Bibbenluke is a village in the

Snowy Monaro Regional Council The Snowy Monaro Regional Council is a local government area located in the Snowy Mountains and Monaro regions of New South Wales, Australia. The council was formed on 12 May 2016 through a forced merger of the Bombala, Cooma-Monaro and Snow ...

in southern

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

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

. The village is located at a crossing point of the

Monaro Highway Monaro Highway is a highway in Victoria, New South Wales, and the Australian Capital Territory, in Australia, linking in Victoria to Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) via the Monaro region. From its southern terminus, it fo ...

and

Bombala River The Bombala River, a perennial river of the Snowy River catchment, is located in the Monaro region of New South Wales, Australia. Course and features The Bombala River rises within the Kybeyan Range, part of the Great Dividing Range, on the sou ...

. The name is derived from a local Aboriginal word either meaning "Big Lookout" or "Place of Birds".

History

In 1833, notable pastoralist

Joshua John Moore Joshua John Moore (1790 – 27 July 1864) was an English-born Pastoral farming, grazier, landowner and soldier who owned large lands in Australia. Biography Moore was born to yeoman farmer John Moore at Horningsea, Cambridgeshire, England in 1 ...

established a sheep grazing property named "Bibbenluke", and from this property a number of other stations in the area were also managed. The significance of Bibbenluke grew throughout the 19th Century, helped somewhat by an association with another pioneer, Scottish-born

Benjamin Boyd Benjamin Boyd (21 August 180115 October 1851) was a Scotland, Scottish entrepreneur who became a major shipowner, banker, Squatting (Australia), grazier, politician and Blackbirding, blackbirder in the British colony of New South Wales. He wa ...

. Boyd established the port of

Boydtown Boydtown is a village on Twofold Bay near Eden, on the far south coast of New South Wales, Australia. It was the original settlement in the bay, founded by Benjamin Boyd in 1843 to service his properties on the Monaro plains. The remains of w ...

near the town of Eden east of the Monaro in 1843 to support pastoral activities on his properties in the region. A school was established to serve the growing community around the station in 1871, and by 1884 significant commerce and industry had developed, with 3 carpenters, a stonemason, a blacksmith, a hotel and at least two stores operating in the town. An

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

church operated out of a community hall on the sheep station around this time and the building was eventually relocated to the townsite in 1937. On 11 January 1915 the Men from Snowy River recruitment banner march from Delegate and

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

visited the town and enlisted 6 men from the local community to serve with the

1st AIF The First Australian Imperial Force (1st AIF) was the main expeditionary force of the Australian Army during the First World War. It was formed as the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) following Britain's declaration of war on Germany on 15 Aug ...

during

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

. A similar march along the same route passed through the town in April 1940 to recruit volunteers during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. In 1977, Bibbenluke Shire was amalgamated into the former

Bombala Shire The Bombala Shire was a Local government in Australia, local government area in the Monaro, New South Wales, Monaro region of south-eastern New South Wales, Australia. The Shire includes the town of Bombala, New South Wales, Bombala, the villag ...

. December 1997 saw the opening of an upgraded bridge across the Bombala River, replacing the last remaining timber bridge on the Monaro Highway. Bombala was further amalgamated in 2016 to become part of the

Present day

Modern Bibbenluke is a small community that has close links with and relies on the larger town of Bombala for many public services. The school remains, although enrollments as of 2013 are now as low as 11 pupils. The community hall is the focal point of the village. Other historic buildings in town include the Anglican church and the original Bibbenluke Hotel, although this has been converted to a private residence. There is also a cemetery located in the village. The local economy is based mostly around farming and tourism, with a number of small businesses operating, including the historic Ben Boyd Guesthouse and Bibbenluke Australian Stock Horse Stud.

Notable residents

(1790-1864). Grazier and

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

of the 14th Regiment Royal South Lincoln Militia during the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (then in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium), marking the end of the Napoleonic Wars. The French Imperial Army (1804–1815), Frenc ...

in 1815 established the original pastoral property at Bibbenluke after emigrating to the colony of New South Wales in 1816. * Lucy Culliton (1966- ). Artist known for her entries in the Archibald contest and paintings in permanent collection at various prestigious galleries.

References

External links

{{authority control Towns in New South Wales Snowy Monaro Regional Council