Forbes, New South Wales

Infobox Australian Place | type = town
name = Forbes
state = nsw

---

caption = Court house built in 1880
lga = Forbes Shire Council
postcode = 2871
pop = 7,094 (2001 Census)
est = 1861
stategov = Dubbo
fedgov = Calare
dist1 = 33 | location1 = Parkes
dist2 = 118 | location2 = Orange Forbes is a town and Local Government Area (see Shire of Forbes) in the Central West of New South Wales, Australia, located on the Newell Highway between Parkes and West Wyalong. The town currently has a population of 8,500.

It is on the banks of the Lachlan River. It is 245m above sea-level and about 380 km west of Sydney. The district is a cropping area where wheat and similar crops are grown. Towns and villages near-by are: Parkes, Bedgerebong, Bundbarrah, Corradgery, Daroobalgie, Eugowra, Ooma North and Paytens Bridge.

History

The area was occupied by the Wiradjuri people prior to European 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".Fact|date=July 2007 The first settlers moved into the district in 1834.Fact|date=July 2007

Gold was discovered by Harry Stephens, also known as "German Harry", in June 1861.Fact|date=July 2007 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" near Mudgee NSW 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, has 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. [ [http://www.westserv.net.au/~fbsinfo/page04.html#t0039 page04 ] ]

One of Australia's most renowned bushrangers, Ben Hall, was shot dead in gun battle about 20 km to the north-west of town on May 5, 1865. Hall and his gang were famous for stealing 77 kg of gold and £3,700 from the near-by town of Eugowra in 1862. He is buried in the Forbes Cemetery. [ [http://www.westserv.net.au/~fbsinfo/page03.html#t0009 page03 ] ]

Kate Kelly, the sister of bushranger Ned Kelly, lived in the town, and drowned in a lagoon of the Lachlan River in 1898. ["Forbes." 8 February, 2004 [http://www.theage.com.au/news/new-south-wales/forbes/2005/02/17/1108500193549.html The Age] ] ["Kate Kelly." [http://www.nedkellysworld.com.au/history/familytree/katekelly.html Ned Kellys World] ] She is buried in Forbes Cemetery.

Passenger trains operated to Forbes until 1983. [ Banger,C. "Passenger Rail Service Withdrawals By Line Section Since 1960." ARHS Bulletin, Vol 54, No 790. August 2003.]

Education

Forbes Shire has four public primary schools: Forbes Primary School, Forbes North Primary School, Corinella Public School and Bedgerebong Public School. There is one private primary school, St Laurences Primary School. [ "About Forbes." [http://www.forbes.nsw.gov.au/about/1001/1005.html Forbes Council Website] ]

Forbes High School, located to the north of Forbes, is a public school and in 2005 had about 550 students.

Red Bend Catholic College at Forbes is a co-educational high school, with the campus at the site of the former Marist Brothers' College, on the banks of the Lachlan River. Red Bend has around 550 students attending in 2008.

Local tertiary institutions are the Forbes College of Technical and Further Education (TAFE) and the Forbes Conservatorium. [ Forbes College of TAFE [http://www.tafensw.edu.au/campuses/location_34.htm TAFE NSW Website] ]

Notable residents

*Hon. Justice Carolyn Simpson - Judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales; Member of the first all-female bench to sit in an Australian courtcite encyclopedia| editor = Suzannah Pearce| encyclopedia = Who's Who in Australia Live!| title = SIMPSON Carolyn Chalmers, Hon. Justice| accessdate = 2007-10-06| date = 2006-11-17| year = 2007| publisher = Crown Content Pty Ltd| location = North Melbourne, Vic]

References