Situated on the Belubula River, Canowindra (

pronounced Pronunciation is the way in which a word or a language is spoken. This may refer to generally agreed-upon sequences of sounds used in speaking a given word or language in a specific dialect ("correct pronunciation") or simply the way a particul ...

) is a historic township and largest population centre in

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 administra ...

and is located between Orange and Cowra 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. The curving main street, Gaskill Street, is partly an urban conservation area.

Toponymy

The name of the town is derived from an Aboriginal language (Wiradjuri) word meaning 'a home' or 'camping place'.{{Cite web , url=http://www.anps.org.au/Canowindra.html , title=ANPS - Working on Canowindra , access-date=15 May 2018 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180309224619/http://anps.org.au/Canowindra.html , archive-date=9 March 2018 , url-status=dead

History

Prior to the arrival of Europeans to Australia, the area now known as Canowindra was occupied for tens of thousands of years by a people known as 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 ...

. These "people of the three rivers" were hunters and gatherers who exploited the resources available in the rivers and the lands, particularly the river flats.

European Settlement

The first land grant of 640 acres to a European in the area was to James Collits by Governor

Ralph Darling General Sir Ralph Darling, GCH (1772 – 2 April 1858) was a British Army officer who served as Governor of New South Wales from 1825 to 1831. He is popularly described as a tyrant, accused of torturing prisoners and banning theatrical entertain ...

in 1829 as a reward for "pointing out a line of road from Mt. York to Bathurst". Subsequently, Collits' father, Pierce, was granted land adjacent to the original grant. There is some evidence that James (or the succeeding owner,

Thomas Icely Thomas Icely (3 November 179713 February 1874) was an early colonial New South Wales landholder and stockbreeder. As a nominee Legislative Councillor from 1843, to 1853, and from 1855, until the establishment of responsible government in 1856, h ...

) named the property "Canoundra". Collits owned other significant tracts of land in the area, together with a store and the first hotel. A settlement slowly grew, and as early as 1844 the village (now referred to as "Canowindra") was the site of a government pound. A post office opened at Canowindra in 1847 with mail coming from Carcoar, but the village was handicapped as part of a main route to the lower Lachlan, first by the lack of a bridge and later by the construction of the railway to Orange. The first bridge across the Belubula River at Canowindra was opened on 28 July 1875. It was replaced by the ''Waddell Bridge'' in May 1901, and by the current ''John Grant Bridge'' in 1997. Gold has been mined at Canowindra; the Blue Jacket, Grant's Reef, Blue Maxwell, and Gospel Oak Mines, were located near the town.

Bushrangers

Bushrangers made four significant incursions at Canowindra within the space of a year, the first of which occurred in September 1863. Late on Saturday morning, 26 September 1863, the bushrangers John Gilbert and Ben Hall, with three other gang members ( John O’Meally, Michael Burke and

John Vane Sir John Robert Vane (29 March 1927 – 19 November 2004) was a British pharmacologist who was instrumental in the understanding of how aspirin produces pain-relief and anti-inflammatory effects and his work led to new treatments for heart and b ...

), arrived at Albert Rothery's 'Clifden' station at Limestone Creek, south-west of Carcoar, where they bailed up the occupants and "partook of dinner – regaling themselves with champagne and brandy".Bushranging
''Empire'' (Sydney), 6 October 1863, page 2.The Bushrangers in the Western Districts
''Sydney Morning Herald'', 7 October 1863, page 5.{{cite book , last1=White , first1=Charles, last2=Vane , first2=John , date=1908 , title=John Vane, Bushranger , url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-52785149/view?partId=nla.obj-92174985 , location=Sydney , publisher=Bookstall Co.{{rp, 136-137 From Rothery's the bushrangers proceeded to Canowindra (after having informed Rothery of their intended destination), arriving at the township at six o’clock in the afternoon. They firstly detained Constable Sykes, the only policeman stationed at Canowindra, and took him to Robinson's public-house. O’Meally and Burke remained at the inn while Hall, Gilbert and Vane "went on a foraging expedition" to the two stores in the township, belonging to Pierce and Hilliar, taking a quantity of men's clothing and three pounds in cash. They then adjourned to Robinson's house and ordered tea. The publican and his wife had departed for Bathurst, leaving Robinson's sister and "the two Miss Flanagan’s in charge of the house". After they had eaten "Gilbert very politely requested one of the young ladies to play him a tune on the piano". Later in the evening a dance was proposed, which "continued till daylight the next morning". A number of the town's residents had also been brought to the public-house and it was reported that "the night’s amusement" was "spoken of as one of the jolliest affairs that has ever taken place in that small town". In the morning Hall, Vane and Burke rode to ‘Bangaroo’ station in search of horses, but finding none, returned to Canowindra where Gilbert informed them that troopers were camped on the opposite side of the Belubula River, now in full flood, waiting for the waters to subside. With the exception of Burke, the bushrangers crossed the flooded stream and camped on a hill overlooking the town. Burke crossed the next morning after the waters had dropped, after which the gang rode into "very rough country" to evade the police.{{r, VANE{{rp, 139-140 On Monday morning, 12 October 1863, John Gilbert, Ben Hall and John O’Meally returned to Canowindra and "held it against all comers" for three days and nights, "their proceedings being characterised by a cool audacity, which has hitherto been unequalled". The bushrangers stuck up the stores and public-houses in the township and established a base at William Robinson's public-house. Gang-members guarded the approaches to the town, and anybody who made an appearance was taken into custody and brought to the hotel. Their captives were told they must remain at the hotel, but they "might call for whatever 'they''liked at the bushrangers’ expense". On learning of the bushrangers’ incursion, the local policeman, Constable Sykes, had started for Eugowra (being unable to cross the rising Belubula River to go to Cowra). However he was met on the road by the bushrangers and turned back. The outlaws confiscated his firearms and handcuffs and took him to Robinson's public-house, telling him "to go in and enjoy himself till he received further orders". Each dray and their horse- or bullock-teams that arrived during the three days were stopped; eventually numbering about twelve to fourteen, the teamsters were "lodged, fed and supplied with drink, free of expense" and no attempt was made by the bushrangers to interfere with their loads. At one stage Gilbert purchased a bundle of cigars and threw them on one of the tables in the hotel for anyone who cared to smoke them. A "pile of sweetmeats" was also provided for the enjoyment of all.Canowindra Held by the Bushrangers for Three Days
''Sydney Morning Herald'', 20 October 1863, page 5; reprinted from the ''Bathurst Times'', 17 October 1863. It was believed that the bushrangers were expecting a gold escort to arrive at the township (which never arrived). Mid-morning on the Tuesday three landholders and businessmen from the Forbes district, Hibberson, Twaddell and Kirkpatrick, drove up to the hotel, where Ben Hall informed them they were to be detained. As they got down from their vehicle John O’Meally saw that Kirkpatrick was carrying a revolver, and held his own weapon at Kirkpatrick's head, "compelled him to give it up". "A first-class dinner was ordered" for the three squatters, "and the cost of this as well as everything else called for was defrayed by the gang". By the third day there were about forty people detained at the hotel. During the occupation the bushrangers only drank bottled ale and porter, insisting that the corks be drawn in their presence. The outlaws engaged in a variety of amusements, of which target shooting was a favourite. For those who resided in the neighbourhood wishing to visit their homes, a leave of absence was granted providing it did not exceed an hour. The bushrangers departed on the afternoon of the third day. That evening the bushrangers stuck up Thomas Grant's station on the Belubula River and burned it down as vengeance on the owner who had, on a previous occasion, given information to the police about their likely whereabouts. In the early hours of Wednesday morning, 4 November 1863, Gilbert, Hall and O'Meally went to Robinson's public-house in Canowindra and knocked on the door. Upon opening, the publican William Robinson "was confronted by Ben Hall, holding two revolvers levelled at him". Hall asked if there were any police in the house and then the three bushrangers "entered the bar and drank nobblers". They stopped for about a quarter of an hour. When they left they took two bottles of port-wine and two of

Old Tom gin Old Tom Gin (or Tom Gin or Old Tom) is a gin recipe popular in 18th-century England. In modern times, it became rare but has experienced a resurgence in the craft cocktail movement. It is slightly sweeter than London Dry, but slightly drier than ...

, for which they offered to pay with a £5 note (but Robinson was unable to provide change for that amount). On Tuesday, 21 June 1864, Ben Hall and two companions entered Pierce's store at Canowindra "without attracting notice". Finding the proprietor, John Pierce, alone they bailed him up and robbed him of about ten pounds in cash as well as goods from the store. In the belief he had further money hidden away the bushrangers burnt portions of the account books, but to no avail. They then took him six miles into the bush and tied him to a tree, threatening him with death and urging that he must procure £300 from his brother in Carcoar. Pierce was eventually freed when he was able to convince Hall and his men that no money could be obtained.

Built environment

*Gaskill Street: Today the main street, Gaskill Street, has an old-world air, with its kerbside verandah posts lining the dog-leg course of what was once a bullock team track. A total of 34 buildings and features in the town and environs are listed in the

New South Wales State Heritage Register The New South Wales State Heritage Register, also known as NSW State Heritage Register, is a heritage list of places in the state of New South Wales, Australia, that are protected by New South Wales legislation, generally covered by the Heritag ...

including 17 in or adjacent to Gaskill Street, *The Swinging Bridge: In the early 20th century residents of South Canowindra then a village in Waugoola Shire, agitated for a bridge to be built at the end of Finn's Lane to give pedestrian access to the Canowindra business area, then situated in the then neighbouring Boree Shire. Eventually, a low-level footbridge financed by the two shires and local residents was completed early in 1928. The footbridge was washed away by a major flood event in 1934. In 1938 a new suspension bridge was built, locally known as the "Swinging Bridge". It has been modified and strengthened over the years to withstand the floods that were formerly regular occurrences in Canowindra. *All Saints' Anglican Church Designed by noted ecclesiastical architect, Louis Williams All Saints' is a simple brick church. It was partially constructed in 1927–8 in a modified Gothic mode, when the sanctuary, choir and nave were built. It was subsequently finished to Williams' original design in 1959. The building houses several distinctive stained glass windows including the vesica window designed by the European trained artist, William Montgomery. One window "Jesus with the Doctors" was made by

Christian Waller Christian Marjory Emily Carlyle Waller (Yandell) (2 August 1894 - 25 May 1954) was an Australian printmaker, illustrator, muralist and stained-glass artist. At 15 she moved to Melbourne, where she studied at the National Gallery School. In 1915 ...

and installed in the 1930s and at least two windows were made by her husband,

Napier Waller Mervyn Napier Waller CMG OBE (19 June 189330 March 1972) was a noted Australian muralist, mosaicist and painter in stained glass and other media. He is perhaps best known for the mosaics and stained glass for the Hall of Memory at the Au ...

. *Noojee Lea is a homestead located some 9 km south-west of the town on the Belubula River. The lands currently occupied by the house and demesne including more than 2000 hectares of rural property along Fish Fossil Drive were originally granted to Robert Read in 1869. Since 1981 the owners are the family of the prominent businessman and " BRW rich lister" Charles Curran AO. There have been several iterations of the garden including a design in 2010 by a local landscaper, Sally Bourne. Subsequently, further improvements on the layout were carried out by the Melbourne landscape designer Paul Bangay in 2015. The Curran family hold an open day at the homestead each year with proceeds benefiting the Canowindra Soldiers' Memorial Hospital. In April 2021 the gardens were featured in a segment by Graham Ross on the Better Homes and Gardens television program. *The Big Peg Canowindra is home to one of

Australia's big things The big things of Australia are large structures, some of which are novelty architecture and some are sculptures. There are estimated to be over 230 such objects around the country. There are big things in every state and territory in Australi ...

located in a field just outside the town on the road to

Cargo, New South Wales Cargo is a small town located in Cabonne Shire, New South Wales that is 35 kilometres southwest of Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant ...

Modern Canowindra

Demographics

Since early days of European settlement the population of the town has grown steadily. {, class="wikitable" , - ! Year !! Population !! Notes , - , 1866 , , 120 , , , - , 1871 , , 200–250 , , , - , 1890 , , 400 , , within one mile not counting Belmore 154 ( Mr Dry, Railway Inquiry 1890) , - , 1901 , , 416 , , Year of Federation , - , 1911 , , 1,535 , , Year after railway service opened , - , 1933 , , 1,716 , , Great Depression , - , 1947 , , 2,271 , , Post World War II , - , 1951 , , 1,747 , , Both mills had closed in 1950s , - , 1966 , , 1,717 , , , - , 1971 , , 1,679 , , Finns Store closed 1970 , - , 2001 , , 2,340 , , Census data – Postal Area POA2804 , - , 2006 , , 2,626 , , Census data – Postal Area POA2804 , - , 2011 , , 2,381 , , Census The State Suburb (SSC) of Canowindra (SSC 10796) completely encompasses Moorbel (SSC 12709), Nyrang Creek (SSC 13059) and nearly all of Billimari (SSC 10354). The combined population of these SSCs in 2016 was 2,673. For the 2021 census the ABS released the population data based on the 2804 Postal Area and the total population had increased to 2,832. Census data for the "Urban Centre and Locality" which excludes Moorbel shows that between 2001 and 2016 the numbers have reduced from 1516 to 1395. However, the figures for wider area "State Suburb (SSC)" show a modest increase in the count from 2,126 in 2006 to 2258 in 2016. In the Canowindra SSC, 88.2% of people were born in Australia and 91.5% of people only spoke English at home. The most common responses for religion were Catholic 29.7%, Anglican 26.6%, No Religion 16.5% and Uniting Church 8.9%.

Suburbs

There are two residential areas associated with the town: South Canowindra and Moorbel. The "Village of South Canowindra" is a rural place located south of the Bellubula River. Moorbel is a locality about 3 km E by N of Canowindra and 4 km SW by W of South Canowindra. In February 1917, residents of Belmore petitioned the postal inspector at

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 ...

for a postal receiving station. Because a place named Belmore existed in Sydney, the residents submitted other names, with Moorbel finally being approved by the Department of Lands in July 1917. A local market is held at Moorbel Hall each month.

Canowindra Soldiers Memorial Hospital

Located in Browns Avenue, the hospital was built as a memorial for the men of the district who served in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The foundation stone was laid in 1921 and the Soldier's Memorial Hospital opened, on Peace Day 28 June 1922. Part of the Western NSW Local Health District, the hospital has a limited number of acute and nursing home beds. The hospital also serves as a centre for various health services including rehabilitation and emergency. The emergency department was redeveloped in 2017.

Education

The town has three schools: a state co-educational Years 7–12 high school, Canowindra High School, a state K–6 primary school, Canowindra Public School and St Edwards Primary School, a Roman Catholic systemic K–6 primary school. Early childhood education is provided by the Canowindra Pre-school Kindergarten Inc. (a registered association that commenced operations in 1958) and registered home based educators managed by Cabonne/Blayney Family Day Care Service.

Service, Social and Community

There is an active

Lions Club The International Association of Lions Clubs, more commonly known as Lions Clubs International, is an international non-political service organization established originally in 1916 in Chicago, Illinois, by Melvin Jones. It is now headquartere ...

. The branch of the

Country Women's Association The Country Women's Association (CWA) is the largest regional and rural advocacy group in Australia. It comprises seven independent State and Territory Associations, who are passionate advocates for country women and their families, working ...

(CWA) which meets in its own hall with modern catering facilities was founded in 1924. A community garden which is open to all residents and visitors is managed by a local committee. The Canowindra Services & Citizens Club Ltd is a registered club providing a wide range of facilities for members and the community including a bistro and a community hall which can be hired by the public. The Canowindra Garden Club organises talks and visits to gardens throughout the region raising money for charity. The club donated $6,000 to the Canowindra Soldiers Memorial Hospital in 2018 The Canowindra Historical Society operates the Canowindra Historical Museum which is located in the town's main street next the Age of Fishes Museum. On display are a shepherd's hut circa 1828, Harold Boyd's complete dental surgery, a wedding gown collection from 1881 to 1982, a reconstructed wool shed, wheat harvesters collection from 1843, photo collection and the Pioneers Wall. Canowindra Pastoral Agricultural and Horticultural Association manages the town's showgrounds and organises the annual show which has been held since 1900.

The Miracle House

When the special support needs of a local family with triplets diagnosed with a congenital form of muscular dystrophy and

restrictive lung disease Restrictive lung diseases are a category of extrapulmonary, pleural, or parenchymal respiratory diseases that restrict lung expansion, resulting in a decreased lung volume, an increased work of breathing, and inadequate ventilation and/or oxygenat ...

were identified in 2013, residents of the town and the wider central western NSW region started fundraising with the aim, inter alia, of building a house with appropriate design features for the use of the family as well as providing ongoing support. A charity was registered in 2016 Since then hundreds of thousands of dollars both in cash donations and in kind have been raised with the family moving into their new house in March 2018. In 2021 following further fund raising a

hydrotherapy Hydrotherapy, formerly called hydropathy and also called water cure, is a branch of alternative medicine (particularly naturopathy), occupational therapy, and physiotherapy, that involves the use of water for pain relief and treatment. The term ...

pool was installed at the house.

Culture

Organised by the Canowindra Fine Music Group, The Baroque Music Festival is an annual presentation of baroque and related music performances at various venues around the town. The town's branch of the CWA presents a "Sunday Serenade" at All Saints Church annually which showcases local performance talent. Monies raised are used to fund music and voice scholarships for local school children.

Sport and recreation

A number of sports clubs provide facilities and organised competitions. Such sports include Rugby league (men and women's playing as Canowindra Tigers), Rugby union (Canowindra Pythons), Cricket (Canowindra Sixers), Tennis, Lawn Bowls, Squash, Golf and Swimming. For younger age groups there is a pony club which meets fortnightly at the showground and a

Little Athletics Little Athletics is an Australian activity program that involves modified athletics events for children aged 3 to 16 in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Northern Territory); 3 ...

centre which participates in the Central Tablelands zone. The town has a council maintained sports oval with floodlighting, Tom Clyburn Oval. At the oval there are well maintained fitness stations, basketball courts and skateboarding facilities. A nine-hole golf course is supported by a registered club. Cabonne Council owns and operates the swimming pool which is open from late Spring to mid Autumn.

RV Friendly Town

Since 2016 Canowindra has been recognised by the Campervan and Motorhome Club of Australia (CMCA) as an RV Friendly Town™. Facilities for caravaners and campers include low cost camp sites, easy access to the retail area, access to water and a free user friendly waste dump point.

Media

Radio stations Radio stations with transmissions able to be received in Canowindra include- AM Band: * ABC Local Radio 549 AM FM Band: *

Hit Network The Hit Network is an Australian commercial radio network owned and operated by Southern Cross Austereo. The network consists of 41 radio stations broadcasting a hot adult contemporary music format, as well as 6 digital radio stations. His ...

105.9 FM * Triple M - Central West 105.1 FM * Roccy FM 99.5 FM * ABC Classic FM 102.7 FM * ABC Radio National 104.3 FM * FM107.5 107.5 FM *

Triple J Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greater emphasis on broad ...

(2JJJ) 101.9 FM Television Canowindra receives five free-to-air television networks and their affiliates which are broadcast from nearby Mt Canobolas: *

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

– ABC TV,

ABC TV Plus ABC TV Plus (formerly ABC2 and ABC Comedy) is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and part of its ABC Television network. The channel broadcasts a range of general entertainment pr ...

ABC Me ABC Me (stylised as ABC ME) is an Australian English language children's free-to-air television channel owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It was officially launched by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on 4 December 2009 as ABC3. Hist ...

and

ABC News ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast ''ABC World News Tonight, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include Breakfast television, morning ...

* SBS –

SBS ONE SBS is a national public television network in Australia. Launched on 24 October 1980, it is the responsibility of SBS's television division, and is available nationally. In 2018, SBS had a 7.7% audience share. As of 2022, SBS is the lowe ...

SBS Viceland SBS Viceland (stylised as SBS VICELAND) is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned by the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS). It began as SBS TWO on 1 June 2009, and was branded as SBS 2 between 2013 and 2016. On 8 April 2017, SBS ...

NITV National Indigenous Television (NITV) is an Australian free-to-air television channel that broadcasts programming produced and presented largely by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It includes the half-hourly nightly ''NITV News'' ...

SBS Food SBS Food is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS). The channel airs programs about food and cooking, from cultures around the world. History SBS first revealed it would laun ...

SBS World Movies SBS World Movies is an Australian free-to-air television channel showing international movies. The channel features foreign language films, documentaries, independent and mainstream cinema and interviews with international movie stars. It w ...

and

SBS WorldWatch SBS WorldWatch is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS). The channel shows multilingual international news bulletins in more than 30 languages, as well as two local bulletins i ...

Prime7 Prime7, formerly Prime Television and other names, was an Australian television network. Prime Television launched on 17 March 1962 as '' CBN-8'' in Orange, and later expanded to cover regional New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Ca ...

–

, 7Two,

7mate 7mate is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, which was launched by the Seven Network on 25 September 2010. The channel contains sport and regular programs aimed primarily to a male audience, with programming drawn from a c ...

Ishop TV ishop TV is an Australian free-to-air television channel and a digital advertorial datacasting service that was launched on 30 April 2013. The channel is owned by Seven West Media (formerly Prime Media Group) and Brand Developers, broadcastin ...

and

7flix 7flix is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, which was launched by the Seven Network on 28 February 2016. 7flix targets a variety of viewers and offers drama, comedy, reality, docusoap, and movies. History On 18 Decembe ...

Southern Cross 10 10 Regional is an Australian Television broadcasting in Australia, television network owned by Southern Cross Austereo that is broadcast in Queensland, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, Victoria (Australia), Victoria and South Aus ...

–

10 HD 10 HD is an Australian free-to-air television channel that was originally launched on 16 December 2007 on channel 1. The channel was available to high definition digital television viewers through Network 10 owned-and-operated stations. The ...

10 Bold 10 Bold is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel owned by Network 10. It originally launched on 26 March 2009 as One HD with a focus on broadcasting sports-based programming and events, but rebranded to One in April 2011 to ...

, 10 Peach,

10 Shake 10 Shake is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel owned by Network 10. It launched on 27 September 2020 at 6am. The channel includes a mix of shows for people aged forty and under. It broadcasts programming for children fr ...

and

Sky News Regional Sky News Australia is an Australian news channel owned by News Corp Australia. Originally launched on 19 February 1996, it broadcasts rolling news coverage throughout the day, while its prime time lineup is dedicated to opinion-based programs f ...

* WIN –

9HD 9HD is an Australian television channel owned by Nine Entertainment, originally launched on 17 March 2008 featuring unique "breakaway" programming until 2009 and a high-definition simulcast of the Nine Network from 2009 to 2010 and again s ...

9Gem 9Gem is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, launched by the Nine Network in September 2010. The channel provides general entertainment and movie programming, from which the original name "GEM" is derived. History Nine N ...

9Go! 9Go! is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, which was launched by the Nine Network on 9 August 2009, replacing Nine Guide. It is a youthful channel that offers a mix of comedy, reality, general entertainment, movies, ani ...

9Life 9Life is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel owned by Nine Entertainment. The channel airs mostly foreign lifestyle and reality programs, with the channel having a licensing agreement with Discovery Inc. (previously Scripp ...

and

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 me ...

* Half-hour long regional news bulletins are broadcast by Prime7 and WIN but Southern Cross 10 instead airs local news updates from its Hobart studios. Subscription television service Foxtel is available in Canowindra and the surrounding area via satellite transmission. Internet NBN FTTN internet service is available to most of the built up area of the town via a number of reseller ISPs.

Wineries

Canowindra is considered to be part of the

Cowra wine region Cowra is a wine region and Australian Geographical Indication in the Central Ranges zone in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is named for the town of Cowra. Cowra is the southernmost, lowest altitude and warmest of the three regions ...

which is a sub-area of the

Central Ranges Central Ranges (code CER) is an Australian bioregion, with an area of 101,640.44 square kilometres (39,244 sq mi) spreading across two states and one territory: South Australia, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory.wine zone. There are eight wineries centred on the town, some of which offer cellar door sales.

Other

The Royal Hotel is on the site of another inn owned by Robinson and the plaque on the wall indicates present day understanding that this was the inn where Ben Hall's bushranging gang had their spree. Other notable buildings include the nursing home, the Junction Hotel, Finn's Building, the Victoria Hotel, the former Bank of NSW and the former CBC Bank. The Trading Post, a homewares shop, won the inland tourism award for 2006.

Ballooning

Canowindra is also popularly known as the

Ballooning Ballooning may refer to: * Hot air ballooning * Balloon (aeronautics) * Ballooning (spider) * Ballooning degeneration, a disease * Memory ballooning See also * Balloon (disambiguation) A balloon is a flexible container for (partially or fully) co ...

Capital of Australia.{{cite web, url=http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/offtrack/hot-air-ballooning-in-canowindra/3915900, website=ABC Radio National website, date=1 April 2012, access-date=1 May 2020, title=Hot air ballooning in Canowindra, last=Werner, first=Joel, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200501120623/https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/offtrack/hot-air-ballooning-in-canowindra/3915900, archive-date=1 May 2020, url-status=live{{cite web, url=http://www.canowindra.org/, website= Canowindra visitor information website, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060427031446/http://www.canowindra.org/ , archive-date=27 April 2006, title=Canowindra: Ballooning Capital of Australia, access-date=1 May 2020 Balloon Canowindra

In April 1988, an endorsed bicentennial activity, "Canowindra 88 Bicentennial Balloon Championships" was held in the town. The 1988 event was also the Australian National Championship under the auspices of the Australian Ballooning Federation. The champion in 1988 was John Wallington. Subsequently, the 2011, 2013 and 2014 championships were held in Canowindra. From 1995 to 2005, an event known as Marti's Balloon Fiesta was held in Canowindra. Funded in large part by Frank Hackett-Jones, it was primarily a fun event designed to bring together balloonists and spectators from local, national and international locations in a celebration of Central West hospitality and goodwill. Canowindra International Balloon Challenge is the largest ballooning event in Australia and takes place in Canowindra every April. In 2010, the Canowindra Challenge created a local balloon event that has since grown to where the event now attracts pilots and balloons from around the globe to build upon the principles of Marti's Fiesta, bringing businesses together to support a week-long event of ballooning competitions and skill-based activities. The use of location-enabled (GPS), point-of-view camera technologies was combined with live-to-web broadcasts via a
online streaming platform
for viewers to share in the spectacle and to join in the event virtually and for free. A balloon glow is held as part of the event along with a local food and wine market based on the 100-mile principle where the products must be made or produced within 100 miles of Canowindra. The last Sunday of the event also features a key grab where pilots test their skill in an attempt to grab a large key from the top of a 10 m pole. This event coincides with food and wine events which brings participation from the greater Cabonne and surrounding districts during April each year. Canowindra also hosted the Australian National Balloon Championships in 2011, 2013 (awarded silver at the NSW State Tourism Awards in the Festivals and Events category) and 2014, creating a larger, more competitive event. In 2014, the event went fully international with pilots from Japan, US, Russia, Brazil and the UK competing. In 2020, the Balloon Challenge was cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

.{{cite news , author1=Staff , title=Canowindra International Balloon Challenge cancelled due to coronavirus concerns , url=https://www.canowindranews.com.au/story/6682525/canowindra-international-balloon-challenge-cancelled-due-to-coronavirus-concerns/ , access-date=3 May 2020 , work=Canowindra News , publisher=Australian Community Media , date=17 March 2020 , language=en , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200318010124/https://www.canowindranews.com.au/story/6682525/canowindra-international-balloon-challenge-cancelled-due-to-coronavirus-concerns/ , archive-date=18 March 2020 , url-status=live The 2021 event was held as scheduled on 26 April to 1 May.{{cite news , last1=Chown , first1=Matthew , title=Re-booted balloon festival to offer 'glimmer of hope in weird times' , url=https://www.dailyliberal.com.au/story/7092987/re-booted-balloon-festival-to-offer-glimmer-of-hope-in-weird-times/ , access-date=20 January 2021 , work=Daily Liberal , publisher=Australian Community Media , date=20 January 2021 , language=en-AU{{cite news , last1=Gregory , first1=Xanthe , title=Sailing in the sky' returns to balloon capital of Australia , url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04-28/canowindra-balloon-festival-sets-sail/100097948 , access-date=17 August 2021 , work=ABC Central West , publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation , date=27 April 2021 , language=en-AU {{clear

Fossils

{{see also, Mandagery Sandstone Canowindra is the site of one of the world's great

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

discoveries from the late Devonian period. A chance discovery by a road worker in 1956 uncovered a

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...

slab packed with 114

fish fossil The evolution of fish began about 530 million years ago during the Cambrian explosion. It was during this time that the early chordates developed the skull and the vertebral column, leading to the first craniates and vertebrates. The first fis ...

s. This slab was from the

Mandagery Sandstone The Mandagery Sandstone is a Late Devonian geological formation in New South Wales, Australia. It is one of several famed Australian lagerstätten, with thousands of exceptional fish fossils found at a site near the town of Canowindra. A sands ...

, dating from the Devonian period in the

Paleozoic The Paleozoic (or Palaeozoic) Era is the earliest of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic Eon. The name ''Paleozoic'' ( ;) was coined by the British geologist Adam Sedgwick in 1838 by combining the Greek words ''palaiós'' (, "old") and ' ...

era, more than 360-million-year-old. The "Canowindra slab" was removed to the

Australian Museum The Australian Museum is a heritage-listed museum at 1 William Street, Sydney central business district, New South Wales, Australia. It is the oldest museum in Australia,Design 5, 2016, p.1 and the fifth oldest natural history museum in the ...

, Sydney. The fish had been buried when trapped in a pool of water that dried up, stranding a school of armoured

antiarch Antiarchi ("opposite anus") is an order of heavily armored placoderms. The antiarchs form the second-most successful group of placoderms after the arthrodires in terms of numbers of species and range of environments. The order's name was coi ...

placoderms in the species '' Remigolepis walkeri'' and '' Bothriolepis yeungae.'' Other important fossils include ''Canowindra grossi'' (a lobe-finned

crossopterygian Sarcopterygii (; ) — sometimes considered synonymous with Crossopterygii () — is a taxon (traditionally a class or subclass) of the bony fishes known as the lobe-finned fishes. The group Tetrapoda, a mostly terrestrial superclass includin ...

fish), two rare juvenile

arthrodire Arthrodira (Greek for "jointed neck") is an order of extinct armored, jawed fishes of the class Placodermi that flourished in the Devonian period before their sudden extinction, surviving for about 50 million years and penetrating most marine eco ...

placoderms, and a species of ''

Groenlandaspis ''Groenlandaspis'' is an extinct genus of arthrodire from the Late Devonian. Fossils of the different species are found in late Devonian strata in all continents except eastern Asia. The generic name commemorates the fact that the first specimen ...

''. No further fossils had been recovered until January 1993, when a trial dig on the site using an excavator rediscovered the fossil stratum, where the mass mortality of fishes was preserved in detail (see

Lagerstätte A Lagerstätte (, from ''Lager'' 'storage, lair' '' Stätte'' 'place'; plural ''Lagerstätten'') is a sedimentary deposit that exhibits extraordinary fossils with exceptional preservation—sometimes including preserved soft tissues. These f ...

). Specimens can be viewed in the specially established The Age of Fishes Museum, with scientific support and funding from the Australian Museum. The Canowindra site has now been listed as part of Australia's National Heritage because of its international scientific importance. In 2013 the naturalist and wildlife broadcaster Sir David Attenborough described the collection of fossils as ''world class''. {{clear In May 2018 work started on a $600,000 facility to house the fossil bearing rock slabs currently stored off site.

State Emblem

The official NSW State Fossil Emblem is ''Mandageria fairfaxi''. The 370 million year old fossil fish from the Canowindra Fish Bed was named as the NSW State Fossil Emblem in 2015.

Notable Canowindrans

Kath Anderson Kathleen Harris Anderson (née Hough; 1 November 1921 – 19 September 1996) was an Australian politician. She was a Labor member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 1973 to 1981. Her husband, Keith Anderson, was briefly a memb ...

– member of New South Wales Legislative Council from 1973 to 1981 was born in and received her early education in the town. * George Douglas Bassett – (1888–1972) – NSW Legislative Council member 1932–1964. Educated at Canowindra State School and worked on his father's farm in Canowindra. * Lisa Corrigan – Australian athletics representative, Olympic Athlete and Australian one mile record holder. * Hubert Clement 'Butt' Finn (1900–1952) – Australian rugby league footballer of the 1920s and physician. *

Julia Finn Julia Dorothy Finn is an Australian politician who is the member for Granville in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly. Finn is a member of the Labor's NSW Left faction. Career Finn holds a masters degree in environmental science and work ...

– member for Granville in the

New South Wales Legislative Assembly The New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the lower of the two houses of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The upper house is the New South Wales Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament Ho ...

from 2015 brought up in Canowindra and attended St. Edwards Primary School. * Peter Fitzgerald – rugby league footballer for St. George, Eastern Suburbs and Port Kembla. * Neville Gosson – rugby league footballer for St. George and Eastern Suburbs was captain-coach of the Canowindra side in 1952. In the 1980s he participated in the first single handed round the world yacht race. * Gordi (Sophie Payten) – recording artist * James Grant – Australian representative

Rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

footballer *

Rhyan Grant Rhyan Bert Grant (born 26 February 1991) is an Australian professional football player who plays for A-League club Sydney FC and the Australia national team. Born in Canowindra, New South Wales, Grant played youth football at the Australi ...

–

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

currently playing for Sydney FC in the A-League. As of September 2021 he has made 16 appearances for the

Socceroos The Australia men's national soccer team represents Australia in international men's soccer. Officially nicknamed the Socceroos, the team is controlled by the governing body for soccer in Australia, Football Australia, which is affiliated wit ...

* Elwyn Lynn – artist, author, art critic and curator * Alicia McCormack Smith – Australian representative water polo player who won medals at two Olympic games and was a member of the 2006 FINA Women's Water Polo World Cup gold medal winning team and the 2007 World Aquatics Championships silver medal team. * Thomas George Murray (1885–1969) –

NSW Legislative Council The New South Wales Legislative Council, often referred to as the upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of the Australian state of New South Wales. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in th ...

member 1921–1958. Started as a butcher's boy, formed a stock and station agency acquiring large property holdings. *

Rex Norman Rex Norman (1891–1961) was an Australian rugby league footballer and cricketer, who represented Australasia in rugby league and New South Wales in both sports. Rugby league career Norman played 13 seasons in first grade in the NSWRFL, play ...

(1891–1961) – representative rugby league footballer who played for several (NSWRL) clubs and who finished his career as coach of the town's football and cricket teams. * Amelia Rygate – independent member of the

and spouse of Gerald Rygate * Gerald Rygate – citizen soldier, farmer and member of the NSW Legislative Council *

Paddy Stokes Patrick Vincent "Paddy" Stokes (15 August 1884 – 6 April 1945) was an Australian politician. He was born at Braidwood to farmer Patrick Stokes and Bridget, ''née'' Daly. He was educated locally before becoming an engine driver, qualifying ...

– politician and publican who ran the Victoria Hotel in the 1930s * Bishop Douglas Warren (1919–2013) – Roman Catholic cleric was born and raised in the town.

In popular culture

* From 1934 to 1936 at the height of the Great Depression, Lewis Rodd, a noted Christian Socialist and pacifist, was a teacher at the then Canowindra Central School. He and his wife,

Kylie Tennant Kathleen Kylie Tennant AO (; 12 March 1912 – 28 February 1988) was an Australian novelist, playwright, short-story writer, critic, biographer, and historian. Early life and career Tennant was born in Manly, New South Wales; she was educat ...

, lodged at the Canowindra Hotel in Gaskill Street. It was during this time Tennant wrote her first novel "Tiburon" (first published in serial form in The Bulletin 1935) about the "suspicions and

mores Mores (, sometimes ; , plural form of singular , meaning "manner, custom, usage, or habit") are social norms that are widely observed within a particular society or culture. Mores determine what is considered morally acceptable or unacceptable ...

of life in a country town", which the author stated to have been based, in part at least, on Canowindra. The novel won the S. H. Prior Memorial Prize in 1935. * The 1991, ''

Inspector Morse Detective Chief Inspector Endeavour Morse, GM, is the eponymous fictional character in the series of detective novels by British author Colin Dexter. On television, he appears in the 33-episode drama series '' Inspector Morse'' (1987–2000), ...

'' episode "Promised Land" was set and shot in Canowindra. * The 2015, Australian–Irish drama suspense film '' Strangerland'' featured Canowindra as the Australian desert town where characters Catherine (

Nicole Kidman Nicole Mary Kidman (born 20 June 1967) is an American and Australian actress and producer. Known for her work across various film and television productions from several genres, she has consistently ranked among the world's highest-paid act ...

) and Matthew Parker's (

Joseph Fiennes Joseph Alberic Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes (), known as Joseph Fiennes, is an English actor of film, stage, and television. Journalist Zoe Williams observed that "he seemed to be the go-to actor for English cultural history". Fiennes is particu ...

) lives are flung into crisis when they discover their two teenage kids, Tommy and Lily, have mysteriously disappeared just before a massive dust storm hits. This film was directed by

Kim Farrant Kim Farrant is an Australian film director best known for her work on '' Strangerland'', ''Angel of Mine'' and ''The Weekend Away ''The Weekend Away'' is a 2022 American thriller film directed by Kim Farrant from a screenplay by Sarah Alde ...

and written by Michael Kinirons and Fiona Seres. * The 2005 action–adventure–comedy film ''

Kangaroo Jack ''Kangaroo Jack'' is a 2003 buddy comedy film produced by Castle Rock Entertainment and Jerry Bruckheimer Films, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, directed by David McNally with a screenplay by Steve Bing and Scott Rosenberg from a story ...

'' featured scenes from the Canowindra area as well as a scene featuring the Royal Hotel. The Royal Hotel itself was never actually used in the movie as a replica was built in studios in Sydney for the scene. * A local Holden car collector, the late Charlie McCarron, was featured in an ABC-sponsored short film project "My Back Roads" talking about the sale of his collection. * In January 2018, Canowindra was featured in the sixth episode of Series 3 of the ABC TV program ''Back Road''. The program examined the townspeople's efforts to recover from a rural economic downturn, the annual Canowindra International Balloon Challenge and the assistance provided to the Read family. The episode achieved an

OzTAM OzTAM is an Australian audience measurement research firm that collects and markets television ratings data. It is jointly owned by the Seven Network, the Nine Network and Network Ten, and is the official source of television ratings data for ...

capital city viewership of 599,000, outrating some sports telecasts. * In January 2018 an episode of the

Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by Seven West Media Limited, and is one of five main free-to-air television networks in Australia ...

's "Sydney Weekender" show was filmed in the town, The segment aired in March 2018. * In April 2018, part of an episode of ABC TV's "Escape to the Country - Australia" was filmed in the town. * In April 2018, the International Balloon Challenge Balloon Glow event was live streamed into China by Xinhua News Agency on their social media channels. * In May 2021 reporters from

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...

featured the town and residents in a report on the 2021 NSW mouse plague.{{Cite web, url=https://edition.cnn.com/2021/05/20/australia/australia-mouse-plague-dst-intl-hnk/index.html, title = Australia plans to end its mouse plague with poison

References

{{Reflist

External links

{{Wikivoyage {{Commons category-inline, Canowindra, New South Wales
Canowindra Visitor Information website

Canowindra Challenge
- official website
Canowindra District Historical Society & Museum
- official website {{Cabonne Shire {{authority control Towns in New South Wales Towns in the Central West (New South Wales) Devonian paleontological sites Lagerstätten Paleozoic paleontological sites of Australia Paleontology in New South Wales Cabonne Council Mining towns in New South Wales