Autumn colours down the main street of Taralga

 

Taralga
Small and historic village lying to the west of Goulburn.
Taralga is located 239 kilometres west-south-west of Sydney and 45 km north of Goulburn en route to Wombeyan Caves and Oberon. It is a delightful and historic country town situated on the Southern Tablelands at an elevation of 882 metres. Like Goulburn it can be desperately cold in winter with icy winds whipping through the town and sending the locals into the warmth of the open fire in the local pub. Taralga is one of those charming villages which has remained largely unchanged because the road through the village isn't a major thoroughfare. It has a fine collection of interesting buildings , an excellent cafe, an historic pub and one of the lrgest Roman Catholic churches (a comment on the Irish Catholics who settled the area) of any small town in Australia. The town must surely have the most charming welcome sign which announces 'Taralga - Smile you are in a Happy Town' and, typical of many country towns, the welcome is accurate.

The first European to pass through Taralga was the explorer Charles Throsby who, in 1819 journeyed from Cowpastures (now Camden) to Bathurst in search of new grazing lands. John Macarthur rewarded Throsby with 1 000 acres and by 1824 Macarthur's son James and his nephew Hannibal had established themselves in the Taralga region where they helped pioneer Australia's wool industry.

 

A typical handsome stone residence

 

A private village was established on land donated by James Macarthur and cleared by convicts in order to house and service members of the Macarthur family and their employees. In fact the town's main street, Orchard Street, is named because it traverses land upon which the family's orchard was originally planted. An 1828 census revealed a small number of residents at Taralga suggesting the village was already under way by that time, although there were probably no more than a few buildings. While the major landowners focused on sheep, tenant farmers commenced dairying.

The settlement began to expand in the 1850s. A national school was opened in 1857 and the first church in 1861. Many of the town's sandstone and basalt buildings emerged over the next 20 years. Stores and inns began to appear and, by 1866, the town had 110 residents, 24 dwellings, three hotels and three churches with a fourth added in 1868. A Catholic school opened in 1870. By 1891 the population had reached 723 and Macarthur's Richlands estate was subdivided for closer settlement in 1910.

Today Taralga has some 370 residents. Fine wool, beef cattle, fat lambs, potatoes, dairying, berries and vineyards are the mainstays of the local economy while marble is extracted from a quarry to the north-east (see entry on Wombeyan Caves)

Australia Day sees a rodeo, campdraft, yard dog trials and an endurance ride. The Taralga Show is held in March.

Things to see:  

 

The town's old Wesleyan Church

 

Tourist Information
Tourist information can be obtained from the Goulburn Visitors' Centre, tel: (02) 4823 4492 or freecall 1800 353 646.

 

Historic Walk - Orchard St
Orchard St is the town's main thoroughfare. Start at the southern end of the street, at the intersection with Bannaby St, where you will find the Hotel Taralga, built for Martin Tynan in 1876 as the Richlands Hotel. His former residence is adjacent the hotel in Orchard St. It later became a post office and is now a private residence. An old store is still adjoined.

On the other side of the road is the former courthouse (1887). Heading north from this point are the post office (1897), which has a new facade, Coolabah Meats, located in an old saddlery shop, and the Goodhew Centre which was built in 1880 as a store. Some more old shops are on the other side of the road.

Proceed north to the Court St intersection. Goodhew Park has swings, toilets and picnic facilities. The focal point is an enormous block of Wombeyan marble, for which the Taralga district is noted. A brass plaque in the middle of the stone records aspects of the town's history.

Diagonally opposite, by the north-eastern corner, is the old School of Arts, now a private residence. On the north-western corner is the former Bank of NSW (1888). Next door is St Luke's Anglican Church, built in 1906 to replace the original wooden structure from the 1860s.

 

Historic Walk - Anglican Rectory
Continue north to Church St and turn left. After two blocks turn right into Martin St and have a look at the Anglican rectory (1879).

 

Historic Walk - Argyle Inn
Return along Church St, turning left back into Orchard St. To the left is the Argyle Inn (1875), still operating as an hotel. On the other side of the road is a group of old shops and just to the north of the inn are some stone buildings, now a cafe.

 

 

Cordingley Cottage in the yard of the town's museum

 

Historic Walk - Museum
Just north of the Argyle Inn, on the other side of the road, is the old Wesleyan Church which was built in 1868 on land donated by Macarthur's sheep overseer, Thomas Denning. The local historical society now makes its home here. 'Cordingley Cottage', a slab building, has been reconstructed on the grounds and decked out with period furnishings. It is open on long weekends.

 

Historic Walk - School and Hotel
Just beyond the museum is the public school, established in 1857 and adjacent that is the former Royal Hotel (1870s).

 

Historic Walk - Presbyterian Church
Continue north to the T-intersection and turn right into Hillas St then take the first right into Macarthur St. A short distance along, to the left, are the old Presbyterian manse and church, now owned by the proprietors of Cushendall Vineyard.

 

Historic Walk - Oldest Building
Continue south to Church St and turn left then take the first right into Pound St. To the right is the town's oldest surviving building, which was built some time prior to 1843 as the poundkeeper's residence.

 

Historic Walk - Macarthur St South
Walk to the end of Pound St and turn right then take the first left back into Macarthur St. To he left is the town's oldest two-storey building (1867), now the site of Taralga Vineyard.

Continue on to the Bannaby St corner where you will find the old Catholic complex which consists of the fine sight of St Ignatius' Church (the present buildi ng dates from 1937), the former Catholic School (1870) and a presbytery (c.1883). It is now privately owned.

Diagonally opposite is the former Commercial Hotel (1860) now a private residence.

On the southern side of Walsh St are the new Catholic buildings - school, convent and presbytery (all 1928) and Christ the King Church (1934). On the other side of the road is the old police residence.

 

Picnic Area
A picnic area is located 3 km north of town near the bridge over Woolshed Creek.

 

Stonequarry General Cemetery
Located about 5 km north-west of Taralga, off Golspie Rd, this picturesque and historic cemetery has been in continuous use since 1865 and features some well-executed marble and sandstone monuments reflecting mid-to-late 19th-century prosperity.

 

Berry Farm
The Berry Farm is on Snipe Flat Rd. Raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, red and black currants and tree fruits are available from November to April. Jams are available all year. Visitors are welcome but ring first, tel: (02) 4840 2098.

 

Horseriding
The National Horse Riding Trail passes through Taralga, leading on into the rugged mountain scenery near Yerranderie.

 

 

 

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Taralga