Oberon, New South Wales
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Oberon is a town located within the
Oberon Council Oberon Council is a Local government in Australia, local government area in the Central West, New South Wales, Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. The mayor of Oberon Council is Councillor, Cr. Mark Kellam, an independent politi ...
local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a federated state, state, province, division (politica ...
, in the
Central Tablelands The Central Tablelands in New South Wales is a geographic area that lies between the Sydney Metropolitan Area and the Central Western Slopes and Plains. The Great Dividing Range passes in a north–south direction through the Central Tablelands ...
region of
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
,
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
. The main industries are farming, forestry and wood products. The town usually receives
snowfall Snow consists of individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water througho ...
during the winter months, owing to its high elevation. At the 2021 census, Oberon had a population of 3,319 people. It is the birthplace of Greens politician Bob Brown and journalist Ken Sutcliffe, and former Penrith Panthers player Ray Blacklock. Oberon is located near
Jenolan Caves The Jenolan Caves (Tharawal language, Tharawal: ''Binoomea'', ''Bindo'', ''Binda'') are limestone cave, limestone caves located within the Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve in the Central Tablelands region, west of the Blue Mountains (New Sout ...
and the Kanangra-Boyd National Park.


History

The town was permanently settled in 1839, originally named Bullocks Flat, until it was renamed to Oberon in 1863. Gold was discovered on the Fish River in 1823, leading to a population boost in the area. The Oberon Council was formed in 1906. The Fish River Creek Post Office opened on 1 January 1855 and was renamed Oberon in 1866.


Heritage listings

Oberon has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * Blue Mountains National Park: Blue Mountains walking tracks * 124 Oberon Street:
Malachi Gilmore Memorial Hall The Malachi Gilmore Memorial Hall is a heritage-listed former cinema and dance hall and now multi-use arts space at 124 Oberon Street, Oberon, Oberon Shire, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Virgil Cizzio or Bolton Millane from ...
* Tarana-Oberon railway:
Oberon railway station The Oberon railway station is a heritage-listed railway station and now museum located on the Oberon railway line in Oberon, in the Oberon Shire local government area of New South Wales, Australia. The site is also known as the Oberon Railw ...
* Caves Road:
Jenolan Caves The Jenolan Caves (Tharawal language, Tharawal: ''Binoomea'', ''Bindo'', ''Binda'') are limestone cave, limestone caves located within the Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve in the Central Tablelands region, west of the Blue Mountains (New Sout ...


Commercial area

Oberon's main streets are Carrington Avenue–Oberon Street and Ross Street. The town has several parks and sports facilities. Such parks include the Oberon Showground, Cunynghame Oval, and Apex Park. Oberon also has a museum on North Street. Oberon has a caravan park on Cunynghame Street off North Street, a hospital on North Street, a camping ground adjacent to the caravan park and a wood gallery on Oberon Street. Rotary Lookout is located on Abercrombie Road and to the east of the town is the Blenheim State Forest which includes walking tracks.


Culture

Fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...
is a pastime possible at Lake Oberon and The Reef Reserve. Oberon also has a
golf club A golf club is a club used to hit a golf ball in a game of golf. Each club is composed of a shaft with a grip and a club head. Woods are mainly used for long-distance fairway or tee shots; irons, the most versatile class, are used for a variety o ...
off Hume Street. South of the town is Lake Oberon, Oberon Dam and the Fish River. There is a picnic area at the dam and a reserve with walking tracks near the lake. Rugby league football coach
Craig Bellamy Craig Douglas Bellamy (born 13 July 1979) is a Welsh football coach and former professional association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), forward. He is the current Football coach (association football), head ...
started his playing career with Oberon Tigers team in the 1970s. Mayfield Garden is a popular
botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is ...
that covers 16 hectares (40 acres) of land. It is open daily, except on
public holiday A public holiday, national holiday, federal holiday, statutory holiday, bank holiday or legal holiday is a holiday generally established by law and is usually a non-working day during the year. Types Civic holiday A ''civic holiday'', also k ...
s and there is an entry fee.


Transport

From 1923 to 1979, Oberon was served by a branch railway line noted for its very steep 4% gradients and very sharp 100 m radius curves. Following closure, that line was allowed to fall into disrepair, but has been under restoration by the volunteer organisation Oberon Tarana Heritage Railway since 2005.


Road access

* From Bathurst it is around southeast, along the sealed O'Connell Road. * From
Great Western Highway Great Western Highway is a state highway in New South Wales, Australia. From east to west, the highway links Sydney with Bathurst, New South Wales, Bathurst, on the state's Central Tablelands. The highway also has local road names between the ...
near
Hartley Hartley may refer to: Places Australia *Hartley, New South Wales * Hartley, South Australia ** Electoral district of Hartley, a state electoral district Canada * Hartley Bay, British Columbia United Kingdom * Hartley, Cumbria * Hartley, P ...
it is around south-west, along the sealed
Jenolan Caves The Jenolan Caves (Tharawal language, Tharawal: ''Binoomea'', ''Bindo'', ''Binda'') are limestone cave, limestone caves located within the Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve in the Central Tablelands region, west of the Blue Mountains (New Sout ...
and Duckmaloi Roads. * From
Goulburn Goulburn ( ) is a regional city in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia, approximately south-west of Sydney and north-east of Canberra. It was proclaimed as Australia's first inland city through letters patent by Queen Victor ...
it is around north, along the sealed Goulburn-Oberon Road. * Relief maps of the area are provided by NSW Central Ranges Weather.


Bus connection

There is a Monday to Friday morning bus service (except public holidays) to station where it connects with the '' Bathurst Bullet'' train to Sydney with an afternoon return connection. This provides a poor substitute for the previous Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday
NSW TrainLink NSW TrainLink is a regional train and coach operator in Australia, providing services throughout New South Wales and into Australian Capital Territory, the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria (state), Victoria, Queensland and South Australia ...
coach service to New Tarana bus service connects Oberon residents with Bathurst Bullet
Transport for NSW 26 May 2020
, including holidays. Weekday bus services to Bathurst are operated by Newmans, which connect with several other Trainlink rail and coach services, and with Buslines local buses. A Buslines bus runs to Lithgow and back on school days.


Climate

Oberon has an
oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...
('' Cfb''); with mild to warm summers, cool to cold winters averaging 0° to 9 °C and evenly-spread precipitation throughout the year. Frosts occur regularly in autumn, winter and spring, and can also occur at the height of summer. Because of its elevation and
windward In geography and seamanship, windward () and leeward () are directions relative to the wind. Windward is ''upwind'' from the point of reference, i.e., towards the direction from which the wind is coming; leeward is ''downwind'' from the point ...
position on the dividing range, moderate to occasionally heavy snowfalls can be expected each year.


See also

* Oberon Correctional Centre * Mount Trickett * Mount Bindo * Shooters Hill


References


External links


Oberon Council websiteVISITNSW.com - Oberon
{{Authority control Towns in New South Wales Central Tablelands Oberon Council