Wikipedia

Sofala, New South Wales

Sofalais a village inNew South Wales,Australia, 255 kilometres (158 mi) north-west ofSydney,withinBathurst Regional Council.It is located beside theTuron River.Sofala is just off theBathurst-Ilford Road,with only local traffic through the town itself. At the2006 census,Sofala had a population of 208.[1]

Sofala
New South Wales
Denison Street, the unusually narrow main street of Sofala
Sofala is located in New South Wales
Sofala
Sofala
Coordinates33°04′50″S149°41′35″E/ 33.08056°S 149.69306°E/-33.08056; 149.69306
Population208 (2006 census)[1]
Location
LGA(s)Bathurst Regional Council
State electorate(s)Bathurst
Federal division(s)Calare

History

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Turon River Near Sofala

Sofala came about as a direct result of thegold rushwhich had been triggered whenEdward Hargravesdiscovered gold at Summerhill Creek on 12 February 1851. By June of that year, thousands of people had set up mining operations in the valley, and both the Royal Hotel and ageneral storewere built in 1851 to handle the increased demand. Initially, gold was found in the area known as Gold Point on theTuron River.When thealluvial goldran out, activity switched toquartz reef mining.[2][3]The town was a centre of opposition to the gold licensing system in New South Wales at the time. A considerable number of the miners were Chinese.[4]

Sofala Public School was established in 1878.[5]There was an Anglican church and a Catholic convent.[6]The Convent opened in 1872 and closed in 1909, although it was a church until 1970.[2]

The Gas Hotel was one of the first two hotels licensed, in 1851. The Royal Hotel was established in 1862. There were two other hotels in 1866, the Sofala Inn and the Barley Mow. The Barley Mow had aCobb & Cobooking office.[2]

Now a private residence, the Post and Telegraph Office, built in 1879, operated until 1989.[2]

Attractions today include the gold-rush-era Sofala Royal Hotel[7]and the oldgaol.Sofala is reportedly the oldest surviving gold-rush town in Australia. Small-scale gold workings are still active in the area, with prospectors usingmetal detectors,gold pans,andsluice boxesto recover small quantities of gold.

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Russell Drysdale's paintingSofala,a depiction of the main street of the town, won theWynne Prizefor 1947.[8]

The 1974Peter WeirfilmThe Cars That Ate Pariswas filmed in the town. Village scenes in the 1994John DuiganfilmSirenswere also filmed in Sofala.

A noted business is Finglinna Studios, which supplies stained glass to churches and other public buildings.[9]

Access

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Heritage listings

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Sofala has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

Attractions

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  • Prospecting
  • Authentic Gold Rush era establishments

e.g The Sofala Royal Hotel (est.1862)

  • Walk along the Turon River
  • Cycle
  • Historical walks and tours
  • Riverside campsites
  • Old Gaol museum/café/accommodation[13]
  • Turon Technology Museum[14]
  • Tanwarra Lodge luxury accommodation[15]

See also

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References

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  1. ^abAustralian Bureau of Statistics(25 October 2007)."Sofala (State Suburb)".2006 Census QuickStats.Retrieved19 November2009.
  2. ^abcd"The Village of Sofala".Mudgee District Local History.mudgeehistory.com.au. Archived fromthe originalon 22 August 2011.Retrieved24 April2023.
  3. ^"Sofala".Sydney Morning Herald.10 December 2008.Retrieved24 April2023.
  4. ^Hickson, Barbara."Chinese in Sofala".mudgeehistory.com.au. Archived fromthe originalon 17 August 2013.Retrieved24 April2023.
  5. ^Sofala Public School.
  6. ^Mudgee District History: Churches in Sofala
  7. ^Sofala Royal Hotel
  8. ^"Sofala".Collection.Art Gallery of New South Wales.Retrieved18 July2015.
  9. ^Finglinna Studios
  10. ^"Grave of Windradyne".New South Wales State Heritage Register.Department of Planning & Environment.H01714.Retrieved18 May2018.Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) underCC-BY 4.0licence.
  11. ^"Bridge over Turon River at Wallaby Rocks".New South Wales State Heritage Register.Department of Planning & Environment.H01458.Retrieved18 May2018.Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) underCC-BY 4.0licence.
  12. ^"Historic places join the National Trust Register".
  13. ^Old Sofala Gaol
  14. ^Turon Technology Museum
  15. ^Tanwarra Lodge

Further reading

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  • Higgins, MatthewGold & Water: A History of Sofala and the Turon Goldfield(1990),ISBN9781875385003
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Media related toSofala, New South Walesat Wikimedia Commons

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