Yerranderie is a

ghost town A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...

located near

Kanangra-Boyd National Park The Kanangra-Boyd National Park is a state park, protected national park that is located in the Central Tablelands region, west of the Southern Highlands (New South Wales), Southern Highlands and Macarthur (New South Wales), Macarthur regions, in ...

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 in

Wollondilly Shire Wollondilly Shire is a Peri-urbanisation, periurban Local government in Australia, local government area that is located on the far southwest fringe of the Sydney, Greater Sydney area in New South Wales, Australia. The local government area is pa ...

History

Yerranderie was formerly a silver mining town of 2000 people, but the mining industry collapsed in 1927, and the town was cut off from direct access from

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

by the establishment of the

Warragamba Dam Warragamba Dam is a heritage-listed dam in the outer South Western Sydney suburb of Warragamba, Wollondilly Shire in New South Wales, Australia. It is a concrete gravity dam, which creates Lake Burragorang, the primary reservoir for water supp ...

and

Lake Burragorang Lake Burragorang is a man-made reservoir in the lower Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia, serving as a major water supply for greater metropolitan Sydney. The dam impounding the lake, the Warragamba Dam, is located approximately sout ...

in 1959. Country singer

Frank Ifield Francis Edward Ifield OAM (30 November 1937 – 18 May 2024) was a British-born Australian country music singer and guitarist who often incorporated yodelling into his music. Born in the United Kingdom, Ifield grew up in rural Australia wher ...

immortalised the event with his song "Yerranderie". The Yerranderie Post Office opened on 1 November 1899 and closed in 1958. The town is now divided into two sections, the residential township adjacent to a private airstrip and the historic site one kilometre further west. The area is surrounded by abandoned mine shafts and mining relics. Accessible mainly by dirt road from

Oberon, New South Wales Oberon is a town located within the Oberon Council Local government in Australia, local government area, in the Central Tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia. The main industries are farming, forestry and wood products. The town usually ...

70 km to the west; another route passes through

Oakdale, New South Wales Oakdale is a semi-rural suburb or district in Wollondilly Shire in Sydney's southwest in New South Wales, Australia. At the , Oakdale had a population of 2,028. Notes and references

Towns in the Macarthur (New South Wales) Wollondil ...

to the east, but that road is closed to public access as it passes through a water catchment area. Aircraft also occasionally fly out from Camden Airport. The township was established on the slopes north of Yerranderrie Peak, which is the remains of a volcanic dyke and the source of the mineral wealth of the area. The name of Yerranderrie is taken from two local Aboriginal words meaning "slope" and "summit". Yerranderie was caught up in what was, at the time, the world's longest strike, lasting for eighteen months in 1919–1920. The workers of this small mine belonged to the same union as those at

Broken Hill Broken Hill is a city in the Far West (New South Wales), far west region of outback New South Wales, Australia. An inland mining city, it is near the border with South Australia on the crossing of the Barrier Highway (A32) and the Silver City Hi ...

. When the Broken Hill mine went on strike, the workers at Yerranderie were required to join that strike by their union. The strike, however, was not about any issue at Yerranderie. The town was eventually bought by Valerie Anne Lhuede, who developed it as a tourist centre and total environment project. The old post office is now known as The Lodge and serves as a guest house. Other restored buildings include two miners cottages as well as several shops. The caretakers live in Krubi Cottage nearby.Sydney and Blue Mountains Bushwalks, Neil Paton (Kangaroo Press) 2004, pp. 316–318 In March 2011, Lhuede announced, "I am donating Yerranderie to the National Parks and Wildlife Service with a list of my wishes for Yerranderie’s future."

Gallery

Image:yerranderrie-air.jpg, Yerranderie from the air Image:(1)Yerranderie_church.jpg, Old church, Yerranderie Image:(1)Yerranderie_ruins_of_home.jpg, Ruins at Yerranderie Image:(1)Yerranderie_ruins.jpg, Ruins at Yerranderie Image:(1)Yerranderie_Peak.jpg, Yerranderie Peak

External links

National Parks and Wildlife Service – Yerranderie Private Town

Yerranderie Community Association Website

References

{{authority control Towns in New South Wales Ghost towns in New South Wales Wollondilly Shire Mining towns in New South Wales

History

Gallery

See also

External links

References