Batlow


Set in the beautiful low-lying mountains of the New South Wales south-west slopes, Batlow is surrounded by orchards and in recent years it has become famous as one of Australia's premier producers of apples, pears, cherries, numerous varieties of berries and stone fruits.

Where is it?: New South Wales: Southern Agricultural. Batlow is 43km south west of Sydney and 31km south of Tumut; 725m above sea level.


Lookouts: Weemala Lookout offers outstanding views over the township. It is also is an excellent vantage point for a panoramic view across the northern end of the Snowy Mountains.

Things To See and Do

Batlow Fruit Co-operative Limited is the largest computer controlled fruit grading, packing and storage complex in Australia. Visitors are welcome and fruit is available for sale. Tours of the complex on Forest Road south of the town centre can be arranged. During the year there are times when fruit is readily available from orchards and roadside stalls throughout the Batlow area. Cherries are picked in November - December; berries from December to April; peaches in January and February; pears between February and March and apples from March to May.

Cascade Nursery specializes in cold climate exotic trees and shrubs. The gardens are open to customers as they contain many of the trees that are for sale in the nursery. There is also a 'Rare Trees Arboretum' continually developing as an extension of the already extensive gardens. The nursery is open from 10.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday, every week of the year, except Christmas Day.

Pilot Hill Forest Park and Arboretum features over forty different species of hardwood and conifers from around the world, which were planted in the early 1920s. Nameplates indicate both the common and botanical names. There are picnic, barbecue and toilet facilities. Access is via the unsealed Bago Forest Way.



Buddong Falls, Bago State Forest

Bago State Forest, featuring soft and hard wood forests with stands of alpine ash and radiata pine, has a number of pleasant walks and drives. These include a drive to the Hume and Hovell Lookout (follow the signs from Yellowing access road) which has views over the Blowering Valley and Blowering Dam. Buddong Falls which is 25 km from Batlow on a marked road has a lookout at the top with pleasant views of the falls and good picnic and barbecue facilities. Bago State Forest is the south east of Batlow.

About Batlow

Prior to European settlement the Wiradjuri Aborigines lived in the area. The first Europeans to pass through the district were Hamilton Hume and William Hovell in 1824 on their journey to Port Phillip Bay. A few years later, in the early 1830s, Thomas Boyd settled at Windowie, a property north of the town.

The discovery of gold in the early 1850s at Adelong and in the Batlow Valley led to the establishment of a small settlement at Reedy Creek in 1854. The town was named after a Mr. Batlow, the surveyor who laid out the town's street plan. The primary function of the settlement was to service the surrounding gold mining area. Out of this settlement grew the town of Batlow.

The gold mining era was short lived and by 1855 the first orchards had been planted. The town became a service centre with fruit trees being planted on the surrounding hills and in the surrounding valleys.

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