Young Courthouse

Young NSW 2594 (Pop 9 000)

Young is a SW NSW township located 376 km west of Sydney via the Hume Freeway and named after an early NSW Governor. Original inhabitants were the Burrowmunditory Aborigines with white settlement beginning in 1826. Rich gold discoveries (1860) were followed by fruit and grain growing. The town is now famed for its cherries that were first cultivated in 1878. In 1889 Young was the first Australian town (excluding capital cities) to install home and street electricity. By 1923 Young had the world’s two largest cherry orchards. Today Young is a busy commercial centre for a rich agricultural district. Fruit growing, pastoral industries, mining and steel fabrication are the economy’s mainstays. Hilltops Flavours of the Harvest Festival (Feb), Lambing Flat Festival (Apr), National Cherry Festival (Nov/Dec).

Tourist Attractions & Info:
Lambing Flat Folk Museum, Campbell St considered one of Australia’s finest museums with excellent historic artifacts, photographs and relics. Open (10am-4pm) Mon-Sat & (10.45am-4pm) Sun. Burrangong Art Gallery, Short St. Open (10am-4pm) daily. Free entry. The Price of Peace Gardens, Willawong St 2.5 acres of native and exotic gardens with a bird aviary. Free entry. Blackguard Gully Goldmining Remnants, Boorowa Rd 3 acre site dedicated to gold prospecting including mining shaft and dam remains.

Nearby:
Chinaman’s Dam (4 km s-e) originally established in 1860s for goldmining activities, then to power steam trains and today is an aquatic reserve. Murringo (22 km east) interesting historic village featuring Christ Church (1865), a stone school (1870) and Catholic Church (1874). Wombat (12 km south) has an early goldmining history as well as being the area where early Chinese miners were exiled some of whose ancestors still reside in the area.

Accommodation:
Young has half a dozen motels, 7 hotels, 2 B&Bs, some holiday apartments and a farmstay. Visitor Information Centre: 2 Short St. Tel (02) 6382 3394 or 1800 628 233

Airport:
Young Airport (NGA) Maimuru Rd, Maimuru. Tel (02) 6382 5088. (11 km s-e).

Hospital:
Young District Service, Allanan St. Tel (02) 382 8888.