Millthorpe is a town located between

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower ** Orange juice *Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...

and Blayney in

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, in the

Blayney Shire Blayney Shire is a Local government in Australia, local government area in the Central West, New South Wales, Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire is located adjacent to the Mid-Western Highway and the Main Western railwa ...

. At the , Millthorpe had a population of 1,347. The town, originally called Spring Grove, was once a major

potato The potato () is a starchy tuberous vegetable native to the Americas that is consumed as a staple food in many parts of the world. Potatoes are underground stem tubers of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'', a perennial in the nightshade famil ...

growing area and continues to have extensive

agricultural Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created f ...

activities. Millthorpe is a picturesque, compact and historic village set amidst gently rolling hills. Classified by the

National Trust The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...

, it has a number of fine historic buildings, as well as cobbled, bluestone-bordered streets, art galleries, gift and antiques shops, a museum, two hotels, restaurants and cafes, a bowling club and motel. Two of the main streets, Victoria (which runs east-west) and Park (north-south), follow the contours of the local topography with a more regularised grid system extending outwards from them. Millthorpe is located north-west of

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

and south of Orange.

History

The town lies on the traditional lands of the

Wiradjuri 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 ...

people. European settlement of the area began when a government stock station was established in 1823. The town is based upon a land grant originally known as Grove Farm which was made out to convict overseer Charles Booth in 1834. Noted explorer Thomas Mitchell twice stayed there during inland expeditions. The area developed as a farming centre from 1840 to 1880 with orchards established in the 1860s. Local agriculture received a considerable boost from the arrival of the

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

in the 1870s complete with a

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

. A large flour mill was established in 1882. Consequently, in 1884 the town's name was changed from Spring Grove to Millthorpe. Today it is still essentially a service centre to the rich farmlands which surround it. Millthorpe's commercial area was extended after the depression of the 1890s and many of its largely brick buildings date from that period. The town's decline after

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

means that it was spared redevelopment and so many of its buildings have survived with very little alteration.

Events

Lyndon Terracini Lyndon William Terracini (born 1950), is an Australian operatic baritone and from 2009 to October 2022 artistic director of Opera Australia. Early life Terracini was born in 1949, the oldest of four children born to Shirley and Vita Terracini, ...

, former artistic director of

Opera Australia Opera Australia is the principal opera company in Australia. Based in Sydney, New South Wales, its performance season at the Sydney Opera House accompanied by the Opera Australia Orchestra runs for approximately eight months of the year, with t ...

, who owns a property in the area, announced in 2024 that the inaugural Handa Opera at Millthorpe festival will be held in 2025.

Heritage listings

Millthorpe has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * Main Western railway:

Millthorpe railway station Millthorpe railway station is a heritage-listed railway station located on the Main Western line in Millthorpe, New South Wales, Australia. History The original station opened on 19 April 1877 as Spring Grove when the line was extended from ...

* 27 Victoria Street:

Grand Western Lodge The Grand Western Lodge is a heritage-listed former hotel and boarding house at 27 Victoria Street, Millthorpe, Blayney Shire, New South Wales, Australia. It was built by John Wells. It is also known as Grand Western Lodge Hotel. It was added ...

Notable Millthorpians

* Ellen Esther Dawson (1895–1961), wife of

Arthur Stace Arthur Malcolm Stace (9 February 1885 – 30 July 1967), known as Mr Eternity, was an Australian soldier. He was an alcoholic from his teenage years until the early 1930s, when he converted to Christianity and began to spread his message b ...

. Known as Pearl, she was brought up in Millthorpe, later moving to Sydney to work as a domestic servant for a medical practitioner. She married Stace in 1942. *

Bluey Wilkinson Arthur George "Bluey" Wilkinson (27 August 1911 – 27 July 1940) was an Australian speedway rider. Wilkinson was Speedway World Champion in 1938 after narrowly missing out on winning the inaugural Championship in 1936. Early life Born in ...

(1911–1940), born in Millthorpe; international speedway rider, 1938 World Champion and 3 time Australian Champion Image:MillthorpeCommercialHotel.jpg, Commercial Hotel Image:MillthorpePostOffice.jpg, Post office Image:MillthorpePublicSchool.JPG, Public school

Climate

Millthorpe has warm, stormy summers and cold, wet winters with semi-regular snowfalls. Its great seasonal range approaches that of climates much farther south, due to its far western location compared to other areas on the

Central Tablelands The Central Tablelands in New South Wales is a geographic area that lies between the Sydney Metropolitan Area and the Central Western Slopes and Plains. The Great Dividing Range passes in a north–south direction through the Central Tablelands ...

Notes and references

External links

*
"History of Great Western Flour Mill"

"Golden Memories Millthorpe Museum"
{{authority control Towns in the Central West (New South Wales) Blayney Shire