Eugowra is a town in the Central West region of

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 ...

. The town is split between

Forbes Shire Forbes Shire is a local government area in the central west region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire was formed in 1981 from the amalgamation of the Municipality of Forbes and the Shire of Jemalong resulting from the ''Local Governm ...

and

Cabonne Shire 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 administrati ...

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 ...

, west 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 ...

. At the , Eugowra had a population of 779.

Geography

Situated 271 metres above sea level and 340 km west of

in the Central West New South Wales, Eugowra is located in the

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 ...

Cabonne Shire Council 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 administra ...

. The parliamentary seats for Eugowra fall under the New South Wales State seat of Orange and the Federal Division of

Calare The Division of Calare is an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales. Geography Since 1984, federal electoral division boundaries in Australia have been determined at redistributions by a redistribution committee appointe ...

History of Eugowra

The area was occupied by the

Wiradjuri people The Wiradjuri people (; ) are a group of Aboriginal Australian people from central New South Wales, united by common descent through kinship and shared traditions. They survived as skilled hunter-fisher-gatherers, in family groups or clans, a ...

before European settlement. In 1815, European explorations in the area began, with the first being surveyor

George Evans George Evans may refer to: Arts and entertainment * George "Honey Boy" Evans (1870–1915), American songwriter and entertainer * George Evans (bandleader) (1915–1993), English jazz bandleader, arranger and tenor saxophonist * George Evans (si ...

. In 1817,

John Oxley John Joseph William Molesworth Oxley (1784 – 25 May 1828) was an explorer and surveyor of Australia in the early period of British colonisation. He served as Surveyor General of New South Wales and is perhaps best known for his two exp ...

passed through the area on an expedition to explore the inland. In 1834,

Pastoral A pastoral lifestyle is that of shepherds herding livestock around open areas of land according to seasons and the changing availability of water and pasture. It lends its name to a genre of literature, art, and music (pastorale) that depicts ...

settlement began with the establishment of ‘Eugowra’

station Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle statio ...

. Eugowra’ is said to be named after the

Indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

word meaning "The place where the sand washes down the hill". In the 1860s, the village of Eugowra was developed, taking its name from the pastoral property. It developed near a bridge over Mandagery Creek on the route to Lachlan goldfields. The ‘John Bull Hotel’ (later named, ‘Fat Lamb Hotel’) was constructed. On 15 June 1862, the infamous bushranger, Frank Gardiner and his gang, including Ben Hall, ambushed the

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

- Orange

Cobb and Co Cobb & Co was the name used by many successful sometimes quite independent Australian coaching businesses. The first was established in 1853 by American Freeman Cobb and his partners. The name Cobb & Co grew to great prominence in the late 19th ...

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

Escort Rock Escort Rock is a heritage-listed geological formation at Escort Way, Eugowra, Cabonne Shire, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of a group of historic sites labelled the Ben Hall Sites for their association with bushranger Ben Hall, along ...

, carrying out Australia's largest gold robbery. They stole 77 kilograms of gold and £3,700 in cash. By 1866, there were 24 residents living in Eugowra village. In 1869, the Mandagery Creek Bridge was built. In 1881, the town was laid out and a police station (now residence), courthouse (now police station) and school were built into the 1890s. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, more than 2,000 slabs of granite used in the construction of

Australian Parliament House Parliament House, also referred to as Capital Hill or simply Parliament, is the meeting place of the Parliament of Australia, and the seat of the legislative branch of the Australian Government. Located in Canberra, the Parliament building is ...

, were sourced from Eugowra. In 1921,

Eugowra Rugby League Club 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, west of the state capital, Sydney. At the , Eugowra had a population of 779. Geogr ...

was formed and competed in the Jack Hore Gold Cup and the Johnnie Walker Cup. On 22 October 2012, the historic ‘Fat Lamb Hotel’ was burnt down. On 14 November 2022, Eugowra was affected by severe flooding that resulted in damage to 90 percent of the town's buildings. One person was confirmed to have died.

Heritage listings

Eugowra has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * Escort Way:

Economy

The town has a number of nationally recognised dairy farms, feedlot, egg producers and quail farms. Eugowra is known for its

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...

, with more than 2000 slabs of local granite used in

Parliament House Parliament House may refer to: Australia * Parliament House, Canberra, Parliament of Australia * Parliament House, Adelaide, Parliament of South Australia * Parliament House, Brisbane, Parliament of Queensland * Parliament House, Darwin, Parliame ...

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

Amenities

The town includes two primary schools, supermarket, hotel, two cafes, newsagent, butcher, bowling club, function centre, mechanic, hair salon, preschool, museum, pharmacy, GP, Multi Purpose Health centre, craft shop, as well as farm produce suppliers, post office, bank, lucerne plant, granite supply and a sawmill. The town includes a supermarket, two hotels, a newsagent, a butcher and golf and

bowling Bowling is a target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a ball toward pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). The term ''bowling'' usually refers to pin bowling (most commonly ten-pin bowling), though ...

clubs, as well as farm produce suppliers,

lucerne Lucerne ( , ; High Alemannic German, High Alemannic: ''Lozärn'') or Luzern ()Other languages: gsw, Lozärn, label=Lucerne German; it, Lucerna ; rm, Lucerna . is a city in central Switzerland, in the Languages of Switzerland, German-speaking po ...

crops and a

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

. Recreationally, Eugowra has a showground, sports ground, children's playground and skate park, swimming pool and caravaning/RV parking grounds with dump points.

Attractions

Eugowra is increasing its tourism, with the inclusion of the Canola Cup Harness Race, held during the

Spring Racing Carnival The Spring Racing Carnival is the name of an Australian Thoroughbred horse racing series held annually in Melbourne during October and November. The Carnival and its status in the wider community Although racing in Australia is held every day excep ...

. Eugowra hosts an annual campfire event as part of the Orange Fire Festival. Eugowra has

mural A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spani ...

s and hosts a weekend for artists to paint further murals and hosts market stalls and car show. Tourist attractions include picnicking and camping by Mandagery Creek, visiting the Museum & Bushranger Centre, visiting the heritage listed

; exploring

Nangar National Park Nangar is a national park in located New South Wales, Australia, west of Sydney. The park is located in the Nangar-Murga Range between Eugowra and Canowindra. It features Nangar Mountain, which rises to . Trees consist of eucalyptus, blackpi ...

for its bird watching, star gazing and flora; watching

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

played at Ian Walsh Oval; hiking or mountain biking through Back Yamma State Forest; camping, fishing & picnicking alongside the Paytens Bridge or Lachlan River.

References

External links

{{authority control Towns in New South Wales Towns in the Central West (New South Wales) Cabonne Council Forbes Shire