Wombat is a town in

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 ...

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 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 ...

. It is situated on the

Olympic Highway Olympic Highway is a rural road in the Central West, New South Wales, central western and Riverina, south-eastern Riverina regions of New South Wales, Australia. It services rural communities, links Hume Highway with Mid-Western Highway, and ...

, south-west of the regional centre of

Young Young may refer to: * Offspring, the product of reproduction of a new organism produced by one or more parents * Youth, the time of life when one's age is low, often meaning the time between childhood and adulthood Music * The Young, an America ...

. It is in the local government area of

Hilltops Council Hilltops Council is a local government area in the South Western Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia. This area was formed on 12 May 2016 from the merger of Boorowa Council, Harden Shire and Young Shire. The local government area cove ...

History

The area was occupied by the indigenous

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 ...

people for thousands of years. * 1860 – Gold discovered at nearby

. 20,000 miners converge on surrounding areas. Wombat Post Office opened on 16 July 1862. * 1865 – The village of Wombat was established. Many Chinese miners moved to the area taking plots of land. * 1867 – Wombat Public School was founded in a bark hut * 1873 – foundation stone of St Matthew's Church of England laid * 1875 – Roman Catholic Church built * 1877 – Wombat Hotel began trading * 1880 – Carlo Lazzarini, (1880–1952), NSW politician and trade unionist was born in Wombat * 1895 – Mechanics Institute opened * 1903 – Wombat Hotel's current building constructed * 1910 – Roman Catholic convent opened * 1921 – shop and post office destroyed by fire * 1923 – Wombat Soldiers' Memorial hall officially opened * 1924 – the old hall was destroyed by fire * 1950s & 1960s – The Olympic Way highway was built through At the , Wombat had a population of 225.

Attractions

* "The Wombat Hotel", which has had a continuous liquor licence since 1877, making it the longest in New South Wales. * "Allambie Orchard", A cherry orchard that allows people to pick their own fruit in season * "Wombat Heights", a farm on a hill which produces jam, fruit wine and liqueurs from traditional recipes. Visitors are invited to do-it-themselves. * "Wilkies Cottage Restaurant/Café". * "The Old Convent Geranium Nursery", Hope St, offers many colours & varieties of miniatures of variegated, climbing and scented ''

Pelargonium ''Pelargonium'' () is a genus of flowering plants that includes about 280 species of perennial plant, perennials, succulent plant, succulents, and shrubs, common name, commonly called geraniums, pelargoniums, or storksbills. ''Geranium'' is also ...

'' geraniums. The highway into Wombat is graced with a statue of a

wombat Wombats are short-legged, muscular quadrupedal marsupials of the family Vombatidae that are native to Australia. Living species are about in length with small, stubby tails and weigh between . They are adaptable and habitat tolerant, and are ...

, made of local material, which was unveiled in 2002.

References

External links

Wombat Public School Website

Wombat Early Settlement History
{{authority control Towns in New South Wales Hilltops Council Mining towns in New South Wales