|
| Looking upstream from the
bridge over the Belubula River, Carcoar
|
Carcoar (including Mandurama, Lyndhurst, Junction
Reefs and Neville)
Delightful historic town with a large number of
well-preserved buildings.
Carcoar is a lovely little historic town with an
English-village feel which is located just off the Mid
Western Highway, 258 km west of Sydney, 52 km south-west of
Bathurst and 720 m above sea-level. It is nestled in a small
green valley around the oak-lined banks of the Belubula
River with steep hills on either side. Although it was laid
out in a regular grid pattern, the settlement has developed
along Belubula St, the steep, serpentine and charming main
street which descends from St Paul's Church and winds its
way through the settlement. The town has been classified by
the National Trust due to the number of intact 19th-century
buildings.
The original occupants of the land are thought to have
been the Gundungura Aborigines and it is presumably from
their language that the town's name, meaning either 'frog'
or 'kookaburra', derives.
The first European to travel through what is now Blayney
Shire was surveyor George Evans who headed south-west from
Bathurst and camped at the head of Coombing Creek in 1815.
Unofficial occupation of the district began in 1821. The
first land grant was 'Coombing Park' issued to Thomas Icely
in 1829. In 1838 he requested that the village of Carcoar be
established to service his large pastoral estate. The
following year it became just the third settlement west of
the Blue Mountains to be gazetted.
|
| Looking up Belubula
Street, the main street in Carcoar
|
Land sales proceeded in 1840 although renegade convicts
and bushrangers were a problem. German Charley was shot to
death by Mickey Bourke while trying to prevent the theft of
a racehorse from the Coombing Park stables (Bourke is buried
near Neville). Martial law and the withdrawal of all convict
privileges were threatened in 1841. However, the capture of
the bushranger Curran and the arrival of a magistrate and
more police saw things calm down and by 1850 Carcoar had
become a banking and administrative centre and the
second-largest settlement west of the Blue Mountains, after
Bathurst.
Nonetheless the days of the bushrangers were far from
over. In 1863, Johnny Gilbert and John O'Meally conducted
Australia's first daylight bank robbery when they held up
the Commercial Bank (still standing) but they fled
empty-handed when a teller fired a shot into the bank
ceiling to alert the town. The Reverend James Adam, an early
Presbyterian minister at Carcoar, was held up by notorious
bushranger Ben Hall but was not robbed on account of the
good impression he made. Another noted bushranger, Frank
Gardiner, worked in the area when he was granted a
ticket-of-leave with parole conditions after serving six
years for horse theft. He broke parole by leaving Carcoar
and taking up cattle duffing.
The town was negatively affected by the discovery of gold
further west in the mid-1860s. Furthermore, because Blayney
received the railway in 1874 it replaced Carcoar as the
major rural service centre in the district, particularly as
Carcoar did not receive the railway until 1888.
Nonetheless the government, foreseeing the on-going
development of the town and district, began erecting a
number of significant public buildings from the late 1870s.
The impression may have been aided by the ongoing mining of
mineral resources such as iron ore from Coombing Park which
supplied the Lithgow steelworks. However, the population was
in decline by the early 1880s.
Things to see:
Icely Street
Icely St is the main access road into Carcoar from the
highway. Just before the Coombing St intersection, to the
left, is the public school. The date on the bell tower
(1884) indicates the year in which the Board of Education
purchased the Carcoar Hotel (built in 1860) and used that
building as the basis for the present structure. On the
other side of the road is the old Presbyterian manse (1862).
Cross Coombing St. On the left is the former saddlery,
established in 1844 (the second storey was added in 1860).
Opposite is the town's second police station (1884) built as
a sergeant's residence. The police were first stationed at
Carcoar in 1836.
Continue along Icely St. To the left is the former
Courthouse Hotel (1870) with its neat picket fence and attic
windows. It is now a private residence. Next door is the
school of arts building (1901).
Courthouse
Opposite, at the Belubula St intersection, is the former
courthouse, a Victorian Classical building erected in 1882
to replace the original 1841 structure. Considered one of
James Barnet's 'best small country court houses', it is made
of brick with stuccoed pilasters and consists of a
two-storey central section with single-storey wings. There
is a fine timber colonnade to the facade and an Italianate
clock tower with heraldic shield. The verandah ironwork is
hand-forged. The interior sports an elaborate painted
frieze, fine cedar joinery and original fittings.One wing
contains Carcoar Pottery where a large range of domestic and
ornamental pottery is made by Louise Purcell. The Court
House is open on weekends, public holidays and by
arrangement. Contact 02 6367 4155.
Belubula St
Across Belubula St is Carcoar Antiques and Bridge Tea Room
which sells antiques and collectables, souvenirs and gifts.
It is open every day but Tuesday from 9.00 a.m. to 6.00
p.m., tel: (02) 6367 3145.
Next door to the courthouse, in Belubula St, is the post
office, a two-storey brick building dating from 1879 with
unusual ironwork to the upper floor (the single-storey
structure at the front is a later addition).
Enterprise Stores
Opposite the post office, and adjacent the Royal Hotel, is a
typical 19th-century general store which is the main tourist
information centre for the town, tel: (02) 6367 3085. They
can furnish you with a pamphlet outlining a walking tour
which takes in the town's historic buildings. In case you
arrive when they are not open there is a map of the town and
its sights posted up by the general store. Alternatively you
can enquire at the post office (02 6367 3077) or the antique
shop.
Firearms Museum and Two Hotels
Next to the post office is the former CBC Bank, a Classical
Revival building designed by G.A. Mansfield and built in
1877 of rendered brick with a detailed facade and cedar
joinery. It now houses the Firearms Technology Museum which
is open by appointment, tel: (02) 6367 3154.
Adjacent is the former Bakers Hotel (1879). One end of
the single-storey terrace next door still bears a sign
indicating its former life as the Commercial Hotel (1863).
Parts of the original shingled roof can still be seen.
|
| The old Commercial Bank
Building (1862) in Belubula Street
|
Old Commercial Bank
Next is a private residence called 'Daylesford'. It was
originally built as a home. In the 1860s it was rented to
the Commercial Bank. In 1863, the famous bushranger Johnny
Gilbert, accompanied by John O'Meally, held up the bank.
This robbery has the dubious distinction of being
Australia's first daylight bank robbery. Unfortunately for
Gilbert and O'Meally a brave teller grabbed a gun and fired
a shot into the bank ceiling. The shot was heard around the
town and the robbers fled empty-handed. Over the road is the
former City Bank (1886), a three-storey red-brick building.
St Paul's and Rectory
Further along Belubula St, on the same side of the road, is
the former Anglican rectory, designed by noted architect
Edmund Blacket and built in 1849. It is a two-storey Gothic
brick building with stone window trims and ornate timber
bargeboards. Gabled dormer windows indicate the presence of
attic rooms, built for the parson to conduct a private
school, to supplement his income.
Up the hill is St Paul's Anglican Church, a small Gothic
Revival structure, also designed by Blacket. It was built of
brick and sandstone with a slate roof between 1845 and 1848,
making it the second-oldest church west of the Blue
Mountains. The unusual crossing tower and steeple date from
1874. The interior is essentially in original condition,
including the brick sanctuary floor, the sandstone font and
the family pew of original European settlers, the Icelys
(Thomas Icely paid for the church).
A little further up the road is a single-storey brick
building that was originally the New Criterion Inn. Its
position indicates that this was the original access road
into Carcoar. It is possible to see the cellar trapdoor in
the pavement out the front of the building.
Catholic Church
The next crossroad is Coombing St. On the corner is the
Church of the Immaculate Conception built in 1870. It has a
slim stone bellcote and spire and retains its original
cooling system which consists of wall cavities through which
air passes into outlets in the window sills. Next door is
the former convent (1874), built by the same architect.
St James
Turn into Coombing St heading back to Icely St. En route you
will pass the driveway to Blenheim Hall, built in 1859 of
plastered random stone with a separate kitchen wing. It is
difficult to see from the roadside.
Further along Coombing St is the simple form of St James
Presbyterian Church set picturesquely on the hillside. It
was built in 1861 during the tenure of the Reverend James
Adam who was held up by notorious bushranger Ben Hall but
allowed to pass no poorer on account of the good impression
he made.
Stokes Lane
If you turn right into Icely St and follow it across the
river you will pass, on the right, a picnic-barbecue area
and, at the corner of Stokes Lane, the Old Bakery Gallery
which specialises in antique porcelain. They are open six
days a week., tel: (02) 6367 3100.
The old and attractive stone building on the other side
of Stokes Lane is the Stokes Stable Museum, erected by
convict labour in 1849. It contains a modest display
relating to local history. The museum is frequently but
irregularly open so it may be best to make an appointment if
you're interested, tel: (02) 6367 3154.
Down the road and around the corner is a single-storey
brick residence with dormer windows originally built in 1862
for John Fagan who was the coach driver during the infamous
gold-escort robbery at
Eugowra.
Naylor St
Return to Naylor St and turn right. On either side of this
road are the former Stoke Hotel (1880), a two-storey
structure, and the single-storey station master's residence
(1888). The side road leads to the railway station, built to
a Gothic design in 1888 and closed in 1974.
The two-storey red-brick building diagonally opposite the
stationmaster's residence is the former Victoria Hotel
(1878). Next door, near the caravan park, is the old flour
mill (1850).
Further along Naylor St, to the left, is 'Dalebrook', an
elegant two-storey residence with period furnishings built
in 1880 for a local baker.
Mount Macquarie
Mount Macquarie Rd is unsealed and unsuitable in wet
weather. It heads off Naylor St and passes through state
forests to the mountain which is snow-covered in winter.
Coombing Park
Coombing Park was the original land grant in the area, made
out to Thomas Icely in 1826. It was to service his estate
that the town of Carcoar was created in 1839. At the time
the station was harangued by bushrangers such as Mickey
Bourke who shot an employee to death while stealing a
racehorse from the estate's stables. Icely originally ran
the estate with the aid of 62 convicts who built the
original homestead and outbuildings between 1838 and 1842.
The original shearing shed survives, and the stables, which
date from 1848.
Icely's original cottage was replaced by a large,
elegant, single-storey brick villa designed by G.A.
Mansfield and built in 1900. The property had been
purchased, in 1881, by the Cobb & Co coaching company and
occupied by Cobb & Co partner William Franklin Whitney. His
descendants still own the property, which retains Cobb & Co
memorabilia.
To get to the estate continue west along the highway,
past the Carcoar turnoff, for about 5 km. A private road
heads off the highway to the left. The gatehouse can be seen
from the highway but little else. If you wish to see more
ring the owners on (02) 6367 3021.
Mandurama
Mandurama is located 7 km west of Carcoar on the Mid Western
Highway. It began, in the mid-19th century, as a village for
the workers on the Icely estate and developed into a service
centre for the surrounding farmlands. There is an hotel, a
general store and a BP Service Station, which can all
furnish tourist information. Apart from the hotel, the
masonic hall, the churches and bank premises are of historic
interest. Sunny Ridge (tel: 02 6367 5189) and Millamolong
(tel: 02 6367 5241) are two homesteads out of town which are
both popular farmstay destinations.
Junction Reefs
Junction Reefs, now a mere locality just north-west of
Lyndhurst, began as a goldmining settlement in the 1860s.
Some old shafts and other ruins are still evident along the
Belubula River. The main survivor is a dam, built to service
the stamper batteries. It has since silted up but the dam
wall and adjacent waterfall are very attractive.
A large mining company operates at the site and, at the
moment, there is little to see as the area is temporarily
closed while the area is rehabilitated. Access is via the
Mandurama-Burnt Yard Rd (turn right at the pub in
Mandurama).
Lyndhurst
Another 4 km west of Mandurama along the highway is
Lyndhurst. At one time the town was the major service centre
to the Junction Reefs goldfields and was apparently on the
shortlist to become the national capital! The Royal Hotel
remains from the boom days and the post office is located in
the old bakery building.
Carcoar Dam
7 km east of town along the highway is a departure road to
the right that leads to the dam which is popular with
waterskiers, swimmers, anglers, windsurfers and sailors.
There are camping, picnic and barbecue facilities.
Neville
Neville is a village of about 100 people located 16 km
south-east of Mandurama along a sealed road. The area
started to develop in the 1850s and a school emerged in
1858. The settlement was proclaimed as Macquarie in 1885 but
became known as Mount Macquarie until the name 'Neville' was
officially adopted in 1888. Several buildings date from the
days when the township was still known as Mount Macquarie,
such as the Presbyterian Church (1866), the post office
(1870) and the Anglican Church (1875). The school of arts
was opened in 1890 and the Catholic Church in 1897. Tourist
information is available from the Valley Store, tel: (02)
6368 8411.
|
| St James Church, Barry
|
Barry
Barry was originally known as the Village of Five Islands.
It was possibly named by prospector Edward Hargreaves. In
1836 he had 100 acres of land at Five Islands near
Wollongong. Alternatively Five Islands may have got its name
because it was situated between 5 distinct hills. The
village developed in the second half of the 1800s with
stores, school (established in 1862), Church, blacksmiths,
hall, carrier and agricultural workers. Confusion in the
mailing address with Wollongong Five Islands led to the use
of Barry as the locality by 1890. The village was probably
named after Caleb Barry, a former bank manager in Blayney
and stalwart of the Church of England. The pulpit in Christ
Church, Blayney is a memorial to Caleb Barry. It reads "To
the Glory of God in recognition 27yrs (1888 - 1915) faithful
service rendered to this parish as Christward and Sunday
School superintendent by Caleb Robertson Barry. " The
streets of Barry are named after clergy or bishops (Barber,
Marsden, Hale, Moorhouse, Pearson, Sawyer, Selwyn, Staunton,
Turner).
Today all Barry public buildings, except St. James
Anglican Church and the community Centre have closed. The
Post Office and both stores are now private homes, as is the
school residence and former St Therese Catholic Church. The
village roads are still unsealed except for the main
crossroads Selwyn and Sawyer Streets. But there is now a
piped water supply available to residents from a hilltop
tank supplied by a bore. There are now approximately 40
houses in the village with some 80 residents.
Broadwalk
Business Brokers
Broadwalk Business
Brokers specialise in General Businesses for Sale, Caravan Parks for
Sale, Motels for Sale, Management Rights & Resorts for Sale, Farms for
Sale, Hotels for sale,Commercial & Industrial Properties for Sale.
Australian
Businesses for sale
Caravan Parks for sale
Motels for sale
Hotels for sale
Broadwalk Business
Brokers
Businesses for Sale in Carcoar
: Buy or Sell Hotels, Motels, Caravan Parks, Bed & Breakfast,
Pubs, Wine Bars, Restaurants, Cafe, English Tea Rooms, Coffee Shops,
Deli, Catering Business, Pubs, Bars, Sandwich Bars, Pizza Delivery,
Bakeries, Hot Food Take-away, Fish & Chips, Petrol & Service Stations,
Australian Businesses for sale, Car Sales, Motor & Transport, Car/Van
Hires, Newsagents, Dry Cleaners, Salons, General Stores, Retail Stores,
Post Office, Printers, Convenience Stores, Clothes shop, Hair Dressers,
Beauty Salon, Fruit Markets, Butchers, Florist, Card & Gift shop, Sports
shop, Book Shops, Care Agency, Pharmacy, Tool-Hardware & DIY shops, Pet
Shops, Auto Mechanical, Auto Parts & Accessories,
Bakery Businesses for sale , Motel sales, caravan park sales, Hotel
sales, Business sales, Bar for sale, Juice Bar for sale,
Beauty Salon for sale, Bike and Motorcycle Businesses for sale ,
Australian Businesses for sale, Blinds and Shutters Businesses for sale , Boat Business for sale ,
Book Shop , Bread Run, Building and Construction , Butcher Shop,
Café Business for sale, Car Dealerships for sale, Car Rental
Business for sale , Car Yard, Cleaning Business for sale, Computer
Business for sale, Childcare Centre for sale, Confectionary
Business for sale, Convenience Store for sale, Deli Businesses for
sale , Distribution Businesses for sale , Earth Moving Businesses
for sale , Businesses for sale , Engineering Businesses for sale ,
Export/Import Businesses for sale , Fitness Centres for sale,
Florist for sale, Franchise Businesses for sale , Fruit and Veg
Shop for sale, Function Centre for sale, Funeral Parlour for sale,
Furniture Businesses for sale , Garden Equipment Businesses for
sale , General Store s for sale, Gift Shop for sale, Hairdressing
salons for sale , Hardware Businesses for sale , Hire Businesses for
sale , Businesses for sale, Motels for sale, Caravan Parks for sale,
hotels for sale, Ice Cream Businesses for sale , Juice Bar for sale, Laundrette ' s for sale, Lawn Mowing Businesses for sale , Magazine
Businesses for sale , Manufacturing Businesses for sale , Marine
Businesses for sale , Menswear Businesses for sale , Milk Run 's
for sale, Mixed Businesses for sale , Mobile Businesses for sale ,
News agency Businesses for sale , Pawnbroker Businesses for sale ,
Preschool for sale, Pest Control Businesses for sale ,Business for
sale Pet Shop, Plumbing Businesses for sale , Post Office for sale ,
Removalist Businesses for sale, Restaurants for sale, Roadhouses for
sale, Rubbish Removal Businesses for sale , Rural Supplies
Businesses for sale , Sales and Distribution Businesses for sale ,
Security Businesses for sale , Service Station for sale, Shoe Shop
for sale, Supermarkets for sale, Takeaway Businesses for sale ,
Taxi Businesses for sale , Transport Businesses for sale , Vending
Machine Businesses for sale , Wholesale Businesses for sale,
Wrecking Yard for sale in
Carcoar.
NSW towns
Abercrombie Caves
Aberdeen
Adaminaby
Adelong
Albury
Alstonville
Appin
Araluen
Ardlethan
Ariah Park
Armidale
Ashford
Australian Businesses for sale
Avoca Beach
Barham
Ballina
Balranald
Bangalow Baradine
Barham Barmedman
Barooga
Barraba Barrington
Tops Batemans
Bay Bathurst
Batlow
Bega
Bell Bellbrook
Bellingen
Belmont
Bemboka
Bendemeer Bermagui
Berridale
Berrigan
Berrima
Berry
Bilpin
Binalong Bingara
Binnaway
Blaxland
Blayney
Bodalla
Boggabilla Boggabri
Bombala
Boorowa
Bourke
Bowenfels Bowral
Bowraville
Boydtown
Broadwalk Business Brokers
Braidwood
Brewarrina Broadwater
Broken
Hill Broulee
Brunswick Heads Bulahdelah
Bulli
Bundanoon
Bungendore Bungonia
Burrawang Burrinjuck
Byrock
Byron
Bay Campbelltown
Canowindra Capertee
Carcoar
Casino Cassilis
Cattai
Central
Tilba
Cessnock Clarence
Town Cobar
Cabargo
Coffs Harbour
Coleambally
Collarenabri Condobolin
Coolah
Coolamon
Cooma
Coonabarabran Coonamble
Cooranbong Cootamundra
Coraki
Corowa Cowra
Crescent
Head Crookwell
Culburra-Orient Point Culcairn
Dalgety
Darlington Point
Delegate
Delungra Deniliquin
Denman Dorrigo
Dubbo
Dunedoo
Dungog Durras
Ebenezer Eden
Emmaville
Emu Plains
Enngonia
Eugowra Euston
Evans
Head Faulconbridge
Fitzroy
Falls Finley
Fingal Head Forster-Tuncurry
Forbes
Frederickton Girilambone
Guyra
Gunnedah
Gulargambone
Goulburn Gosford
Glen
Innes
Gulgong Griffith
Glenbrook Gundy
Gresford
Grafton Gilgandra
Gerroa
Greta
Gunning Gloucester
Gundaroo
Goolgowi
Gerringong
Grenfell Gooloogong
Gundagai
Harden
Hargraves
Harrington
Hat Head
Hawks Nest Hay
Hazelbrook Henty
Hill End Hillgrove
Hillston Hinton
Holbrook Howlong
Hungerford
Huskisson
Iluka
Inverell
Ivanhoe
Jamberoo Jenolan
Caves
Jerilderie Jerrys
Plains
Jervis Bay Jindabyne
Jindera
Joadja Jugiong
Junee
Kameruka Kandos
Kangaroo Valley
Karuah Katoomba
Kempsey
Kendall
Khancoban
Kiama
Kiandra Kincumber
Kingscliff Koorawatha
Kurnell
Kurrajong
Kurri Kurri
Kyogle Lake
Bathurst Lake
Cargelligo
Lake Macquarie
Lake Mungo Lapstone
Largs
Laurieton
Lawson
Leeton
Lennox
Head Leura
Lightning
Ridge
Linden Lismore
Lithgow Lockhart
Lord
Howe Island Louth
Lucknow
Maude
Macksville
Maclean Maitland
Majors Creek
Manilla Manly
Marulan
Mathoura
Mendooran
Menindee
Merimbula Merriwa
Medlow
Bath
Michelago Millthorpe
Morpeth Mudgee
Milparinka
Milton
Mittagong Moama
Mogo Mollymook
Molong Moree
Morisset
Moruya Moss
Vale
Moulamein
Mount Kosciuszko National Park
Mount Victoria Mount
Wilson
Mullumbimby Mungindi
Murringo
Murrumbateman Murrurundi
Murwillumbah
Muswellbrook
Myall Lakes
Nabiac
Nambucca Heads
Narooma
Narrabri
Narrandera
Narromine
Nelligen
Nelson Bay
Nevertire
Newcastle
Newnes
Nimbin
Nimmitabel
Norah Head
Nowra
Nundle
Nyngan
The Oaks
Oberon
Ophir
Orange
Pacific Palms
Palm Beach
Pambula
Parkes
Paterson
Patonga
Peak Hill
Pearl Beach
Penrith
Penrose
Perisher Valley
Picton
Pitt Town
Pokolbin
Pooncarie
Port Macquarie
Port Stephens
Portland
Queanbeyan
Quirindi
Rankins Springs
Raymond Terrace
Richmond
Robertson
The Rock
Rockley
Royal National Park
Rylstone
Sawtell
Scone
Seal Rocks
Shellharbour
Shoalhaven Heads
Silverton
Singleton
Sofala
South West Rocks
Springwood
St Albans
St Georges Basin
Stockinbingal
Stockton
Stroud
Stuart Town
Sussex Inlet
Sutton Forest
Swansea
Sydney
Tabulam
Talbingo
Tamworth
Taralga
Tarcutta
Taree
Tathra
Tea Gardens
Temora
Tenterfield
Terrigal
Thirlmere
Thirroul
Thredbo Village
Tibooburra
Tingha
Tocumwal
Tooraweenah
Toronto
Toukley
Trangie
Trunkey Creek
Tumbarumba
Tumut
Tuross Head
Tweed Heads
Ulladulla
Ulmarra
Uralla
Urana
Urbenville
Urunga
Vacy
Wagga Wagga
Wakool
Walcha
Walgett
Walla Walla
Wallabadah
Wallerawang
Wangi Wangi
Warialda Warren
Wauchope Wee
Jasper Wee
Waa Wellington
Wentworth
Wentworth
Falls Werris
Creek West
Wyalong White
Cliffs Whitton
Wilberforce
Wilcannia
Windeyer
Windsor
Wingham
Wisemans
Ferry Wollombi
Wollongong
Wombeyan
Caves Woodburn
Woodenbong
Woodford
Woolgoolga
Wooli
Woy Woy Wyong
Yamba
Yarrangobilly
Yarrangobilly
Caves Yass
Yerranderie
Yetman
Young
Broadwalk
Business Brokers Businesses
for sale Caravan
parks for sale Motels
for sale Hotels
for sale Bed
& Breakfasts for sale Management
rights Farms
for sale
Commercial listings
Business
renovations
Carcoar