Traditional Owners

The original inhabitants of the Upper Lachlan Shire were the Gundungurra Aboriginal people.

Settlement history

European settlement of the area dates from the 1820s, with land used mainly for grazing and crop growing, and later some potato growing. Population was minimal until the 1840s. Growth took place from the 1850s into the late 1800s when several townships and villages were established, spurred by gold mining and the opening of the railway line from Sydney. Expansion resumed during the post-war years, with population decline from the 1960s. The population of the Shire fluctuated slightly between 1991 and 2011, but generally remained at about 7,000 people.

Land use

Upper Lachlan Shire is predominantly rural, with settlement based mainly in the township of Crookwell, the smaller townships of Gunning and Taralga, and the villages and centres of Bigga, Binda, Breadalbane, Collector, Dalton, Grabben Gullen, Jerrawa, Laggan and Tuena. The Shire encompasses a total land area of about 7,100 square kilometres. Rural land is used mainly for agriculture, particularly sheep and cattle grazing, with some wheat, crop and potato growing and viticulture. Tourism is also an important industry.

Transport

Upper Lachlan Shire is served by the Hume Highway, the Federal Highway and the Melbourne-Sydney railway line.

Major features

• Major features of the Shire include Abercrombie River National Park,
• Blue Mountains National Park,
• Keverstone National Park,
• Tarlo River National Park,
• Wombeyan Karst Conservation Reserve,
• Keverstone State Conservation Area,
• Wombeyan Caves,
• Mundoonen Nature Reserve,
• Razorback Nature Reserve,
• Grabine Lakeside Holiday Park,
• part of Lake Wyangala,
• Crookwell Wind Farm,
• Gullen Range Wind Farm,
• Taralga Wind Farm,
• The Lachlan River and the Crookwell Central Business District.

Included areas