo-stub