What is so special about Orange?

What makes a place special? The city of Orange and the Central Tablelands of New South Wales have become one of those places where people are saying: I must go and see it (or, in some cases, return there). It’s probably not for the weather in winter! As I write this it’s 2.5 degrees, heading for a maximum of 8 degrees. But then, perhaps that’s what you like.

And the city’s in a beautiful part of the country. About 260km north-west of Sydney, Orange is the centre of a rich agricultural region where wool, wheat and a great variety of fruits, including stone fruit, is produced. It’s also become the centre for the production of cool-climate wine. There’s not too many places in the world where wine comes from grapes grown in vines that are occasionally covered in snow!

Food and wine made from local produce has made the region a gourmet’s paradise. They make Orange special and worth visiting for this alone.

Nearby lookouts on Mt Canobolas, an extinct volcano afford sweeping views of the surrounding country which typifies the richness and beauty of Australian agricultural land.

There’s a lot of history also evident, especially in the buildings that are the legacy of nineteenth century prosperity derived from both agriculture and mining. In fact it was at the nearby location of Ophir that gold was first discovered in 1851, though the gold soon petered out and today Ophir exists only as a reserve. But in the towns around Orange, including Millthorpe, Byng and Molong, many fine examples of Victorian architecture have been preserved and give an authentic feel of the Australian town a century ago. Prominent among the buildings are hotels and churches – though one imagines that, for different reasons, they’re less fully used than they were in their heyday!

The town of Molong, just north-west of Orange, is best known for its association with the Fairbridge Farm School, focus of the child migration schemes in the years after World War II and subject of a book written by one-time managing director of the ABC, David Hill. Now the subject of research – much of it based on oral evidence by former residents – the school’s harsh routine, often bordering on (and sometimes clearly amounting to) child abuse is becoming more openly discussed. The school certainly forms a major part of the region’s history.

The city of Orange itself also reflects its heritage of agricultural and mining wealth and also boasts many impressive structures. It was named by the famous explorer, Thomas Mitchell, after William, Prince of Orange. William is an interesting character in his own right: son of King William III of the Netherlands, and subjected to an attempted union with Princess Alice, second daughter of Queen Victoria of Great Britain he had a subsequent thwarted love affair before descending into a life of debauchery and an early death at the age of 38. But that’s another story. The town also prides itself on being the birthplace of the famous Australian writer and poet A.B. (Banjo) Patterson (though Patterson only lived there a very short time).

Despite losing Banjo the town has grown into a thriving city of about 40,000 people and the service centre for a range of agricultural industries and tourism.

Much of the region’s development has doubtless been attributable to the training provided by the Orange Agricultural College. While going through a somewhat turbulent period in the last couple of decades as it was shunted around as an affiliate of several New South Wales universities the College seems to have settled down as a campus of Charles Sturt University and now offers a range of agriculture-related courses. But little seems known of the College’s history and the influence of its students on the region’s development. There must be more to be discovered here.

Do you have an association – past or present – with the city and its region? If so, what do think visitors should see and explore? If you haven’t visited Orange, what would you like to see and experience?