Bredbo, New South Wales

Bredbo (postcode: 2626) is a village on the Monaro plains of New South Wales, Australia. The village is on the Monaro Highway 33 kilometers north of Cooma. The village is in the Cooma-Monaro Shire shire and has a population of approximately 200 in 2005.The village developed to support squatters' runs established in the district between 1848 to 1850. Bredbo was proclaimed a village in 1888.

Gold was discovered in the area by the Reverend William Branwhite Clarke, who also discovered gold at Kiandra. [http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/06/01/1086058850843.html?from=storylhs] A field was proclaimed along the Bredbo River, which was worked until 1921. In the 1930's a geological survey was undertaken and a mine opened and operated until 1942. The field at Cowra Creek were worked from 1888 and are still popular for fossicking.

Bredbo sits on the Bombala railway line which reached the town in 1889 at which time there were eight houses. The railway closed in 1989 however one final "Farewell to Bredbo" special train was run from Canberra on 3 March 1990.

The Bredbo Inn dates from 1839. It was a stagecoach post. The inn hosted, on occasion, the Australian poet Banjo Patterson in the early 20th century.

One of the earliest settlers in the Bredbo district, John Cosgrove of Billilingera, was believed to be the largest landholder in southern New South Wales. In one year 68,000 sheep were shorn in the Billilingera shearing shed.

External links

* [http://www.cooma.nsw.gov.au/culturalmap/places/bredbo.htm NSW Government cultural map of Bredbo village]
* [http://bredbo.visitnsw.com/HolidayLocation/TNSW601113CT.htm NSW Government Tourism Bredbo page]
* [http://www.cooma.local-e.nsw.gov.au/about.html About the Cooma-Monaro Council area]
* [http://www.gold-net.com.au/archivemagazines/jan20/20552802.html Gold-Net Australia Online article about the Cowra Creek goldfields (January 2000)]