This was published 9 years ago
Cobar, New South Wales: Travel guide and things to do
Cobar, NSW
Located 711 km north-west of Sydney and 243 m above sea level, Cobar is one of those deceptive country towns which can be driven through by those unaware of its charms and can be a fascinating experience for those who pause to see the superb museum, the old mines, and the gracious homes and public buildings which are hidden in the streets which run off the main street.
Cobar is one of the few towns in Australia where there is a contemporary Aboriginal explanation for the origin of the town. It is said by the local Aborigines that 'gubar', the Aboriginal word for red ochre, was simply corrupted to the Anglicised 'Cobar'.
In This is What Happened: Historical Narratives by Aborigines Luise Hercus records a story told by an old Aborigine, Dave Harris, at Murrin Bridge in 1970.
'You've heard of Cobar, out there, township Cobar? Old blackfellow sitting down there at the burba ( an initiation ceremony). He's making paint for corroboree. He's painting himself for a corroboree. Whitefellow came riding: 'What are you making, Daddy?'
'I'm making paint for corroboree.'
Whitefellow said to him: 'Where did you get that? Show me!'
He showed him the gubar, the red ochre. That's how they named Cobar. The old Blackfellow showed him where it was, and it was copper worth thousands of pounds.'
Dave Harris' story is probably historically accurate. Pastoralists moved into the area in the mid-1860s and it was in 1870 that copper was discovered and the town of Cobar sprung up. By 1871 the townsite had been surveyed and by 1876 the main mines had amalgamated to form the Great Cobar Copper Mining Company. The mines continued to operate until 1920. The scale of the mining operation can be seen from the Museum where the substantial lake in front of the museum was once the open cut for the mine.
At its peak Cobar and the surrounding villages and camp sites had a population of over 10 000 people. It was so prosperous that it even had its own stock exchange.
Cobar's population dropped to a little over 1000 during the 1930s and rose again to stabilise at around 3500 through the 1970s and early 1980s. However the opening of a silver-lead-zinc mine in the early 1980s gave the town a boost so that now the population is about 5300.
The CSA Mine (the letters stand for Cornish, Scottish and Australian) is now New South Wales' largest producer of copper and zinc.
Things to see
Great Cobar Heritage and Visitor Information Centre
Cobar has a number of important historical buildings and boasts an excellent local museum.
The Cobar Regional Museum, now known as Great Cobar Heritage and Visitor Information Centre, is arguably the best rural museum in New South Wales. Unlike most of the folk museums established by local historical societies as repositories for local memorabilia, the Museum has a permanent curator and is constructed as a participatory museum where visitors can smell and touch things like homemade soap made from lard and kerosene and see the history of the Cobar district gradually unfold in a series of excellent displays.
Located in the handsome two storey former Mines Office (1910) on the eastern side of town, the museum starts with Aboriginal occupation, has displays of artifacts and bush foods, moves to displays on the problems of water shortages, looks at the bush skills required by Europeans to survive in this inhospitable land, and then has displays on growing up in Cobar. The upstairs section includes displays on the mining of copper, gold, silver/lead/zinc, and a pastoral section where a local woolshed has been accurately recreated.
Displays in the grounds around the Museum include the Far West Health Carriage which was moved around the Far West by railway, a Robey portable steam engine and some interesting displays of early mining equipment. It is possible also to see the Great Cobar Open Cut, via a walkway from the museum. It is open from Mon-Fri 8:30am-5:00 pm and Weekends/Public Holidays 9:00am-5:00 pm. (Closed Good Friday and Christmas Day and New Year's Day)
Historic Cobar
Town maps are available at the Museum (which is open daily from 10.00 a.m.- 5.00 p.m.) and they indicate clearly the locations of the major historical sites in the town.
The most interesting of the town's buildings include the Great Western Hotel (1898) in the main street which has the longest pub balcony in New South Wales. The pub's timber verandah with cast-iron balustrades and lacework balcony is100 metres long.
The Cobar Court House (1887) in Barton Street is a fine example of a late Victorian Free Classical Style public building. It was later appropriately accompanied by a Court House Hotel (1895), to sustain those about to face the judge, which stands opposite and has been converted into offices for solicitors and accountants.
Fort Bourke Hill
On the Hillston Road out of town (turnoff to the southeast of the town and turn left at the sign to the Filtration Plant) is Fort Bourke Hill which affords an excellent view of the town and the surrounding mining activities and Towser's Huts (take the first turn on your left as you descend from the lookout), a series of stone miner's cottages dating from the late nineteenth century. The date of the cottages is not known for certain. They may have been constructed as early as the 1870s.
It is worth remembering that for most of its life Cobar has had to battle with inadequate water supplies and, while it may not be a sight of great beauty, the Filtration Plant is the lifeblood of the town. In 1966 a pipeline was run from Nyngan to Cobar to provide the town with a large and reliable supply of water.
Aboriginal Rock Art
The Upper Western region is known for its fine Aboriginal art works. Outside Cobar at Mount Grenfell are some of the finest examples of rock art in Australia. There are three main rock shelters with over 1300 richly coloured images including human and animal figures. There are also excellent examples of hand stencils which are made when the hand is placed on the rock and ochre is blown over the hand. There are also some interesting abstract linear designs. These displays, most of which are applied with either fingertip or brush, are regarded as some of the best examples Aboriginal rock art in New South Wales. Aborigines were drawn to the site by a semi-permanent waterhole in what was an otherwise arid area. Head along the Barrier Highway for 40 km towards Wilcannia then take the signposted turnoff along a good gravel road to the picnic-barbecue-toilet area 32 km from the highway.
Tourist information
Great Cobar Outback Heritage Centre
Cobar Regional Museum Barrier Hwy
Cobar NSW 2835
Telephone: (02) 6836 2448
Facsimile: (02) 6836 1818
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