WELCOME TO TOWRANG

The Wollondilly River 'meanders from its western slopes near Crookwell, flowing south-east through Goulburn, turning north-east to near Bullio, flowing north-west to Barrallier, before finally heading north-easterly into its mouth at Lake Burragorang.'

The Towrang bridge crosses the Wollondilly just off the highway on Towrang Road. The bridge goes under regularly turning Towrang effectively into an island. Towrang residents are understandably very interested in keeping tabs on river levels. Our best guess is that when Murrays Flats river level gauge reaches 3.25m Towrang Bridge goes under. You can check Murrays Flats level by following this link www.bom.gov.au/fwo/IDN60233/IDN60233.570027.plt.shtml#notes Please keep in mind that this prediction is our 'best guess' and is not guaranteed due to inconsistencies in the weather.

Wollondilly River Station provides the perfect family friendly camping experience. Wollondilly River Nature Reserve covers 862 hectares of parkland offering a plethora of activities for all to enjoy.

The Towrang Stockade, associated sites and road formations has outstanding significance as a rare, partially intact convict stockade and road side site unaffected by significant development. It reflects the culmination of Governor Darling's systematic identification of roadwork as a form of secondary punishment. Constructed as part of Thomas Mitchell's Great South Road project, the stockade is believed to have held the largest concentration of convicts in southern NSW during its operation and provides insight into the nature of convict life and labour and early road building in NSW.

The Argyle Apple (Eucalyptus cinerea) is a silver-leaved eucalypt that was named for the local Argyle County. Its main occurrence on the planet is in the Marulan, Towrang, Bungonia and Windellema areas. Its striking silvery leaves are one of Goulburn's unique export items sold in the cut flower markets around the world.

Koalas were all but wiped out in the Goulburn region during the Great Depression. Many landholders shot thousands for their fur which was used in the lining of mink coats in the USA. For decades they were thought to be extinct locally, but some Towrang residents recently discovered small numbers surviving among the ribbon gums, cabbage gums and river peppermints that dot the wooded creek lines in this beautiful valley. Today stands of these nutritious trees are being planted on private farms to help the koalas increase their numbers again.

"Towrang Tavern" Social Gatherings;

Friday September 29, Friday October 27 (Halloween fancy dress night), Friday November 24, and Friday Deceber 29 (New Years Eve); all from 6.30pm

On the last Friday of each month we meet in the hall for a casual catch-up. BYO drinks and a meal. Gold coin donation goes toward Hall upkeep. It's a great evening. All Welcome. Our June Towrang Tavern is bonfire night.

Towrang Valley Progress Group

Next meetings; Wednesday September 13, Wednesday October 11, Wednesday November 8, all at 6.30pm.

All welcome.

Our group discusses plans and events for the coming year. Come along and be part of our vibrant community.

Annual Community Outreach meeting. Thursday November 16 - 6.30pm.

A great opportunity to meet local Councillors to let them know your concerns.

Community Christmas Party. Saturday December 9, from 4pm.

Bring the kids. Santa arrives to bring Christmas cheer. Raffles, games, prizes. All welcome. Dinner provided. BYO drinks.

Hall Hire

Local resident Joan Evans won several prizes for her artworks including show champion for her magnificent multifaceted children's puzzle. Congratulations Joan!

The First Towrang Market Day was a great success. After a cold and foggy start, the sun came out and the stall-holders reported steady interest and sales. The was bric-a-brac, home-made goodies, traditional products, books, iron-work, a cafe and a barbeque. Thanks to Fiona and all who contributed to a great day.

The CHPC, with local history expert, John Jervis, is currently working on an exciting new project, the development of a Towrang Valley Heritage Repository which will start to identify, protect and preserve the many squirrel stores of “at risk” historical records including drawings, photographs, letters, books, newspapers as well as artefacts, tools, equipment, etc from early settlement and the growing development across the region. As a result, the committee would be very keen to hear from anyone who might have any old records of this kind or be interested in working with them on this invaluable and vital project as we are all very keen to ensure that the extraordinary and rich history of the early development of Towrang is not lost, but is preserved for the generations to come. The CHPC can be reached at Cookbundoon@gmail.com

Thanks everyone for the show of enthusiasm for the new website. It seems to be doing its job nicely.
Any adjustments/additions to the website can be requested by emailing Susan directly at susanpearson@live.com Please put Towrang in the subject line.

Or by using the Email Us link at the bottom of the site.

Big Hill is a bounded rural locality to the north of Marulan township in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia.

The area is characterised with agricultural activities, predominantly grazing, as well as National Parks. Grazing was first introduced by Hannibal Hawkins Macarthur nephew of John Macarthur, who established a 1000 acre farm, Arthursleigh, at Big Hill in 1819.

By the start of the 20th century, Big Hill boasted a Methodist chapel, school and a post office. Today, only the church remains, and Arthursleigh operates as an agriculture research and teaching centre of the University of Sydney.

Big Hill Post Office opened on 1 November 1869 and closed in 1945.

The main geographical features of Big Hill include Mount Modickmurribar from which the area is named, the Wollondilly River to the east and the Tarlo River National Park to the west.

Big Hill is roughly equivalent to the cadastral parishes of Cookbundoon and Eden Forest in the county of Argyle.

Wikipedia 2 June 2014

Greenwich Park is a rural community 32 km from Goulburn and surrounded by villages, such as Towrang, Brayton and Big Hill. Like many other areas in New South Wales, where a village grew around a large property and took the name of that property, Greenwich Park community was named for Greenwich Park, a land grant to John Jamieson in 1822. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the name Greenwich Meadows was used by the farmers living in the area along Long Swamp Road. That name was discontinued after the Greenwich Park Post Office moved to Greenwich Meadows at the Chalker’s home in 1910.

Greenwich Park estate was the hub of the community. It provided employment, sport, entertainment and even church services for a period. But most of all that affluent property provided stability and was, perhaps, more than anything else, the reason why the neighbourhood grew and prospered for over 180 years.

The history of the Greenwich Park property from the Jamieson family to the present owners is a fascinating one. However, it was the pioneers, the small landowners, the farmers and their families who gave the district a unique character.

Greenwich Park is no longer the thriving and busy village that it was one hundred years ago. There is no school now, the children go to Marulan or Goulburn by bus. The Post Office has closed and the mail is delivered by car instead of a horse and sulky. The little church was burnt down in the bushfires. Modern transport, telephone, television, computers and the internet have changed the lifestyle but the people who live there are still proud to belong to a rural part of Australia that is like no other.

An extract of the Introduction of the book “Greenwich Park” by Lorna Parr, published February 2005 by Goulpress Printers, Goulburn NSW