Forbes 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 ...
, located on the
Newell Highway
Newell Highway is a national highway in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. It provides the major road link between southeastern Queensland and Victoria via central NSW and as such carries large amounts of freight. At in length, the Newell is th ...
between
Parkes Parkes may refer to:
* Sir Henry Parkes (1815–1896), Australian politician, one of the earliest and most prominent advocates for Australian federation
Named for Henry Parkes
* Parkes, New South Wales, a regional town
* Parkes Observatory, a radi ...
and
West Wyalong
West Wyalong is the main town of the Bland Shire in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Located west of Sydney and above sea level, it is situated on the crossroads of the Newell Highway between Melbourne and Brisbane, and the ...
. At the , Forbes had a population of 9,319.
Forbes is probably named after
Sir Francis Forbes, first Chief Justice of NSW.
Located on the banks of the
Lachlan River
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.
The Lachlan River ...
, Forbes is above
sea-level
Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised g ...
and about west of
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 ...
. The district is a cropping area where
wheat
Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...
and similar crops are grown. Nearby towns and villages include
Calarie,
Parkes Parkes may refer to:
* Sir Henry Parkes (1815–1896), Australian politician, one of the earliest and most prominent advocates for Australian federation
Named for Henry Parkes
* Parkes, New South Wales, a regional town
* Parkes Observatory, a radi ...
,
Bedgerebong,
Bundabarrah,
Corradgery,
Daroobalgie,
Eugowra
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 ...
,
Ooma North and
Paytens Bridge. Forbes is subject to a pattern of flooding, generally occurring to a significant level once every seven years, including 2016
and 2022.
History
The area was home to the
Wiradjuri
The Wiradjuri people (; ) are a group of Aboriginal Australian people from central New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, ...
people before non-indigenous settlement.
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 in 1817 during one of the first inland expeditions. Oxley named the site Camp Hill. He was unimpressed with the clay soil, poor timber and swamps and he concluded, ''it is impossible to imagine a worse country''.
The first settlers moved into the district in 1834.
Gold was discovered by Harry Stephan, also known as "German Harry", in June 1861.
Initially about 30,000 people moved to the goldfields, but by 1863 this had declined to about 3,500 because of the difficult mining conditions.
The goldfields were originally named "Black Ridge", and the name "Forbes" celebrating Sir Francis Forbes was declared from Sydney as the result of a possible government administrative error. It is said that the name was meant for the town now known as "Hill End" between
Orange
Orange most often refers to:
*Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis''
** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower
*Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum
* ...
and
Mudgee
Mudgee is a town in the Central West (New South Wales), Central West of New South Wales, Australia. It is in the broad fertile Cudgegong River valley north-west of Sydney and is the largest town in the Mid-Western Regional Council Local gover ...
, where gold was discovered around a similar time. Gold was initially found in the area known as Halpin's Flat. The Albion Hotel, once a
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 ...
.
stage coach
A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are draw ...
stop, had tunnels situated underneath which were used during the gold rush to convey gold and money to and from the banks to minimise the chance of theft.
The Albion Hotel burnt down on 10 February 2009, losing years worth of history and memorabilia.
One of Australia's most renowned bushrangers,
Ben Hall, was shot dead in an early morning police ambush about to the north-west of Forbes on 5 May 1865. Hall and his gang were famous for stealing of
gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
and £3,700 from the nearby town of
Eugowra
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 ...
in 1862. He is buried in Forbes Cemetery.
Kate Kelly, the sister of bushranger
Ned Kelly
Edward Kelly (December 1854 – 11 November 1880) was an Australian bushranger, outlaw, gang leader and convicted police-murderer. One of the last bushrangers, he is known for wearing a suit of bulletproof armour during his final shootout wi ...
, lived in the town. She drowned in Lake Forbes while saving an Aboriginal child during a flood in 1898 and was found in a lagoon of the
Lachlan River
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.
The Lachlan River ...
, just outside Forbes.
She is buried in Forbes Cemetery.
Heritage listings
Forbes has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
* Billabong Creek, Ben Halls Road:
Ben Hall's Death Site
* Forbes Cemetery, Bogan Gate Road:
Grave of Ben Hall
* 118 Lachlan Street:
Forbes Post Office
Forbes Post Office is a heritage-listed post office at 118 Lachlan Street, Forbes, Forbes Shire, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by the New South Wales Colonial Architect's Office under James Barnet and built from 1879 to 1881 by P ...
* Parkes-Stockinbingal railway:
Forbes railway station
Forbes railway station is a heritage-listed former railway station on the Stockinbingal–Parkes railway line at Forbes, New South Wales, Forbes, Forbes Shire, New South Wales, Australia. The property was added to the New South Wales State Heri ...
Population
According to the
2016 census
Sixteen or 16 may refer to:
*16 (number), the natural number following 15 and preceding 17
*one of the years 16 BC, AD 16, 1916, 2016
Films
* ''Pathinaaru'' or ''Sixteen'', a 2010 Tamil film
* ''Sixteen'' (1943 film), a 1943 Argentine film dir ...
of Population, there were 8,432 people in Forbes.
* Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 12.1% of the population.
* 86.2% of people were born in Australia and 89.1% of people spoke only English at home.
* The most common responses for religion were Catholic 35.1%, Anglican 24.7% and No Religion 15.4%.
Transport
The
Stockinbingal–Parkes railway line
The Stockinbingal–Parkes railway line (also known as the 'Forbes line') is a railway line in New South Wales, Australia which connects Stockinbingal, New South Wales, Stockinbingal on the Main Southern railway line, New South Wales, Main South ...
passes through Forbes. Passenger trains operated to Forbes until 1983.
Forbes lies at or near the confluence of the
Newell Highway
Newell Highway is a national highway in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. It provides the major road link between southeastern Queensland and Victoria via central NSW and as such carries large amounts of freight. At in length, the Newell is th ...
, the
Lachlan Valley Way
Lachlan Valley Way is a New South Wales country road running from Booligal to north of Yass.
Route
Lachlan Valley Way commences at the intersection with Cobb Highway in Booligal and heads in a north-easterly direction for about to Hillston. ...
and
Henry Lawson Way
The Henry Lawson Way is a sealed rural road that links Forbes, situated on the Newell Highway, to Young, situated on the Olympic Highway in the central western region of New South Wales, Australia.
The road is named in honour of Henry Lawso ...
.
Education
Forbes Shire has four public primary schools: Forbes Primary School, Forbes North Primary School, Corinella Public School and Bedgerebong Public School. There is one Catholic primary school, St Laurence's Primary School.
Forbes High School, a public school, is located to the north of town.
Red Bend Catholic College
, motto_translation = Through Difficulty to Greatness
, established =
, schooltype = Independent co-educational secondary day and boarding school
, denomination = Roman Catholic
, religious_affiliation = Association of Marist Schools o ...
at Forbes is a co-educational secondary school, with the school located at the site of the former Marist Brothers' College, on the banks of the Lachlan River.
Local tertiary institutions are the Forbes College of
Technical and Further Education (TAFE) and the Forbes Conservatorium.
Sport
The Forbes Camel Races have been held annually since 2001 on
Good Friday
Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum. It is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday (also Hol ...
at the Forbes Racecourse.
Climate
Forbes lies in the transitional zones of the
semi-arid climate
A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-ar ...
(''BSh'') and
humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...
s (''Cfa''), with relatively large temperature variation between seasons, and moderate
rainfall
Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water f ...
spread evenly throughout the year. Extreme temperatures have ranged from on 11 Jan 1882, to on both 11 Jul 1958 and 15 Jun 1959; the warmest minimum was on 24 Jan 1896; and the coolest maximum, on 27 Jun 1904.
Notwithstanding its northerly latitude and low elevation of just ,
snow
Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes.
It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout ...
has been known to fall on a few occasions—one of which saw a daily snowfall total of on 05 Jul 1900. It features 133.2 clear days annually.
Floods
Since 1887 Forbes has experienced a major flood on average every seven years, with major flooding occurring in June 1952 with a peak of ; September 2016 with a peak of ;
August 1990 with a peak of ; October 1955 with a peak height of ; March 2012 with a peak height of ; and in August 1998 with a peak height of .
Forbes' most recent major flood was in late September 2016 after heavy rain fell on much of inland NSW; as the Bureau of Meteorology declared 2016 as the third-wettest winter on record. Unseasonal heavy rainfall in most of the state, centred on the catchment area of the upper Lachlan during autumn and winter 2016, resulted in
Wyangala Dam
Wyangala Dam is a major gated rock fill with clay core embankment and gravity dam with eight radial gates and a concrete chute spillway across the Lachlan River, located in the south-western slopes region of New South Wales, Australia. The ...
water storage levels increasing from 38 per cent to 90 per cent.
By early August, the Bureau of Meteorology had issued flood warnings for the
Orara
Orara is a historical town and Union Council of Kasur District in the Punjab province of Pakistan.Before Partition, Orara fell under the Lahore District and Tehsil Kasur. The village was largely populated with Dhillon Jatts, predominantly Sikhs w ...
,
Macquarie Macquarie may refer to: People
* Lachlan Macquarie, Governor of the British colony of New South Wales from 1810 to 1821.
* Elizabeth Macquarie Campbell, Lachlan Macquarie's second wife
Locations
* Division of Macquarie, an electoral district in th ...
,
Bogan
Bogan ( ) is Australian slang for a person whose speech, clothing, attitude and behaviour are considered unrefined or unsophisticated. Depending on the context, the term can be pejorative or self-deprecating. The prevalence of the term bogan ...
and Lachlan rivers. In late August, Water NSW began releasing up to per day from Wyangala Dam ahead of expected daily rainfall in the range of in the dam's catchment area. Moderate to major flooding first hit Forbes and in early September, and by mid-September predictions were for widespread flooding across most of inland New South Wales. By late September, flooding had peaked in Forbes at , with 1,000 people evacuated, as the Newell Highway was cut north and south of Forbes' central business district. Forbes was declared a natural disaster zone after flash flooding occurred, resulting in some residents being without homes.
Back up support was provided by the State Emergency Service and the
Australian Defence Force
The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the military organisation responsible for the defence of the Commonwealth of Australia and its national interests. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Forc ...
. As the Lachlan flowed into the
Murrumbidgee River
The Murrumbidgee River () is a major tributary of the Murray River within the Murray–Darling basin and the second longest river in Australia. It flows through the Australian state of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, desce ...
, major flooding occurred downriver during late October and early November at and .
Newspapers
There are two local newspapers servicing Forbes.
* ''The
Forbes Advocate
The ''Forbes Advocate'' is an English language newspaper published in Forbes, New South Wales, Australia.
History
The ''Forbes Advocate'' was first published on 1 December 1911 by G.W. Brownhill and continues to this day.
The ''Advocate'' i ...
'' is owned by
Fairfax Media
Fairfax Media was a media company in Australia and New Zealand, with investments in newspaper, magazines, radio and digital properties. The company was founded by John Fairfax as John Fairfax and Sons, who purchased ''The Sydney Morning Herald' ...
.
* ''The Forbes Phoenix'' is a free weekly paper that is published on Fridays. It is part of the independently owned Phoenix Group of papers.
Notable residents
*
Phil Adams, former Olympian and Commonwealth Games (record) medal holder in sport shooting
*
Chris Anderson Chris Anderson may refer to:
Sports
* Chris Anderson (baseball) (born 1992), American baseball player
* Chris Anderson (cheese roller), 22-time winner of annual cheese rolling
* Chris Anderson (footballer, born 1925) (1925–1986), Scottish footb ...
, who played for and coached the Australian rugby league team, attended Red Bend Catholic College in Forbes
*
Janet Dawson
Janet Dawson MBE (born 1935) is an Australian artist who was a pioneer of abstract painting in Australia in the 1960s, having been introduced to abstraction during studies in England while she lived in Europe 1957–1960 She was also an accomp ...
, Australian artist, spent childhood years in Forbes
*
Sir Hugh Robert Denison, tobacco manufacturer, newspaper proprietor and philanthropist, was born in Forbes in 1865
*
Richard Dixon, former national president of the
Communist Party of Australia
The Communist Party of Australia (CPA), known as the Australian Communist Party (ACP) from 1944 to 1951, was an Australian political party founded in 1920. The party existed until roughly 1991, with its membership and influence having been i ...
, was born in Forbes in 1905
*
Eve Langley
Eve Langley (1 September 1904 – c. 1 June 1974), born Ethel Jane Langley, was an Australian-New Zealand novelist and poet. Her novels belong to a tradition of Australian women's writing that explores the conflict between being an artist and be ...
,
New Zealand-famed novelist, was born in Forbes in 1904
* Celia Pavey, known professionally as
Vera Blue
Celia Pavey, known professionally as Vera Blue, is an Australian singer-songwriter signed with Island Records Australia, which is part of Universal Music Australia. Her folk-inspired album '' This Music'' peaked at number 14 on the Australian ...
, is an Australian singer-songwriter who was born in Forbes January 1994
*
Cec Pepper
Cecil George Pepper (15 September 1916 – 22 March 1993) was an Australian first-class cricketer who became a professional in English league cricket and later a first-class umpire in England. An allrounder, he was the first to complete the dou ...
(1916-1993), first-class cricketer, was born in Forbes
*
Charlie Staines
Charles "Charlie" Staines (birth unknown – death unknown) was a Welsh professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. He played at representative level for Wales, and at club level for Castleford ( Heritage No. ...
, rugby league player for the
Penrith Panthers
The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith that competes in the NRL. The team is based west of the centre of Sydney, at the foot of the Blue Mountains. Penrith ...
, born in Forbes.
*
Carolyn Simpson
Carolyn Chalmers Simpson (born 30 March 1946) was a judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales for 24 years and of its Court of Appeal for nearly three. Justice Simpson made legal history in 1999 as one of three women judges who formed the fi ...
,
a judge of the
Supreme Court of New South Wales
The Supreme Court of New South Wales is the highest state court of the Australian State of New South Wales. It has unlimited jurisdiction within the state in civil matters, and hears the most serious criminal matters. Whilst the Supreme Court i ...
; Member of the first all-female
bench to sit in an Australian
court
A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance ...
*
Carmel Tebbutt
Carmel Mary Tebbutt (born 22 January 1964) is an Australian former politician. She was the Labor Party Member for the former seat of Marrickville in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly until the 2015 election and was Deputy Premier of New ...
, a former Deputy Premier of New South Wales, was born and raised in Forbes
*
Damian Kennedy former western suburbs magpies and Canberra Raiders player
References
External links
Forbes - VisitNSW
{{authority control
Towns in New South Wales
Towns in the Central West (New South Wales)
Newell Highway
1861 establishments in Australia
Forbes Shire
Mining towns in New South Wales