Monga is a locality in the Queanbeyan-Palerang Region,

Southern Tablelands The Southern Tablelands is a geographic area of New South Wales, Australia, located south-west of Sydney and west of the Great Dividing Range. The area is characterised by high, flat country which has generally been extensively cleared and ...

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. It lies on the Kings Highway at the top of the

Clyde Mountain Clyde Mountain, at an elevation of , is a mountain in the Southern Tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia. Location and features Clyde Mountain is located in the Great Dividing Range within the Monga National Park. The mountain is ap ...

, about 110 km east of Canberra and 22 km southeast of Braidwood. A large part of the locality forms part of the

Monga National Park The Monga National Park is a national park located south west of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The closest town nearby is Braidwood. Monga features outstanding high altitude eucalyptus forest and temperate rainforest. It contains the C ...

. At the , it had a population of 14. Monga lies near the watershed of the Shoalhaven and Clyde River catchments; the Mongarlow River flows to the Shoalhaven and the

Buckenbowra River Buckenbowra River, a perennial river of the Clyde River catchment, is located in the upper ranges of the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. Course and features Buckenbowra River rises on the eastern slopes of the Great Dividing ...

—flowing to the Clyde—has its source within the locality. The area, now known as Monga, lies on the traditional lands of the

Walbanga The Walbunja, also spelt Walbanga and Walbunga, are an Aboriginal Australian people of New South Wales, part of the Yuin nation. Language The Walbunja language may be a dialect of Dhurga. Country Walbunja Country covers a region from Cape Dr ...

people. An early bridle track to the Buckenbowra Valley, known, as the Corn Trail by early settlers, follows the general route of a Walbanga footpath. There was once a small village of the same name, which lay near the right bank of the Mongalowe River, on the Clyde Road near the junction with the road from Reidsdale and Major's Creek (the modern day River Forest Road). The road to Major's Creek is still called Monga Lane. It was the location of a

tollbar A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road (almost always a controlled-access highway in the present day) for which a fee (or ''toll'') is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically implemented ...

on the Clyde Road—from 1860 to 1865—and a village site was officially reserved there in 1881. The first sawmill was established in 1880 and was powered by large waterwheel, using water from the river. It operated until 1914. By the mid 20th-century, a timber village had been established at Monga, several kilometres south of the site on the Clyde Road, with a large

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 ...

nearby. The village had 18 houses in 1948—more were being built to house timber industry employees—and a 'bachelors' quarters' housing 12 single men. A new village hall was built in 1954. Monga had a provisional school from 1947 to 1955 and a public school from 1955 to 1971. The sawmill closed in 1966, when the supply of high-quality timber was depleted. The operator, Monga Sawmill Pty Limited, was wound up in the same year. However, it was reopened by new owners and worked until at least 1975. Without employment and a school, the village faded away and there is little sign of it now. Nearby Mongarlowe, which in the 19th century was a much bigger settlement, was called Monga until 1891.Information sign at Mongarlowe

References

{{authority control Queanbeyan–Palerang Regional Council Localities in New South Wales Southern Tablelands Ghost towns in New South Wales