Oberon, New South Wales
Oberon is a town located within the Oberon Council local government area, in the central tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia. The main industries are farming, forestry and wood products. The town usually receives snowfall during the winter months, owing to its high elevation. At the 2016 census, Oberon had a population of 3,256 people.[1]
| Oberon New South Wales | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Oberon Street, the main street of Oberon | |||||||||
  Oberon | |||||||||
| Coordinates | 33°43′S 149°52′E | ||||||||
| Population | 3,256 (2016 census)[1] | ||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 2787 | ||||||||
| Elevation | 1,113 m (3,652 ft) | ||||||||
| LGA(s) | Oberon Council | ||||||||
| County | Westmoreland | ||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Bathurst | ||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Calare | ||||||||
| |||||||||
It is the birthplace of Greens politician Bob Brown, Ken Sutcliffe, supermotard rider Scott Saul and former Penrith Panthers player Mark Booth and Dr Therese Wales. Oberon is located near Jenolan Caves and the Kanangra-Boyd National Park.
Legendary Australian pub rock band Cold Chisel filmed the video clip to their hit song Flame Trees in and around Oberon. The song's lyrics (written by Cold Chisel keyboardist Don Walker) present the story of a young man returning to his hometown, where he reminisces about the past and his former girlfriend from the region.
History
The Fish River Creek Post Office opened on 1 January 1855 and was renamed Oberon in 1866.[2]
Heritage listings
Oberon has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
- Blue Mountains National Park: Blue Mountains walking tracks[3]
- 124 Oberon Street: Malachi Gilmore Memorial Hall[4]
- Tarana-Oberon railway: Oberon railway station[5]
- Caves Road: Jenolan Caves[6]
Commercial area
Oberon's main streets are Carrington Avenue–Oberon Street and Ross Street. The town has several parks and sports facilities. Such parks include the Oberon Showground, Cunynghame Oval, and Apex Park. Oberon also has a museum on North Street. Oberon has a caravan park on Cunynghame Street off North Street, a hospital on North Street, a camping ground adjacent to the caravan park and a wood gallery on Oberon Street. Rotary Lookout is located on Abercrombie Road and to the east of the town is the Blenheim State Forest which includes walking tracks.
Culture
Fishing is a pastime possible at Lake Oberon and The Reef Reserve. Oberon also has a golf club off Hume Street.
Oberon is known for its two inns, the Big Trout Motor Inn and the Highlands Motor Inn.
South of the town is Lake Oberon, Oberon Dam and the Fish River. There is a picnic area at the dam and a reserve with walking tracks near the lake.
Rugby league football coach Craig Bellamy started his playing career with Oberon Tigers team in the 1970s.[7]
Mayfield Garden is a popular botanical garden that covers 16 hectares (40 acres) of land. It is open daily, except on public holidays and there is an entry fee.
Jillaroo turned interior designer, fashionista and active wear entrepreneur Rachael Challinor spent her formative years in Oberon before moving to Sydney. Known for her sometimes abrasive and outspoken views, she credits the town's Big Trout as a key source of influence on her prolific artistic and creative works in her later years .
Transport
From 1923 to 1979, Oberon was served by a branch railway line noted for its very steep 4% gradients and very sharp 100 m radius curves.[8] Following closure, that line was allowed to fall into disrepair, but has been under restoration by the volunteer organisation Oberon Tarana Heritage Railway since 2005.[9]
Road access
- From Bathurst it is around 49 km (30 mi) southeast, along the sealed O'Connell Road.
- From Great Western Highway near Hartley it is around 50 km (31 mi) south-west, along the sealed Jenolan Caves and Duckmaloi Roads.
- From Goulburn it is around 140 km (87 mi) north, along the sealed Goulburn-Oberon Road.
- Relief maps of the area are provided by NSW Central Ranges Weather.[10]
Bus connection
From 1 June 2020, there is a Monday to Friday morning bus service to Tarana station where it connects with the Bathurst Bullet train to Sydney Central with an afternoon return connection. This replaced the previous three days a week coach service to Mount Victoria[11][12]
Climate
Oberon has an oceanic climate (Cfb); with mild to warm summers, cool to cold winters averaging 0° to 9 °C and evenly-spread precipitation throughout the year. Frosts occur regularly during autumn, winter and spring. Because of its elevation and windward position, moderate to occasionally heavy snowfalls can be expected each year.
| Climate data for Oberon (Albion St.) (1946–2020); 1,088 m AMSL; 33° 43′ 00.12″ S | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 36.9 (98.4) |
38.6 (101.5) |
32.6 (90.7) |
28.1 (82.6) |
23.1 (73.6) |
17.1 (62.8) |
16.8 (62.2) |
20.2 (68.4) |
25.6 (78.1) |
30.1 (86.2) |
35.3 (95.5) |
37.9 (100.2) |
38.6 (101.5) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 25.1 (77.2) |
23.9 (75.0) |
21.5 (70.7) |
17.3 (63.1) |
13.2 (55.8) |
9.5 (49.1) |
8.8 (47.8) |
10.4 (50.7) |
13.8 (56.8) |
17.2 (63.0) |
20.1 (68.2) |
23.3 (73.9) |
17.0 (62.6) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 11.1 (52.0) |
11.2 (52.2) |
9.1 (48.4) |
5.5 (41.9) |
2.6 (36.7) |
0.9 (33.6) |
−0.3 (31.5) |
0.4 (32.7) |
2.3 (36.1) |
4.8 (40.6) |
6.8 (44.2) |
9.1 (48.4) |
5.3 (41.5) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −0.5 (31.1) |
1.7 (35.1) |
−2.2 (28.0) |
−4.0 (24.8) |
−6.3 (20.7) |
−8.5 (16.7) |
−8.7 (16.3) |
−7.2 (19.0) |
−5.8 (21.6) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
−2.5 (27.5) |
−3.0 (26.6) |
−8.7 (16.3) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 80.1 (3.15) |
60.9 (2.40) |
65.7 (2.59) |
57.3 (2.26) |
59.7 (2.35) |
78.5 (3.09) |
70.6 (2.78) |
74.5 (2.93) |
67.2 (2.65) |
77.8 (3.06) |
71.5 (2.81) |
74.6 (2.94) |
838.4 (33.01) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 7.9 | 7.5 | 7.9 | 7.8 | 9.0 | 11.7 | 11.1 | 10.8 | 9.6 | 9.5 | 8.1 | 7.7 | 108.6 |
| Source: [13] | |||||||||||||
References
- Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Oberon". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
- Phoenix Auctions History. "Oberon Post Office". Phoenix Auctions. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
- "Blue Mountains Walking tracks". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H00980. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
- "Malachi Gilmore Memorial Hall". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H01680. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
- "Oberon Railway Station group". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H01215. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
- "Jenolan Caves Reserve". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H01698. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
- Alan Whiticker. "Craig Bellamy". rugbyleagueproject.org. Shawn Dollin, Andrew Ferguson and Bill Bates. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
- "Oberon Branch". nswrail.net. Rolfe Bozier. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
- Oberon Tarana Heritage Railway. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
- Relief maps of the area NSW Central Ranges Weather
- On the buses: Coach to Tarana is travelling five days a week Oberon Review 12 June 2020
- New Tarana bus service connects Oberon residents with Bathurst Bullet Transport for NSW 26 May 2020
- Climate statistics for Australian locations: Oberon (Springbank). Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
