Forbes, New South Wales
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Forbes New South Wales |
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Court house built in 1880
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 Forbes
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| Coordinates | 33°23′0″S 148°01′0″E / 33.38333°S 148.01667°ECoordinates: 33°23′0″S 148°01′0″E / 33.38333°S 148.01667°E | ||||||
| Population | 7,560 (2011 census) | ||||||
| Established | 1861 | ||||||
| Postcode(s) | 2871 | ||||||
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| LGA(s) | Forbes Shire Council | ||||||
| County | Ashburnham | ||||||
| State electorate(s) | Orange | ||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Calare | ||||||
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Forbes is a town in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia, located on the Newell Highway between Parkes and West Wyalong. At the 2011 census, Forbes had a population of 7,560. Forbes is probably named after Sir Francis Forbes, first Chief Justice of NSW.
Located on the banks of the Lachlan River, Forbes is 245 metres (804 ft) above sea-level and about 380 kilometres (240 mi) west of Sydney. The district is a cropping area where wheat and similar crops are grown. Nearby towns and villages include Calarie, Parkes, Bedgerebong, Bundabarrah, Corradgery, Daroobalgie, Eugowra, Ooma North and Paytens Bridge. Forbes is subject to a pattern of flooding, generally occurring to a significant level once every seven years, including 2016.
The area was home to the Wiradjuri people before non-indigenous settlement. John Oxley passed through in 1817 during one of the first inland expeditions. Oxley named the site Camp Hill. He was unimpressed with the clay soil, poor timber and swamps and he concluded, it is impossible to imagine a worse country. The first settlers moved into the district in 1834.
Gold was discovered by Harry Stephens, also known as "German Perry", in June 1861. Initially about 30,000 people moved to the goldfields, but by 1863 this had declined to about 3,500 because of the difficult mining conditions.
The goldfields were originally named "Black Ridge", and the name "Forbes" celebrating Sir Francis Forbes was declared from Sydney as the result of a possible government administrative error, it is said that the name was meant for the town now known as "Hill End" between Orange and Mudgee, New South Wales where gold was discovered around a similar time. Gold was initially found in the area known as Halpin's Flat. The Albion Hotel, once a Cobb and Co. stage coach stop, had tunnels situated underneath which were used during the gold rush to convey gold and money to and from the banks to minimise the chance of theft. The Albion Hotel burnt down on 10 February 2009, losing years worth of history and memorabilia.
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Wikipedia