Get out and onto the road with a trip to 19th century bushranger territory in Central NSW. By spending your holiday dollars in this region, you'll help boost the local economy devastated by years of drought.
In Central NSW, you'll find historical attractions like gold rush buildings, bushranger hideouts, museums, pioneer cemeteries and tombstones, and modern attractions like vineyards, the Parkes Radio Telescope, Dubbo Plains Zoo and the Cowra Japanese Gardens.
On the banks of the Lachlan River 360km west of Sydney, a great place to stop and sightsee is Forbes. The town, originally called Black Ridge, was founded by explorer John Oxley in 1817.
Bushranger country
Forbes' boom took place in 1861 with the discovery of gold which brought about 40,000 people to the town. Along with gold fever came rugged bush lords such as Ben Hall and the Gardiner Gang.
The most daring and sensational coach robbery took place at a local landmark, Escort Rock, in mid-June 1862. The mastermind was 32-year-old Frank Gardiner better known to his friends as 'The Darkie' because of his jet black hair and sallow skin.
Gardiner and seven experienced bushmen including Ben Hall held up a special coach pulled by four horses. The coach, driven by one of the Western Line's best drivers, John Fegan, contained four well-armed constables and gold worth 14,000 pounds.
Using a bullock team and its drivers to halt the coach, the Gardiner Gang with blackened faces and dressed in red serge shirts called out from the rock above the coach "Bail up! Your money or your life!"
The gang succeeded in the robbery. Although wounded, the constables and driver Fegan were released afterwards. The hijacked bullock drivers were also released without harm.
Innocent but imprisoned
Gardiner and his wife Kate were arrested some 18 months later near Rockhampton. Kate was acquitted and Gardiner was tried but a sympathetic jury pronounced a verdict of 'not guilty'.
He was not allowed to go free but was recharged, tried and sentenced to 32 years imprisonment with hard labour. Following a public outcry, he was released and ended up owning a bar in San Francisco, California.
Ben gunned down
Ben Hall was not so lucky. He continued his lawless life until he was betrayed and shot down in a rain of lead in 1865. Before he died, Hall cried out to the man who had tracked him down: "Shoot me dead, Billy! Don't let the troops take me alive."
He had been living on borrowed time following the introduction one-month prior of the Felons Apprehension Act which allowed bushrangers to be shot on sight and anyone who harboured them to be treated as a felon.
Ben Hall, aged 27, was shot 26 times - a bullet for every year of his life bar one. He is buried in the Forbes cemetery.
Historical buildings
Many of the aspects of the modern community of Forbes are reminiscent of the gold rush days and the township features well-maintained and restored buildings from this era such as the Albion Hotel which was originally the Cobb & Co coach stop. It features a tower that was used as a lookout for an approaching coach. Tunnels under the hotel were used to channel gold from the banks to be loaded onto coaches.
If buildings could tell the stories of their occupants, the Vandenberg Hotel in Forbes would have many exciting tales to tell. It was named after the original owner and in its heyday was an oasis of luxury with beautiful gardens, a fountain and stables. Arriving guests were met at the railway station with a gleaming white coach.
The town's recently restored Court House's architecture served as a symbol of the justice system at the time it was built in 1880. The original district it served was huge and included Parkes and Condobolin.
In 1909, Dame Nellie Melba performed at the grand Forbes Town Hall built in 1891 at a cost of 5,000 pounds. For lovers of fine churches, not to be missed is the St John's Anglican Church completed in 1877 and adorned with stunning stained glass windows.
The Forbes National Australia Bank is one of the few buildings in Australia that still provides the same service for which it was originally built. Constructed in 1884, it has splendid wrought iron and stonemason workmanship.
The 19th century buildings in Forbes will make you wonder about the power of the gold that attracted such skill and architecture to the town and the methods used to transport the raw and finished materials needed to construct these fine buildings.
Where did the slate, clay, bricks, iron, timber and stained glass come from and how did they get it here? Who were the people who created these buildings, and what happened to them?
More information
Forbes Shire Council operates a Tourist Information Centre which is at the Old Railway Station in Union Street. The centre is open seven days a week 7am - 5pm except Christmas Day and Good Friday. For further information about Forbes and surrounding districts, phone (02) 6852 4155.
Every January, Forbes stages a Jazz Festival featuring top jazz bands from across the country. |
