Tag: coach

Bowning Bowning is a small village situated 15kms from Yass on the Hume Highway. Hume and Hovell mentioned the landmark of Bowning Hill in their 1824 journal. The village of Bowning was one of the earliest settlements in the district, developing as it did because of its location on the Port Phillip Road, now known as the Hume Hwy. The village grew during laying of the railway in 1876, serviced town for supplies during building of Burrinjuck Dam. On the left as you enter Bowning from Yass is the Catholic Church. The stone for this church was laid on 24th October, 1909. A short distance on is St James Anglican Church, built in 1879. Other historic buildings include the “Troopers Cottage” on the Binalong Road and the old Cobb & Co Coaching Station in Bogolong Street. The coaching station was built sometime between 1850 and 1870. The local school was amongst the earliest established schools in inland New South Wales. It was founded in 1849. The original buildings have since been replaced. When the railway line came through in the 1870’s, coaching inns declined. The introduction of a railway would have seen a rise in the population as fettlers made their homes in the village. Bowing Railway Station was built in 1876 and closed in 1992. The Commercial Hotel was built in the 1870’s. On the outskirts of the village is Bowning Hill with an altitude of 796 metres above sea level. Reference was made to the outstanding landmark in the Journal of Hume & Hovell during the journey of exploration in 1824.

Green oasis of Sydney’s entertainment capitol Home to Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), Aussie Stadium, Entertainment Quarter and Centennial Parklands, Moore Park offers its visitors recreation options galore. Cricket legends are born at the SCG, which doubles as a venue for Australian Football. Neighbouring Aussie Stadium is a rugby fan’s heaven, and hosts major league and union games. Both are considered among Australia’s best venues. Great entertainment, shopping and dining is on offer at the Entertainment Quarter. Enjoy late night shopping at the huge range of outlets on Bent Street, grab a casual bite then catch a movie at a state-of-the-art cinema. Entertainment Quarter is also home to the historic Hordern Pavilion and Royal Hall of Industries, both of which host an array of events and exhibitions. Sporting events and cultural activities regularly occur in the spectacular natural setting of the nearby Centennial Parklands, whose wide-open spaces are a hit with city-weary Sydneysiders. In fact, the spacious surrounds of the whole of Moore Park provide visitors with a welcome respite from the bustle of the neighbouring CBD. Moore Park Highlights…

• Join the SCG Tour Experience and get lambasted by a “coach” in the dressing rooms of Aussie Stadium.
• Feel the thrill of the competitive arena by joining diehard fans at a sports game.
• Pick up the freshest produce around the Entertainment Quarter ‘ Farmers’ Market held every Wednesday, or visit the general weekend markets.
• Explore Centennial Park atop rollerblades, on horseback or by bicycle.
• Join a park ranger tour by spotlight in Centennial Parklands.
• Bring a rug and enjoy a movie under the stars at Centennial Park’s Moonlight Cinema (December to February).
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On the road between Holbrook (20 kms) and Culcairn (8 kms) lies the village of Morven. Morven dates back to the 1850’s when it was settled before Culcairn, as a Cobb and Co stop for the changing and resting of the horses before the crossing of the Billabong, and the continuation of the journey Wagga Wagga to Albury and return. It was once a much larger village than is seen today and as that shown on old maps of the village prepared in December 1860 by District Surveyor Francis Adams, with plans for further expansion. There were once over 60 pupils attending the local school. When the town blocks of land were sold in 1861, the majority were purchased by the brother of the owner of Carabobala Station, Elliot Heriot. Others were ’selected’ by George Matchett a former English policeman in 1865. Over the next 20 years the Matchett’s aquired more than 10,000 acres of land. With the arrival of the Railway line to the west of the village, the town of Culcairn grew, and with the greater use of rail and the decline of Cobb & Co, Morven never saw the materialising of the original plans for the village. Morven is one of the oldest licensed Cobb & Co. coach stations in NSW The remains of the old stables can still be seen, next to the Hotel built around the turn of the 20th Century after fire destroyed the original. The original Bridge Hotel was built around 1868 and was purchased by John O’Donoghue in 1897, with the Hotel remaining in that familiy until 1959, when it was taken over by Octavius Chaffey. The name was changed to the ‘Round Hill Hotel’ about this time. The hotel is still licenced and fully operational. The Morven Church was opened in 1874, and for 14 years was the only church in the district and was used for both Anglican and Presbyterian services. At one stage it was used on weekdays for a school, at which time the chimney was built to warm the building in winter. St Peters as it is now known, has recently been restored by the Morven Community Committee. Services are still held on every fifth Sunday. Services and weddings are still being held in the Church, and the inside can be viewed by appointment. The Morven Public School was built in 1906, and was progressively added to as the number of pupils expanded , with a new building being constructed in 1928 to accommodate 52 pupils. It closed in 1967 at which time there were only 9 pupils at the school, and is now used as a private residence. On the 27th June 1931 there were major floods in Morven when the Billabong Creek broke its banks. At the Morven School the creek was 1/4 mile (400m) wide, and the water was 3 feet (1 m) over the bridge decking. Over the years many of the original buildings of the village have been destroyed by fire.

Stockinbingal is a small village of approximately 250 Residence, situated on the Burley Griffin Way, 410 Kilometres South of Sydney. Stockinbingal is primarily a farming community producing wheat, canola, cereal crops, sheep, wool, fat lambs and cattle. There are also small orchards of olives, almonds and cherries . Stockinbingal has maintained its architectural integrity and remains virtually untouched since Federation. Its former commercial buildings remain intact as prime examples of the Australian vernacular style. Designed in 1881 in lieu of the village of Yeo Yeo which was designed in 1860 but never built, Stockinbingal was proclaimed a village on March 20th, 1886. Stockinbingal Cemetery – Geralda Street – Rare Plants and Endangered Bird. The cemetery contains a rare and valuable remnant of grassy grey box – yellow box woodland. The grassy understorey contains a range of native grasses, herbs and wild flowers. This site is part of the Grassy Box Woodlands Conservation Management Network. Endangered Bird – The Grey –crowned Babbler can be found here, plus migratory birds such as the Superb Parrot { December} and Dollar bird ( November to December) . Stockinbingal Railway Station – Hibernia Street, Opened in 1893 servicing the Temora –Cootamundra line. In 1912, the Forbes line was commenced . The Timber railway station is one of over 400 such stations built throughout country NSW of which less than twelve survive. It is operated by manual signals and is an important line for wheat transport from the central west and freight from Western and South Australia. Stockinbingal is a small settlement comprising one hotel, a takeaway cafe (in the old Bank building) a few shops, a post office and a small population of 250. The area around Stockinbingal was first settled sometime before 1848 but the village of Stockinbingal was not proclaimed until 1885. By the turn of the century the village had grown to become a significant service centre for the surrounding pastoralists who concentrated their attentions on wheat and sheep. There was a bank, a pub, a blacksmith, a doctor and dentist, and numerous small businesses. There was even a local photographer. The local hotel was built in 1892 to cater for the Cobb & Co coaches which used the village as a stopover on their journeys from Harden to Temora. The following year the branch line from Cootamundra to Temora was completed and the town became an important railhead. In the years that followed the town grew rapidly and so, in 1893, a local police station was established and the local school was opened in 1894. The first and only bank in Stockinbingal was the Bank of New South Wales which set up an agency in 1907 and eventually built on the corner of Hibernia and Martin Streets in 1921. The premises were closed in 1974.

Hay is located on the banks of the picturesque Murrumbidgee River, at the junction of the Sturt, Cobb and Mid-Western Highways. It is in the centre of some of the flattest country on earth. With a population of 3500, Hay is home to five museums, including Shear Outback: The Australian Shearers’ Hall of Fame. Hay has a diverse agricultural industry. Traditionally sheep and wool production was the prominent activity, however today Hay’s agricultural industry comprises numerous activities that include rice, cotton, grapes, market gardens (lettuce, tomatoes, melons, garlic), cattle and barley, to name a few. Hay is a popular destination for visitors who wish to experience the warmth of true country hospitality, and a rich cultural heritage. Hay’s main street is lined with heritage buildings, in pristine condition. There are many places to stay, including motels, hotels, bed & breakfasts, caravan parks and camping sites. Hay offers plenty of dining experiences, from country style pub meals to fine dining to take away. Hay’s Museums. Bullockies and bishops, cooks and coachbuilders, shearers and shed hands, pastoralists and prisoners of war. Visit any of Hay’s five museums and you’re sure to meet some of the town’s real characters, past and present. Characters like painter and preacher Bishop Ernest Anderson, Ah Mow the Chinese gardener, gun shearer Billy Garner, quilter Marion Gibson, or internment camp cartoonist Fred Schoenbach. Hay’s museums can introduce you to some of the really remarkable people who have contributed to our community. See Gallipoli through the camera lens of a Hay soldier. Glimpse the fairies that children imagined lived at the bottom of the Bishop’s Lodge garden. Trace Italian POW Colonel Simone’s escape from the Hay Gaol. Witness the contribution that shearers have made to Australia’s economy. Hay’s five museums are: Shear Outback: The Australian Shearers’ Hall of Fame, Bishop’s Lodge Historic House & Heritage Rose Garden, Hay Gaol Museum, Hay POW & Internment Camp Interpretive Centre, and the Hay War Memorial High School Museum.

Nymboida is a small village situated about 40 km south west from Grafton, along the road to Armidale. It enjoys stunning mountain bush, magnificent waterways and an abundance of wildlife, including many endangered species. The village is sited near the Nymboida River and Goolang Creek and has a charming heritage style hotel/motel, canoe centre & camp grounds, outdoor activity centre, school, community hall, church, police station, and sports ground, all surrounded by a small amount of local houses and a large amount of beautiful country side. The Nymboida area was opened up by the charting of craigs line as an access link between armidale and the clarence district. The link was described as one of the worst pieces of country that man had negotiated with bullock drawn vehicles.This spectacular terrain is far more comfortable for today’s motorist. At Nymboida, a hydro-electricpower station pumps water from the nymboida river and then releases into goolang creek, creating one of Australia’s most exciting white-water canoe courses. Spectators can sit just inches from the action and enjoy the thrills and spills of state, national and world title contests. Visitors may camp in the ground adjacent to goolang creek. The Nymboida coaching station was built on the armidale mail run one hundred years ago. it overlooks the Nymboida river and is now the jump-off point for many rafting tours. Just south of the Nymboida area around Billy’s Creek and Hernani are located two farmstays for those wanting to retreat to the picture-perfect and peaceful rural surrounds