| Eugowra New South Wales |
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The main street of Eugowra |
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Eugowra
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| Population: | 535[1] |
| Postcode: | 2806 |
| Location: |
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| LGA: | Cabonne Shire Council |
| State District: | Dubbo |
| Federal Division: | Calare |
Eugowra is a town in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. The town is located in the Cabonne Shire Local Government Area, 341 kilometres (212 mi) west of the state capital, Sydney. At the 2006 census, Eugowra had a population of 535.[1]
Eugowra is said to be named after the Indigenous Australian word meaning "The place where the sand washes down the hill".[2] Before European settlement, the Wiradjuri people inhabited the Eugowra area. European exploration in the area began in 1815 and was followed two years later by John Oxley passing through the area on an expedition to explore the inland. Pastoral settlement began with the establishment of Eugowra station in 1834.[3]
The town was established in the 1860s on the site of the station where the route for travellers to the Lachlan gold fields crossed the Mandagery Creek. The John Bull Hotel (later the Fat Lamb Hotel) was constructed, followed by a bridge over the creek. In 1881, the town was laid out and a police station, courthouse and school were built.[3]
It was near Eugowra where Australia's largest gold robbery took place. The infamous bushranger, Frank Gardiner and his gang, including Ben Hall ambushed the Forbes-Orange Cobb and Co coach on 15 June 1862. The bushrangers stole 77 kilograms of gold and £3,700 in in cash.[3][4]
Today, the town includes a supermarket, two hotels, a newsagent, a butcher and golf and bowling clubs, as well as farm produce suppliers, a lucerne plant and a sawmill.[5] Eugowra is known for its granite, with more than 2000 slabs of local granite used in the new Parliament House, Canberra in Canberra.[4]
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