Adelong


This sleepy, small town (now little more than a local service centre) was once a thriving gold mining centre.

Where is it?: Southern Agricultural. Tumut is 410 km south west of Sydney; 81 km east of Wagga Wagga; 20 km south of Tumut; 160 km west of Canberra on the Snowy Mountains Highway.

Things To See and Do

It is a pleasant and sleepy historic rural settlement set on the banks of the Adelong River and notable for both its turn-of-the-century feel - there are few new buildings in the main street - and its pleasant stands of deciduous trees which make the town particularly attractive in autumn.

Adelong's main street from Campbell to Neil Streets has been classified for preservation by the National Trust as well as a number of impressive early buildings elsewhere being classified.


Adelong Falls, with its rich gold-mining past, is an ideal spot to explore the unique surrounding area. Alongside the river and surrounding the falls are many relics from the gold mining days to explore. The Adelong Falls reserve which was established in 1971 covers 27 hectares, and includes the picturesque Cascade Falls. Offering picnicking and BBQ facilities, the walking tracks of the reserve lead to the sites of two early homesteads, 'Campsie' and 'Ferndale', as well as an area specially designated by the New South Wales government as a Fossicking Area.

Surrounding Area


Tumut (20 km north) is a pretty town nestled in the Tumut Valley at the foothills of the Snowy Mountains. The early settlers planted poplars and willow trees resulting in spectacular displays in summer and autumn. The rainfall ensures that, apart from times of drought, the valley is characteristically green and fertile.


Batlow (28 km south) is well known for its apples. About 50 growers in the district supply 1.6 million cases of apples, or 10% of the Australian apple crop, to the Australian market. The district also produces cherries and stone fruit. The town's main landmark, the 'Big Apple', stands testament to the orchards which have been vital to the town's economy for over 120 years. The district supplied troops with dehydrated fruit and vegetables during World War II.




Kosciuszko National Park is one of the best known and most loved national parks in Australia, attracting around three million visitors each year. At 2228 metres, Mount Kosciuszko in southern New South Wales is the highest mountain on mainland Australia. It may not be the highest mountain in the world but it is one of the oldest.

Some 30,000 people make the trek to the summit of Mount Kosciuszko each year. Until 1974 it was possible to drive a car up there, today the only way to reach the top is to walk, or in winter, to ski. Most people walk from either Charlotte Pass on the Summit Walk or from Thredbo on the Kosciuszko Walk, which links up via a chairlift ride from Thredbo. The Kosciuszko Walk features a $800,000 elevated walkway made of steel mesh that lets sunlight reach the vegetation below.

About Adelong


The Wiradjuri Aboriginal people lived in the area for thousands of years prior to European settlement. The town's name is said to be derived from an Aboriginal language meaning "along the way" or "plain with a river". It was settled about 1840 to 1850 before gold was found.

The initial discovery of gold at Adelong by a Mr Williams took place in 1857, the find being located on the crest of Victoria Hill and representing the weathered capping of the Old Hill Reef. Alluvial gold, both in Adelong Creek and Golden Gully is also believed to have been discovered at about the same time, and the field quickly developed into an important producer.

By 1859 a number of prominent lines of mineralisation were being actively exploited. The two most prominent lines of mineralisation, the Old Reef and the Victoria, produced some 3,798 kilograms of gold during the period 1857-1876. During the gold rush the population expanded to more than 30,000 people. Over 25 tonnes of gold was mined from 1857 to the close of the mine in 1914.

The gold ran out in the latter part of the 19th century and the pastoral industry became the principal activity. This was mainly Merino sheep and beef cattle, and continues now. Over the last 20 years a tourist industry has developed because of the pleasant scenery and gold mining history. During the gold rush many Chinese people worked in the mines, a lot of whom died and were buried in a special portion of the Adelong cemetery. Unfortunately the Chinese portion of the cemetery was obliterated in the early 1900s. One or two elderly Chinese and Indians still lived in Adelong in the 1950s. A community named Cornishtown existed about a mile to the west of Adelong till the 1940s.

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