Cudal ( ) is a town in the Central West region of

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, on the traditional lands of the Wiradjuri people. Cudal is in the

Cabonne Shire Council 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 administrat ...

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a federated state, state, province, division (politica ...

, west of the state capital,

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

. The town was first surveyed in 1867. Running through the town is "Boree Creek". Platypodes are common in the Boree Creek, giving ''Cudal'' the catchline 'home of the platypus' on signs entering the town. The place name, ''Cudal'', could have derived from an Aboriginal word meaning 'flat'. At the , Cudal had a population of 339. Industry and commerce in Cudal is a mixture of retail, government services, and agriculture (sheep, canola). Cudal is surrounded by fertile basalt soils, the result of lava flows from Gaanha Bula Mount Canobolas, 30 kilometres to the east.

History

Major Thomas Mitchell Sir Thomas Livingstone Mitchell (15 June 1792 – 5 October 1855), often called Major Mitchell, was a Scottish surveyor and explorer of Southeastern Australia. He was born in Scotland and served in the British Army during the Peninsular War. I ...

left on his exploration of inland Australia from the historic homestead Boree Cabonne near Cudal in 1835. Two factors contributed to the establishment of the town of Cudal. One was the 1860s free selection laws of New South Wales, allowing people to move to newer areas of the colony. The second was the need to access the gold fields in

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, which required the crossing of Boree Creek. Cudal is situated on the banks of Boree Creek. As a mid way point between

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower ** Orange juice *Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...

and

Canowindra Situated on the Belubula River, Canowindra (pronounced ) is a historic township and the largest population centre in Cabonne Shire, New South Wales, Cabonne Shire. The town is located between Orange, New South Wales, Orange and Cowra, New South ...

and

Eugowra Eugowra is a town in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. The town is split between Forbes Shire and Cabonne Shire local government area, west of the state capital, Sydney. At the , Eugowra had a population of 779. Geograp ...

, it was a place to rest, see to horses and stay safe from

bushrangers Bushrangers were armed robbers and outlaws who resided in the Australian bush between the 1780s and the early 20th century. The original use of the term dates back to the early years of the British colonisation of Australia, and applied to ...

. Cudal was first surveyed in 1867. In 1882 the town had two churches, a bank, a public school (founded 1876), five stores, three hotels and a mixture of other businesses. Cudal is located on The Escort Way, an important road within NSW for the transport of gold from the diggings to the main commercial centres. Consequently, bushrangers, including Ben Hall and

Frank Gardiner Frank Gardiner (1830 – c. 1882) was an Australian bushranger who became notorious for his lead role in the largest gold heist in Australian history, at Eugowra, New South Wales in June 1862. Gardiner and Gardiner-Hall gang, his gang, which in ...

, operated in the area. Many men from the district participated in war as part of the duty for King and country. The memorial park gates on Main Street honour their service and list those who made the supreme sacrifice. The wooden trestle bridge crossing Boree Creek was severely damaged by floods in 1959 and was replaced by a concrete bridge.

Hazelton Airlines Hazelton Air Services Pty Limited, trading as Hazelton Airlines, was an Australian regional airline which operated until 2001. It was established as an independent airline but by the end of its existence had become a subsidiary of Ansett Austra ...

operated from Cudal airport, located on the flat country to the east of the village, from 1959. It used the airport as both an administrative centre and maintenance facility, until it ceased to operate in the 1990s. Hazeltons was a major employer in the village. On 5 May 2015 a fire destroyed the Royal Hotel on Main Street. It has since been fully demolished.

Cordern's Store

The Commercial Exchange Store, located on Main Street, was built in 1901. It replaced a previous Parkers building erected in 1875. The store was designed to offer for sale to the people of Cudal and district all the goods one would need from drapery to foods to tools. In 1921 the store was purchased by Mr. E. W. Cordern and the name changed to "Cordern's Store". The store operated until 1958. The building then was used by the local Boree Shire Council until 2001. At this point a group of local women took over the building and it has once again become the centre of Cudal retail, now known as the "Cabonne Food Wine and Cultural Centre". The centre includes a cafe, crafts, antiques, and a library. There are also a number of displays on people and items from the town history. Volunteers from the local community operate the store Friday - Sunday.

Industry & Commerce

Cudal has a mixture of retail stores including a cafe & general store, the above-mentioned Cabonne Food Wine & Cultural Centre, and an

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Post Office. The Post Office acts as an agent for a number of banks including

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, it also acts as a newsagency. An agency for the Credit Union is within the council office. The Bowling Club provides leisure activities and also has an onsite ATM. Shell has a 24-hour self-service filling point just off Main Street. A caravan park and motel provides accommodation for visitors. The town is suitable for RV users.

Cumulus Estate Wines

Within the Cudal district is the winery of Cumulus Estate Wines. This is the bottling and cellar facility for wine marques including "Rolling" (served on

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), "Climbing", and "Six Hundred Above". The winery has a 10,000 tonne vintage capacity, fermentation and maturation capabilities. It also has 8 million litres of wine storage capacity, mostly in an underground barrel hall carved into the area's volcanic stone. The barrel hall is also the setting for tasting dinners.

Monument Vineyard

The 250 acre Monument Vineyard is located within the Cudal district upon terra rosa soil. Within the vineyard itself there is also a cage free poultry farm housing approximately 240,000 laying hens.

Government & Civil Services

Boree Shire Council was based at Cudal from 1906 until 1977, when it was amalgamated with Molong, Canobolas and part of Lyndhurst shires, to form Cabonne Shire. Cabonne_Shire_Office_Cudal

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 administrat ...

has an office in Cudal as well as a works depot. The shire provides a swimming pool, playground / BBQ area, and community centre. Health services from the NSW Health are provided through rural nursing. The

NSW Police Force The New South Wales Police Force is a law enforcement agency of the state of New South Wales, Australia, established in 1862. With more than 17,000 police officers, it is the largest police organisation in Australia, policing an area of 801,60 ...

has a station in the town.

Education

Cudal Public School is a K-6 school for children of the town and district.

Transport

NSW TrainLink NSW TrainLink is a regional train and coach operator in Australia, providing services throughout New South Wales and into Australian Capital Territory, the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria (state), Victoria, Queensland and South Australia ...

has regular coach services through the town, connecting Cudal with

Cootamundra Cootamundra, nicknamed Coota, is a town in the South West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia and within the Riverina. It is within the Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council. At the 2016 Census, Cootamundra had a population of 6,782. I ...

(for

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, and

Churches

Cudal has three historic churches. The

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

church of St. Columbanus, established in 1880. The

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St. James. The third is a

Uniting Church The Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) is a united church in Australia. The church 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 a ...

which has been sold to a private buyer.

Notable Citizens

* Merle Parrish,

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guest & cookbook author 1932- * Neville Sellwood, one of the greatest Australian jockeys of the 1950s & early 1960s. Born Brisbane 1922, raced in Australia, USA & UK. Rode the Melbourne Cup winning horses in 1951 & 1955 & the Epsom Derby winner in 1962. Died Maison Lafitte, near Paris, 7/11/1962 when his horse fell. He had used some of his earnings to buy a sheep property near Cudal & is buried at Cudal cemetery. * Ian Stapleton, restoration & heritage architect & author 1951-2023. Projects include Sydney GPO; Wolloomooloo finger wharf; Bradman home, Bowral; Blackdown homestead, Bathurst.

References

External links

About Cudal
Cabonne Shire Council official website {{authority control Towns in New South Wales Towns in the Central West (New South Wales) Cabonne Council