Wingello, New South Wales

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Wingello is a village in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia. It is about equidistant between Sydney, the capital of NSW, and Canberra, the nation’s capital. It has a station on CityRail's Southern Highlands line. The surrounding area is part of the lands administrative unit of the Wingello Parish.

The village comprises a general store and post office, rural fire brigade, primary school and village hall. It is mostly agrarian.

Its population including nearby Penrose is 295 (Census 2001).

[edit] History

Wingello was decimated by the Chatsbury bushfires of 1965, but has since recovered somewhat. Its modern resurgence can be attributed to its tranquility and the idyllic life-style it offers. The hamlet nestles in the midst of pine and eucalypt forests and is approximately 1.5 hours from both Sydney and Canberra. The area has attracted many artists, particularly writers, and is the home of published authors and professional writers who find the environment conducive to prodigious creative output. Property prices in the area have remained stable throughout the recent real estate slump, and are fetching significantly higher prices than those achieved in many places closer to Sydney, indicating Wingello's unique attraction. Wingello comes from the Aboriginal term to burn.

The Southern Village View, a quarterly magazine, is published in Wingello.