Trunkey Creek is a village located in the Central West 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 ...

Bathurst Regional Council Bathurst Regional Council is a local government area in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. The area is located adjacent to the Great Western Highway, Mid-Western Highway, Mitchell Highway and the Main Western railway line. ...

. It is about south of the city of Bathurst and about north of the city of

Goulburn Goulburn ( ) is a regional city in the Southern Tablelands of the Australian state of New South Wales, approximately south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Canberra. It was proclaimed as Australia's first inland city through letters pate ...

on the Bathurst Goulburn Road. At the , Trunkey Creek had a population of 120 people, almost unchanged from the figure of 122 people ten years earlier in the . During the

gold rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, New Z ...

of 1851 sparked by

Edward Hargraves Edward Hammond Hargraves (7 October 1816 – 29 October 1891) was a gold prospector who claimed to have found gold in Australia in 1851, starting an Australian gold rush. Early life Edward Hammond Hargraves was born on 7 October 1816 in Gosp ...

when he announced that there was payable gold to be found at the junction of the

Abercrombie River Abercrombie River, a perennial river that is part of the Murray–Darling basin, is located in the central west of New South Wales, Australia. Course The river rises to the east of the village of Mount Werong and generally flows westward tow ...

and Grove Creek near the village, it is reputed to have swelled to 2500 people. The rivers near the village continue to provide gold for hobbyists and prospectors. The village is said to have received its name from a prospector who had a particularly large nose, and was given the nickname ''Trunkey''. Although the village had received the official name of ''Arthur'', the creek that the prospector was working on became known at ''Trunkey's Creek'' and the village — although officially called ''Arthur'' — was referred to as ''Trunkey Creek'' until it changed its name in 1988. The town is endowed with a police station and court house built in 1879. The police station is still manned today. The ''Golden Age Hotel'' built in 1869 still stands today, as does the original general store of 1879 and the ''Black Stump Hotel'' (originally the ''Commercial Hotel'') which although destroyed by fire in 1928 was rebuilt and continues to serve the public. On 2 March 2007, Local Gun Shearer Brett Molly set the world 24-hour shearing record by shearing 845 full wool Alpacas. It was the first time a record has been set in 24 hour Alpaca shearing. However, for the record to be officially recognized, it needs to be overseen by the World Shearing Records Committee. Brett was the only person to witness the event.

Landmarks

Abercrombie Caves The Abercrombie Caves, contained within the Abercrombie Karst Conservation Reserve, are a series of limestone arch caves that are located in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. The caves are renowned for their karst qualitie ...

, a major geological tourist attraction is situated very close to the town. *

Mulgunnia Mulgunnia is one of Australia's oldest colonial holdings - approx 252 hectares (622 acres) in a scenic, fertile and secluded valley setting near the village of Trunkey Creek, 40 minutes by road to the historic city of Bathurst, New ...

, colonial homestead *

Grove Creek Observatory Grove Creek Observatory is an astronomical observatory in Trunkey Creek, New South Wales, Trunkey Creek, New South Wales, Australia. It has some of the darkest night skies and best seeing conditions of any observatory in Australia. The site also ...

Notes and references

Towns in New South Wales Towns in the Central West (New South Wales) Mining towns in New South Wales {{CentralWestNSW-geo-stub