Wyangala
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Wyangala is a small village in the Lachlan Valley, near the junction of the
Abercrombie Abercrombie may refer to: People * Abercrombie Lawson (1870–1927), botanist and professor * Abercrombie (surname) (list of people with the family name Abercrombie) Places Americas * Abercrombie, North Dakota, United States, city in Richland ...
and Lachlan Rivers, just below the
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 ...
wall. It is in the
South West Slopes The South Western Slopes, also known as the South West Slopes, is a region predominantly in New South Wales, Australia. It covers the lower inland slopes of the Great Dividing Range, extending from north of Dunedoo through central NSW and into ...
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 ...
, and about west of the state capital,
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 village was named after an
indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...
word of unknown meaning, thought to be of
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: , ...
origin. The Wiradjuri were the original inhabitants of the Lachlan Valley, with campsites along river flats, on open land and by rivers. Their traditional way of life was altered, and perhaps lost, following the exploration of the valley by British explorers,
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 ...
and
George William Evans George William Evans (5 January 1780 – 16 October 1852) was a surveyor and early explorer in the Colony of New South Wales. Evans was born in Warwick, England, migrating to Australia in October 1802. Early career In 1803, Evans was appoint ...
in 1815. White settlement followed in the 1830s, leading to violent clashes between the Wiradjuri and the settlers. The present-day village was established in
1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhanov, J ...
, during the construction of
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 ...
. However, in the same area, there was a scattered pioneering settlement known as Wyangala Flats, which was established in the 1840s. This settlement was submerged under water following the completion of Wyangala Dam in
1935 Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude Franco-Italian Agreement of 1935, an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * ...
. Although Wyangala grew substantially during periods of dam construction, the population dwindled in the subsequent years. This resulted in the removal of houses and the closure of most businesses, leaving Wyangala with a small
primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...
, a
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
church, sports fields and parks, in addition to other facilities. There are no buildings of historical note, as the original purpose of the village was to solely provide utilitarian accommodation for the construction workers. Attractions in the area include Lake Wyangala (used for power generation, water-sports and fishing activities), a nine-hole golf course, walking and mountain bike trails, and the long dam wall itself. Wyangala has a warm and
temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...
climate with a diverse range of
native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...
and exotic plants and animals, including threatened and
endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...
. The
flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous) native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' gut flora'' or '' skin flora''. E ...
,
fauna Fauna is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is ''flora'', and for fungi, it is '' funga''. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively referred to as '' biota''. Zoo ...
and village residents occupy a hilly landscape dominated by
granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...
, with large rock outcrops and boulders throughout the entire area.


History


The Wiradjuri people and European settlement

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 were the original custodians of the region surrounding Wyangala. These skilled hunter-fisher-gatherers wore possum-skin cloaks and lived along river flats, on open ground and by rivers. They were, and still remain, the largest
indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...
group in New South Wales, with tribal lands encompassing the Macquarie, the Lachlan and the Murrumbidgee rivers. Archaeological investigations have identified over 200 Wiradjuri campsites around Wyangala, suggesting the native population in the area was originally high. Campsites were located on gentle hill slopes, on elevated crests and on
alluvial Alluvium (from Latin ''alluvius'', from ''alluere'' 'to wash against') is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluv ...
/
colluvial Colluvium (also colluvial material or colluvial soil) is a general name for loose, unconsolidated sediments that have been deposited at the base of hillslopes by either rainwash, sheetwash, slow continuous downslope creep, or a variable combinati ...
terraces near the Lachlan River course. The name 'Wyangala' (pronounced ) originates from a Wiradjuri word of unknown meaning. However, similar sounding words in the Wiradjuri language indicate it may mean troublesome or bad (''wanggun'') white (''ngalar''). The village, situated adjacent the Lachlan River, inherited this name, as did the scattered pioneering settlement of Wyangala Flats. On 27 May 1815, Deputy Surveyor
George William Evans George William Evans (5 January 1780 – 16 October 1852) was a surveyor and early explorer in the Colony of New South Wales. Evans was born in Warwick, England, migrating to Australia in October 1802. Early career In 1803, Evans was appoint ...
was the first European to discover the headwaters of the Lachlan River, naming it in honour of the NSW Governor,
Lachlan Macquarie Major-general (United Kingdom), Major General Lachlan Macquarie, Companion of the Order of the Bath, CB (; gd, Lachann MacGuaire; 31 January 1762 – 1 July 1824) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Scotland. Macquarie se ...
. Two years later Evans and
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 ...
explored the Lachlan. They had friendly encounters with the Wiradjuri people, noting that the language they spoke was distinctly different from that used by the indigenous population on the coast. By the time Oxley had reached the Cumbung Swamp, he could advance no further due to the presence of 'impassable' marshland, eventually being forced to abandon the journey and to turn back. Oxley believed he had reached a marshy inland sea, concluding that the interior of Australia was 'uninhabitable' and unfit for settlement. Despite Oxley's bleak assessment of the Lachlan Valley, European settlement of the area began several years after the expedition. In 1831 Arthur Rankin and James Sloan, both
cattlemen A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the ''vaquero'' ...
from Bathurst, were the first white settlers to move into the Valley. Encroachment on traditional Wiradjuri lands resulted in violent clashes between the indigenous population and the settlers. In the midst of this ongoing conflict, new land was made available in the Wyangala area by the colonial government. By the 1840s '' occupation licenses'' for land at Wyangala Flats were being auctioned from the Bathurst Police Office, and by 1860 ''country lots'' at Wyangala were selling from the
Boorowa Boorowa () is a farming village in the Hilltops Region in the south west slopes of New South Wales, Australia. It is located in a valley southwest of Sydney around above sea-level. The town is in Hilltops Council local government area. H ...
Police Office for £1 an acre. At this time and until the construction of the 1935 dam, the land at Wyangala was primarily used for wool production. The conflict with the Wiradjuri people lessened by the 1850s, as gold mining and free selection brought new settlers to the area. The unrelenting tide of Europeans overwhelmed the indigenous population, resulting in the occupation of traditional lands, the destruction of
sacred sites Sacred space, sacred ground, sacred place, sacred temple, holy ground, or holy place refers to a location which is deemed to be sacred or hallowed. The sacredness of a natural feature may accrue through tradition or be granted through a bless ...
, and perhaps most damaging of all, the introduction of new diseases. This eventually led to the displacement and the decline of the Wiradjuri people.


Gold and bushrangers

Gold mining Gold mining is the extraction of gold resources by mining. Historically, mining gold from alluvial deposits used manual separation processes, such as gold panning. However, with the expansion of gold mining to ores that are not on the surface ...
was prevalent in the nearby Mount McDonald area in the late 1800s and early 1900s after two gold rich quartz reefs were discovered in 1880. The reefs were found by Donald McDonald and his party as they were prospecting the mountain ranges around Wyangala. McDonald happened upon the gold by chance, after seeing sunlight reflect off something beneath a tree near his camp. As news of his discovery spread, miners were drawn to the area and slowly the township of Mount McDonald 'grew in the midst of the forest'. In its prime, the town had By the late 1920s, as mining declined, the town faded away. A hamlet of no more than 4 or 5 houses exists where the Mt McDonald township once stood. Although most of the gold mining activity was limited to Mount McDonald,
alluvia Alluvium (from Latin ''alluvius'', from ''alluere'' 'to wash against') is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluv ...
l gold and precious gems were also found along the banks of the Lachlan River at Wyangala in the early 1900s. However, the find was not significant enough to see commercial interest. The discovery of gold in other parts of New South Wales in the years prior to that found at Mount McDonald, led to increased
bushranger Bushrangers were originally escaped convicts in the early years of the British settlement of Australia who used the bush as a refuge to hide from the authorities. By the 1820s, the term had evolved to refer to those who took up "robbery under ...
activity. During the 1860s and 1870s the Lachlan Valley had serious problems with bushrangers, notably gangs led by
Frank Gardiner Frank Gardiner (1830 – c. 1882) was an Australian bushranger who gained infamy for his lead role in the a robbery of a gold escort at Eugowra, New South Wales in June 1862. It is considered the largest gold heist in Australian history. Gard ...
, John Gilbert and Ben Hall, amongst others. Frank Gardiner was one of the most successful bushrangers of the time. His final robbery, which also was to be his greatest haul, occurred in 1862 at Eugowra Rocks. In this instance, Gardiner along with Ben Hall, John Gilbert and others, robbed a 'gold escort' carrying in the range of £14,000–£22,000 in gold and cash. It was rumored that Gardiner convinced the gang members to bury their share of the gold in a mountain cave near Wyangala. Gardiner was to give the gang members a signal when it was safe to recover the gold. This was never to happen, as Gardiner was eventually exiled to the United States after being sent to prison. Five years after the heist, an Irishman arrived in New South Wales with a rough map marking the location of the gold, purportedly drawn by Gardiner. Even with this map and years of searching, no trace of the gold was ever found. By the late 1800s improved police efficiency was bringing to a close the era of the bushranger, many of whom had been
gaol A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correct ...
ed, exiled, shot or hanged. This decline in criminal activity coincided with a general push to populate the region, the introduction of telegraph communications, and the development of transport infrastructure.


20th century

By the early 1900s, unreliable river flows were stifling development in the Lachlan Valley. In 1902 the Legislative Assembly of New South Wales recognised the need for
water conservation Water conservation includes all the policies, strategies and activities to sustainably manage the natural resource of fresh water, to protect the hydrosphere, and to meet the current and future human demand (thus avoiding water scarcity). Populati ...
. Recurrent
droughts A drought is defined as drier than normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D.  Jiang, A.  Khan, W.  Pokam Mba, D.  Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, an ...
and their associated effects on waterways were impacting production and causing significant livestock deaths. The Assembly considered options to address the problem, including a proposal to build a reservoir at Wyangala. Previous surveys of the Lachlan Valley had identified Wyangala as being the only suitable location for a large water storage. These early discussions eventually led to the construction of the 1935 dam and the beginnings of present-day Wyangala village.


1928–1935 dam construction

To promote development in the region and to provide a reliable water supply, the
Burrinjuck Dam Burrinjuck Dam is a heritage-listed major gated concrete-walled gravity hydro-electric dam at Burrinjuck, Yass Valley Shire, New South Wales, Australia. It has three spillways across the Murrumbidgee River located in the South West Slopes regi ...
and Wyangala Dam were constructed. The official
sod-turning ceremony Groundbreaking, also known as cutting, sod-cutting, turning the first sod, or a sod-turning ceremony, is a traditional ceremony in many cultures that celebrates the first day of construction for a building or other project. Such ceremonies are ...
to mark the beginning of the
The pound (Sign: £, £A for distinction) was the currency of Australia from 1910 until 14 February 1966, when it was replaced by the Australian dollar. As with other £sd currencies, it was subdivided into 20 shillings (denoted by the symbol s ...
1.3 million project was performed by the NSW Premier, Sir
Thomas Bavin Sir Thomas Rainsford Bavin, (5 May 1874 – 31 August 1941) was an Australian lawyer and politician who served as Premier of New South Wales from 1927 to 1930. He was born in New Zealand and arrived in Australia at the age of 15, where he stud ...
, on 17 December 1928. The ceremony was not conducted in the usual manner of turning over a sod of soil, it was achieved through the detonation of explosives, removing tonnes of earth and rock. The 'galvanized-iron town of Wyangala' was established to house the construction workers on land once owned by the Green family – pioneering settlers. By January 1930 Wyangala had become a bustling center with 450 workers and their families in the village, and 74 children attending the new primary school. In the words of a district resident This major undertaking was not without incident. Four men died during the construction of the dam, the first being Leslie Jeffrey, falling into the Lachlan River and drowning in 1929. His death was followed by that of Walter Watt, a laborer (1931), Wickliffe Brien, a dogman (1931) and Patrick Lewis, a carpenter (1933). The original pioneering settlement and cemetery were submerged under water after the dam was completed in 1935.


1961–1971 dam upgrade

Due to concerns about the original dam capacity to withstand floods and a projected increase in demand for water by the agricultural industry in the region, Wyangala Dam was upgraded and enlarged from 1961 to 1971. Housing for the workers and their families was provided in temporary
demountable A portable, demountable or transportable building is a building designed and built to be movable rather than permanently located. Smaller version of portable buildings are also known as portable cabins. Portable cabins are prefabricated structu ...
dwellings within the village. At this time and also during the 1935 dam build, utilitarian construction prevailed, giving Wyangala no dwellings of historical note. The ten-year,
The pound (Sign: £, £A for distinction) was the currency of Australia from 1910 until 14 February 1966, when it was replaced by the Australian dollar. As with other £sd currencies, it was subdivided into 20 shillings (denoted by the symbol s ...
18 million enlargement project increased the storage capacity of the dam threefold. The total surface area of the upgraded reservoir was , storing (two and a half times the volume of
Sydney Harbour Port Jackson, consisting of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove and Parramatta Rivers, is the ria or natural harbour of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The harbour is an inlet of the Tasman Sea (p ...
), within a
catchment A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, the ...
of . The opening ceremony for the upgraded dam was scheduled to be performed by Sir
Roden Cutler Sir Arthur Roden Cutler, (24 May 1916 – 21 February 2002) was an Australian diplomat, the longest serving Governor of New South Wales and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry "in the face of the enemy" that ca ...
, Governor of NSW on 8 February 1971. However, because of heavy rains and road flooding three days prior to the event, the opening was delayed until 6 August 1971. Over 2000 guests and officials attended the ceremony. In the months and years following the dam opening, the population of Wyangala decreased significantly; houses used by workers on the north-west and north-east sides of the village were removed, leaving only the houses seen in the present day village, just below the dam wall.


Post office, school and church

By March 1929, with dam construction underway (see above), up to 60 letters arrived in the village every day or two, whenever a vehicle made the trip from Cowra to Wyangala. With over 350 workers and their families already in the growing village, the lack of a post office or
telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...
office was a great inconvenience to the residents. To alleviate this issue, and to provide the residents with a reliable postal service, Wyangala Dam Post Office was opened on 14 March 1929. The newly opened post office stamped mail with a ''Type 2C''
postmark A postmark is a postal marking made on an envelope, parcel, postcard or the like, indicating the place, date and time that the item was delivered into the care of a postal service, or sometimes indicating where and when received or in transit. ...
, which had a full stop after the ‘W’ of ‘N.S.W.’. Throughout the subsequent years, the village post office became an integral part of the Wyangala community, providing the expected postal and, at times, banking services (as an agent for the
Commonwealth Bank of Australia The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), or CommBank, is an Australian multinational bank with businesses across New Zealand, Asia, the United States and the United Kingdom. It provides a variety of financial services including retail, busine ...
). In the post-telegraph era, a manual telephone exchange was also located within the post office. The postmaster/mistress would run the telephone exchange in conjunction with running the post office. The telephone exchange was automated in the late 1980s and the post office itself was closed in 1998.
Postmasters A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...
/mistresses from the 1970s until closure, included: * Ken and Peggy Bloomfield (1970s) * Rosa and Graham Parr (1970s to early 1980s) * Geoff and Vicki Scott (early to mid 1980s) * Jim and Yvonne Thomas (mid 1980s to late 1980s) * Peter Raudonkis (1990s) Wyangala Dam
Public School Public school may refer to: * State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government * Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England an ...
was established not long after the opening of the village post office, in 1929. At the time it was the district's second school. Since establishment, the school has been located at three different sites around the village. The first was near the present-day bowling club, and then near the Vic Roworth Conference Center, and finally during the 1960s, it was moved to its current location on Waugoola Road. Notably, there was an earlier school at Wyangala, which was established 22 years prior. This school ran for six years and closed in 1913. The number of children attending the school has varied widely over the years, ranging from 70+ in 1930, to 160 in the 1960s, to 20+ in the early 1980s, to under 10 in the 2000s. The first church in Wyangala was a small building made from timber and corrugated iron, built during the construction of the 1935 dam. As with the village school, it was originally located near the present-day country club, opposite the bowling green. After the dam was completed, the church was purchased by Mr Bert Priddle and transported to a property near Grenfell, where it was re-erected and licensed as an Anglican place of worship on 17 November 1935, eventually becoming consecrated by Bishop Wylde on 19 August 1953. The current church, St Vincent's, was built at the center of the village under the direction of Aub Murray, with interdenominational help. It is of
cinder block A concrete masonry unit (CMU) is a standard-size rectangular block used in building construction. CMUs are some of the most versatile building products available because of the wide variety of appearances that can be achieved using them. Tho ...
construction, with an iron roof. The church was officially opened on 19 November 1954. The day after the opening, as preparations were being made for the first mass, a storm knocked down the rear wall of the church. Rebuilding the wall delayed the first mass until 5 December 1954.


Murder

The only recorded case of a suspected murder in Wyangala village occurred in July 1935, when the
coroner A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into Manner of death, the manner or cause of death, and to investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...
, Mr H. D. Pulling found the death of Mr John Neilson, a worker at the dam, was caused by a bullet wound to the head. The suspects were named as Mrs Mavis Neilsen (the victim's wife) and Mr Claude Charnock (a family friend). Both suspects claimed the shooting was accidental and self-inflicted. However, evidence from the
post mortem An autopsy (post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of death or to evaluate any dis ...
, conducted by Dr Mahon of Cowra, and that of another witness, indicated the wound could not be self-inflicted. The suspects were charged and brought to trial in September 1935, the
Crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...
alleging that they conspired together to kill Mr John Neilson. A short time into the trial, before the prosecution could complete their case, there was a dramatic turn of events when the jury indicated they did not wish to continue, as 'the evidence was not good enough to convict the accused'. The prosecutor appealed to the jury to wait to hear more witness and police testimony. However, after taking no more than a few seconds to consider the request, the jury members agreed there was no point continuing. Consequently, the judge acquitted both the accused and allowed them to go free.


Community


Education, church hall and sport

The village has a small one-teacher
primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...
, Wyangala Dam Public School, located on Waugoola Rd. Students come from the nearby rural area, the villages of Wyangala and Darbys Falls, and the Mt McDonald hamlet. The school emphasises environmental education and the creative arts. Not far from the school, also on Waugoola Rd, there is a
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
church, St Vincent's, which serves as a community hall for village activities, in addition to providing mass services on Saturdays and Sundays. Adjacent the village is a nine-hole golf course, bowling green, tennis courts and
cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
field. These facilities are managed by the Wyangala Country Club. In August 2013 Wyangala Cricket Oval was officially renamed Matt Morrison Oval, in honour of Matt Morrison who had died earlier in the year. Development of the Wyangala Cricket Club oval and much of the sponsorship of the Wyangala Golf Club was attributed to him. Sports clubs in Wyangala include the fishing, cricket, golf, bowling and ski clubs. The Fishing Club (Wyangala Danglers) has regular events and fishing competitions throughout the year, including inter-club competitions. The Cricket Club competes in a district cricket competition with surrounding towns including,
Carcoar Carcoar is a town in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia, in Blayney Shire. In 2016, the town had a population of 200 people. It is situated just off the Mid-Western Highway 258 km west of Sydney and 52 km south-wes ...
, Morongla,
Canowindra Situated on the Belubula River, Canowindra (pronounced ) is a historic township and largest population centre in Cabonne Shire and is located between Orange and Cowra in the central west of New South Wales, Australia. The curving main street ...
, Grenfell and
Cowra Cowra is a small town in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre and the council seat for the Cowra Shire, with a population of 9,863. Cowra is located approximately above sea level, on the ...
teams. The Golf Club, on the other hand, has occasional challenges and events during the year; and the Bowling Club holds regular casual meetings. The Ski Club has a club house on Main Beach of Wyangala Dam and holds occasional events during the year.


Food, services and attractions

The Wyangala Country Club, on the hillside opposite the village, has one restaurant, the Country Club
Bistro A bistro or bistrot , is, in its original Parisian incarnation, a small restaurant, serving moderately priced simple meals in a modest setting. Bistros are defined mostly by the foods they serve. French home-style cooking, and slow-cooked foods ...
, in addition to having a bar and entertainment facilities. Locals congregate at the club for regular sports club meetings, for discussion forums addressing important village issues, and for other community activities. The village Service Station/store is located at the nearby Wyangala Waters State Park entrance. The store has a range of fishing and camping supplies, in addition to
take away A take-out or takeout (U.S., Canada, and the Philippines); carry-out or to-go (Scotland and some dialects in the U.S. and Canada); takeaway (England, Wales, Australia, Lebanon, South Africa, Northern Ireland, Ireland, and occasionally in Nort ...
food and other goods. Wyangala has two conference venues, the first being the Vic Roworth Conference Center within the village, and the other being the community hall in Wyangala Waters State Park. Both have seating capacities for tens of participants. There is one holiday house in the village, near Wyangala Dam Public School. Additional accommodation is found at Wyangala Waters State Park, which contains numerous powered and unpowered camping sites, five
bungalows A bungalow is a small house or cottage that is either single-story or has a second story built into a sloping roof (usually with dormer windows), and may be surrounded by wide verandas. The first house in England that was classified as a bu ...
, three
cottages A cottage, during Feudalism in England, England's feudal period, was the holding by a cottager (known as a Cotter (farmer), cotter or ''bordar'') of a small house with enough garden to feed a family and in return for the cottage, the cottager ...
, one lodge, seven cabins and Jayco ensuite cabins. As early as the mid 1930s, Wyangala was earmarked as a major tourist attraction and important fishing ground for the Lachlan Valley. The objective of turning Wyangala into a 'national playground' and resort was the vision of Reg Hailstone, a civic leader of the 1940s and 1950s. Although Wyangala never became a 'tourist resort', Hailstone's vision for a national playground was fulfilled over the proceeding years. Lake Wyangala (the impounded reservoir within the Dam) is a significant and popular inland fishing location. Through the spring and summer seasons, Lake Wyangala is also used for various water sports, such as
canoeing Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. Common meanings of the term are limited to when the canoeing is the central purpose of the activity. Broader meanings include when it is combined with other acti ...
, jet-skiing, sailing, swimming and
water skiing Water skiing (also waterskiing or water-skiing) is a surface water sport in which an individual is pulled behind a boat or a cable ski installation over a body of water, skimming the surface on two skis or one ski. The sport requires suffic ...
. There are walking and mountain bike trails through
bushland In Australia, bushland is a blanket term for land which supports remnant vegetation or land which is disturbed but still retains a predominance of the original floristics and structure. Human survival in bushland has a whole mythology evolving ...
near the village and the State Park, and
houseboat A houseboat is a boat that has been designed or modified to be used primarily as a home. Most houseboats are not motorized as they are usually moored or kept stationary at a fixed point, and often tethered to land to provide utilities. How ...
hire is available for those seeking the opportunity to explore the lake and catch fish.
Waterslides A water slide (also referred to as a flume, or water chute) is a type of slide designed for warm-weather or indoor recreational use at water parks. Water slides differ in their riding method and therefore size. Some slides require riders to si ...
located within the Park are currently not operating. Dissipater Park, just below the Dam wall, has
BBQ Barbecue or barbeque (informally BBQ in the UK, US, and Canada, barbie in Australia and braai in South Africa) is a term used with significant regional and national variations to describe various cooking methods that use live fire and smoke t ...
facilities for picnics and other gatherings. The long Dam wall is a notable landmark in the Lachlan Valley. It is high (as tall as a 25-story building), and has a width at its base of . It can be viewed from various locations around the village and from nearby lookouts, as well as from many kilometers away on Darbys Falls Road. Historically, it was possible to drive across the top of the wall. However, as of June 2014, vehicle access was closed following the completion of an alternative access road (Trout Farm Road) and bridge downstream of the village.


Geography


Location and demographics

Wyangala is situated in the Australian state of New South Wales, approximately west of Sydney. It lies in an area known as the
South West Slopes The South Western Slopes, also known as the South West Slopes, is a region predominantly in New South Wales, Australia. It covers the lower inland slopes of the Great Dividing Range, extending from north of Dunedoo through central NSW and into ...
, a region extending from north of
Cowra Cowra is a small town in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre and the council seat for the Cowra Shire, with a population of 9,863. Cowra is located approximately above sea level, on the ...
, through southern New South Wales, and down into western
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...
. The Wyangala population dropped from 227 in the to 182 in the . At the 2021 census the population of Wyangala had increased to 216. In 2016 the population comprised 42.8% females and 57.2% males, with an average age of 57 years, 19 years above the Australian average. 77.7% of people living in Wyangala were born in Australia. Other countries of birth included England 4.0%, New Zealand 2.3% and Scotland 2.3%. The religious make up was
Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
30.3%, No Religion 24.0%,
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
23.4%, and
Uniting Church The Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) was founded on 22 June 1977, when most congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, about two-thirds of the Presbyterian Church of Australia and almost all the churches of the Congregational Union ...
4.6%. 65.6% of the people living in Wyangala were employed full-time, and 18.8% were working on a part-time basis. The unemployment rate was 6.2%, 0.7% below the national average of 6.9%. The main occupations of people from Wyangala were Managers 28.8%, Clerical and Administrative Workers 16.9%, Labourers 11.9%, Technicians and Trades Workers 11.9%, Machinery Operators And Drivers 11.9%, Sales Workers 8.5%, Professionals 5.1%, Community and Personal Service Workers 5.1%. The median rent in Wyangala was $100 per week and the median mortgage repayment was $910 per month.


Water resources

The Lachlan Valley is a region of New South Wales (NSW), which extends from
Crookwell Crookwell is a small town located in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia, in the Upper Lachlan Shire. At the , Crookwell had a population of 2,641. The town is at a relatively high altitude of 887 metres and there are several sn ...
in the east, to
Oxley Oxley may refer to: Places Australia Australian Capital Territory * Oxley, Australian Capital Territory is a suburb of Canberra, Australia Queensland *Oxley, Queensland is a suburb of Brisbane, Australia ** Oxley railway station, Brisba ...
in the west of the state. It covers a
catchment area In human geography, a catchment area is the area from which a location, such as a city, service or institution, attracts a population that uses its services and economic opportunities. Catchment areas may be defined based on from where people are ...
of , making up 10% of NSW. The area accounted for 14% of the state's agricultural production in 2005. Lake Wyangala is the only major water storage within the Valley — supplying water to over of
irrigated Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has been devel ...
land. In addition to what is used by agricultural irrigators and horticulturalists, water from the reservoir is used for general industry, mining industries, recreational purposes, stock and domestic supplies, town water supply and aquatic habitat protection. A hydro-electric power station is located below the Wyangala Dam wall, beside the village, at Dissipater Park. It generates an average output of 42.9 gigawatt-hours (154 TJ) per annum. This is enough electricity to supply almost 6400 three-person households in the area, assuming per household per year.


Biota, geology and climate

Wyangala has a diverse range of native and exotic plants and animals, including vulnerable, threatened and
endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inva ...
species. Flora and fauna found in and around the village include: The aforementioned plant and animal species inhabit the geological subdivision known as the
Lachlan Fold Belt The Lachlan Fold Belt (LFB) or Lachlan Orogen is a geological subdivision of the east part of Australia. It is a zone of folded and faulted rocks of similar age. It dominates New South Wales and Victoria (Australia), Victoria, also extending into T ...
. It is a zone folded and faulted with Early Silurian Wyangala
Granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...
, which has
intruded Intrusive rock is formed when magma penetrates existing rock, crystallizes, and solidifies underground to form '' intrusions'', such as batholiths, dikes, sills, laccoliths, and volcanic necks.Intrusive RocksIntrusive rocks accessdate: March ...
passively, deformed
Ordovician The Ordovician ( ) is a geologic period and System (geology), system, the second of six periods of the Paleozoic Era (geology), Era. The Ordovician spans 41.6 million years from the end of the Cambrian Period million years ago (Mya) to the start ...
greywackes and
volcaniclastics Volcaniclastics are geologic materials composed of broken fragments (clasts) of volcanic rock. These encompass all clastic volcanic materials, regardless of what process fragmented the rock, how it was subsequently transported, what environment it ...
. The local Wyangala landform is characterised by granite rock outcrops and large boulders, scattered throughout a hilly landscape. This contributes greatly to the
soils Soil, also commonly referred to as earth or dirt, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, liquids, and organisms that together support life. Some scientific definitions distinguish ''dirt'' from ''soil'' by restricting the former term ...
of the area, which are largely formed from the
weathering Weathering is the deterioration of rocks, soils and minerals as well as wood and artificial materials through contact with water, atmospheric gases, and biological organisms. Weathering occurs ''in situ'' (on site, with little or no movement), ...
of granite. They include fragile, shallow stony soils on the steep slopes, to naturally acidic and
sodic soils Soil salinity is the salt content in the soil; the process of increasing the salt content is known as salinization. Salts occur naturally within soils and water. Salination can be caused by natural processes such as mineral weathering or by the ...
on the lower slopes. These soils are prone to
degradation Degradation may refer to: Science * Degradation (geology), lowering of a fluvial surface by erosion * Degradation (telecommunications), of an electronic signal * Biodegradation of organic substances by living organisms * Environmental degradatio ...
issues, and are susceptible to
erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is distin ...
, nutrient loss and
salinity Salinity () is the saltiness or amount of salt dissolved in a body of water, called saline water (see also soil salinity). It is usually measured in g/L or g/kg (grams of salt per liter/kilogram of water; the latter is dimensionless and equal ...
. The
climate Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologic ...
is warm and
temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...
in Wyangala, with significant rainfall throughout the year. According to
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
it is classified as ''Cfa''. The average annual temperature in Wyangala is , and it receives about
precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravitational pull from clouds. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, ice pellets, graupel and hail. ...
. The warmest month of the year is January with an average temperature of . In July, the average temperature falls to , the lowest average temperature of the whole year. The difference in precipitation between the driest month and the wettest month is . Average temperatures vary during the year by .


Recent times


Earthquake

In October 2006 a magnitude 4 earthquake was felt throughout the New South Wales Central West, with the epicenter at Wyangala. An earthquake of this magnitude is classified as ''Light'' on the
Richter scale The Richter scale —also called the Richter magnitude scale, Richter's magnitude scale, and the Gutenberg–Richter scale—is a measure of the strength of earthquakes, developed by Charles Francis Richter and presented in his landmark 1935 ...
and usually results in noticeable shaking of indoor objects and rattling noises. The State Water Corporation examined Wyangala Dam to see if it bore damage, finding that pressure and seepage gauges were unaffected by the earthquake. In addition, no damage or injuries were reported within the village or the State Park.


Dam wall road closure

In 2009 NSW State Water Corporation announced plans to permanently close public road access over Wyangala Dam wall, because of the introduction of 'tough new security measures' and to comply with occupational health and safety requirements. This new policy was to coincide with a significant upgrade and increase in height of the Dam wall. State Water proposed that alternative access be provided to Wyangala via Mt McDonald Road. This announcement angered locals, as they believed the implications of such a change had not been considered. Concerns included: *Access to Wyangala Dam Public School, where children would need to travel to get to school and back, instead of having a journey *Local workers on the 'wrong' side of the dam wall not being able to make the long detour via Mt McDonald Rd *The dangers of the narrow curves and bends on Mt McDonald road *Access time and ease of access for emergency services vehicles to Wyangala *The possible decline in patronage of Wyangala Waters State Park and Wyangala Country Club (it is estimated over 75% of visitors enter Wyangala via the Dam wall road) The concerns voiced by local citizens, emergency services and local councils resulted in a review of the decision to reroute traffic through Mt McDonald road. Subsequently, a report prepared by Ian Armstrong recommended that a bridge be built across 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 ...
, downstream of the village to give alternate access to Wyangala. This recommendation was accepted by most locals as the only viable option, even though there was dissent from people affected by the new road and bridge. In June 2014, the bridge (Wyangala Bridge) and new road (Trout Farm Road) were completed.


Removal of waterslides

At the beginning of 2013 Wyangala Waters State Park advertised for expressions of interest to remove the water slides from within the Park. The slides had not been in use due to problems of Park management finding a suitable operator. This unexpected announcement by the Park resulted in an extensive campaign to save the slides. Following the public outcry, the former NSW Deputy Premier,
Andrew Stoner Andrew John Stoner (born 14 January 1960), an Australian former politician, was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Oxley from 1999 state election to 2015. Stoner was the Leader of the New South Wales National P ...
, put on hold plans to remove the slides, and moving forward, to appoint a group to review the slides future. This decision was welcomed by locals and the shire mayor, Bill West, who considered the slides "a very important tourist attraction ... and popular part of
Cowra Shire The Cowra Shire is a local government area in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire is located adjacent to the Lachlan River, the Mid-Western Highway and the Lachlan Way. The largest town and council seat is Co ...
". No decision has been made regarding the future of the slides.


Possible closure of school

In 2015, only 5 students were attending Wyangala Dam Public School. This significant decline in numbers was attributed to the
ageing population Population ageing is an increasing median age in a population because of declining fertility rates and rising life expectancy. Most countries have rising life expectancy and an ageing population, trends that emerged first in developed countries b ...
of the Wyangala community and the lack of any new young families within the village and surrounding area. Consequently, the school was at risk of closure if student numbers did not increase. A meeting to discuss the future of schooling within the village was held on 23 June 2015 with the Director of Public Schools Orange Network, allowing village residents and current and former students to ask questions and to present the case for keeping the school open. Any decision by the NSW Department of Education and Training regarding the schools future is to be decided at some future date, not yet determined. In 2015, village residents created a working group to launch a campaign to attract new students to the school, this campaign has continued until the present.


Fuel service

In May 2018, fuel supply services at Wyangala, along with several other inland waterways, were closed due to health and safety concerns and a need to upgrade existing facilities. Visitors were also banned from carting in their own fuel until a storage and management solution was devised, forcing them to refuel at nearby Cowra. After a brief tender period, by October 2018, Penrith-based firm Petrolink Engineering was selected to replace the existing fuel facilities. Although their intent was to get fuel facilities back in place before Christmas 2018, they were not restored until February 2019.


Raising dam wall height

In 2018, New South Wales Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Water,
Niall Blair Niall Mark Blair (born 22 May 1977) is a former Australian politician and was the former Deputy Leader of the National Party of Australia – NSW, New South Wales Nationals. Blair was a National Party of Australia – NSW, Nationals member of t ...
proposed increasing the height of the Wyangala Dam wall by "to give greater
water security Water security is the focused goal of water policy and water management. A society with a high level of water security makes the most of water's benefits for humans and ecosystems and limits the risk of destructive impacts associated with water. T ...
for residents and farmers along the Lachlan River." The change in height will increase storage by 50% and provide increased capacity during flood events. In addition to the direct costs of the enlargement, current camping areas and other infrastructure will be moved, due to higher water levels once works are complete. As of October 2019, A$650 million has been allocated to raising the dam wall by the previously suggested height of . This increase in dam storage has been funded 50-50 by the State and Federal governments of Australia. The Deputy Prime Minister (Member for Riverina) Michael McCormack said "the project was a significant investment for the future", helping secure water supplies during times of drought. Work will begin in 2020 and is expected to be completed by 2025.


References


External links


Cowra CouncilCowra TourismWyangala Country ClubWyangala Dam Public SchoolWyangala Waters Holiday and Recreation Park
{{authority control Towns in the Central West (New South Wales) Hilltops Council