Going Places-Oberon

Text Box: If you are jaded with the hustle & bustle of city life & longing to get out into the breathtaking views that await on the other side of the Great Dividing Range, then Oberon is the place for you. It is just a few hours drive putting you 126km from Sydney as the crow flies or 178.4 km if you don’t have wings & have to go by road. The historic mining town encompasses the country life & is surrounded by lush hills, horse riding, quad bike tours, incredible fishing in the dam, many 4x4 tracks to explore, the 6ft Track being one of them, which we traversed recently with the Southern 4WD Club, pine forests full of mushrooms, so you can pick your own, giving the feeling of being somewhere in Europe & the Jenolan Caves which is a world-class wonderland, of stalactite-lined limestone caves carved out by underground rivers. Both Abercrombie Caves and Wombeyan Caves are also nearby. The Oberon area or Bullock Flats as it was known then, was first frequented in the 1820s by farmers looking for pastures for their stock in the greener high country around the district in periods of drought. The lush countryside attracted settlers taking up grants of land along the Fish & Campbells River after the explorers Blaxland , Wentworth & Lawson crossed the Great Diving Range in 1813 opening up the vast plains. Prior to the arrival of the early explorers, Koori tribes of the Daruk and Wiradjuri aboriginal people lived in the O'Connell, Bathurst & Macquarie plains whilst further to the south & east that were inhabited by the Gundangarra tribes. Permanent settlement in the district began in 1839 but it was not until 1863 that the name was changed to Oberon (taken from the King of the Fairies in Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream") and it was declared a village. The discovery of Gold in 1823 in the Fish River helped boost the population as did the finding of Silver & Copper. The area the area is still well known for its sapphires & other gemstones, which attract many fossickers. Many early buildings in Oberon were built of pise, wattle and daub or slabs from local timber but unfortunately most have not survived. However some beautiful examples of early architecture still exist like the convent on the corner of Queen and Fleming Streets was built in 1914 for the Sisters of St Joseph who had arrived in Oberon in 1912 to set up the first Roman Catholic school. It is still occupied by the nuns. Amongst Oberon's significant buildings are the National Australia Bank building, St Barnabas Anglican Church, built in 1869, Ramsgate, a two storey Victorian private residence built in 1906, & the Art Deco Malachi Gilmore Hall, built in 1937. At various stages in its history this building has been a ballroom, a cinema, a cabaret venue, a skating rink, a craft shop and a wool store. It is one of the few surviving architecturally significant buildings of this period in Australia. Also in the area there are several European heritage items including the limestone bridge near the Grand Arch at Jenolan, the Tarana-Oberon railway line, the Sidmouth Valley-O'Connell Road, Phils Falls, the Old Bathurst-Sydney Road, the Six Foot Track, Brisbane Valley Creek Gold Diggings, the Hazelgrove cemetery & the lone grave on the "Springvale" property. Rowes Homestead, Bolton Vale Homestead, Jenolan Caves House,

the O'Connell Hotel, the Lindlegreen group of buildings at O'Connell (including a pise barn which is reported to be the oldest standing mud construction in Australia), the St Francis Catholic Church group of buildings (now a bed & breakfast) at O'Connell, and the St Thomas Anglican Church group of buildings at O'Connell are all heritage listed, all worth trip to see.

The plentiful supply of hardwood in the district attracted the attention of the Broken Hill mines in 1938 and the timber was transported by rail to be milled at Broken Hill for pit props. As hardwood areas ran out they were replanted with Pinus Radiata by the Forestry Commission and this was the foundation of the timber industry in Oberon, which has further swelled the population. For almost 50 years peas and potatoes were important crops in the Oberon district and for many years fat lamb production was a major economic contributor.

For more information visit:

https://www.visitnsw.com/destinations/blue-mountains/oberon-area/oberon

We had decided to head out to Oberon to try finding our own fortune by fossicking for sapphires, zircons & gold or any other gemstone/ precious metal that we happened to stumble upon, all of which has been found in the area & were directed to the information centre where we were supplied with a map of the area where we could fossick along with some information of what wasn’t allowed so as to save ourselves a fine of $1000 if we didn’t obey.

RULES TO FOLLOW WHEN FOSSICKING IN NSW

The Mining Act allows fossicking to be carried out anywhere in the State provided no other Act or law prevents it and provided consent is obtained from the landowner.

It is the responsibility of the intending fossicker to check whether the area is available for fossicking. You do not need a fossicking licence in designated areas in NSW but do need one of areas in State Forests. For more information see:

https://www.forestrycorporation.com.au/visit/activities/fossicking

When fossicking for minerals you cannot:

Use any explosives or power operated equipment

Drill or excavate to a depth of more than one metre

Damage or remove any bush rock

Remove more than 10kg of minerals (other than gold or gemstones); or 30g of gold; or 20g of gemstones during any single 48 hour period.

Some of the public fossicking areas that we could visit were

Little River Fossicking Reserve. Between the two bridges and opposite junction of Abercrombie and Shooters Hill Roads at Porters Retreat. Find: Sapphires & Zircons.

Campbells River Causeway. Forestry maintained camping area on Campbells River Road. Find: Sapphires, Zircon & Gold. Continued: