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Forbes is a town in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia, located on the Newell Highway between Parkes and West Wyalong. At the , Forbes had a population of 8,432. Forbes is probably named after Sir Francis Forbes, first Chief Justice of NSW. Located on the banks of the Lachlan River, Forbes is above sea-level and about west of Sydney. The district is a cropping area where wheat and similar crops are grown. Nearby towns and villages include Calarie, Parkes, Bedgerebong, Bundabarrah, Corradgery, Daroobalgie, Eugowra, Ooma North and Paytens Bridge. Forbes is subject to a pattern of flooding, generally occurring to a significant level once every seven years, including 2016.[1] [edit] History
The area was home to the Wiradjuri people before non-indigenous settlement. John Oxley passed through in 1817 during one of the first inland expeditions. Oxley named the site Camp Hill. He was unimpressed with the clay soil, poor timber and swamps and he concluded, it is impossible to imagine a worse country. The first settlers moved into the district in 1834. Gold was discovered by Harry Stephan, also known as "German Harry", in June 1861.[2] Initially about 30,000 people moved to the goldfields, but by 1863 this had declined to about 3,500 because of the difficult mining conditions. The goldfields were originally named "Black Ridge", and the name "Forbes" celebrating Sir Francis Forbes was declared from Sydney as the result of a possible government administrative error. It is said that the name was meant for the town now known as "Hill End" between Orange and Mudgee, where gold was discovered around a similar time. Gold was initially found in the area known as Halpin's Flat. The Albion Hotel, once a Cobb and Co. stage coach stop, had tunnels situated underneath which were used during the gold rush to convey gold and money to and from the banks to minimise the chance of theft.[2] The Albion Hotel burnt down on 10 February 2009, losing years worth of history and memorabilia. One of Australia's most renowned bushrangers, Ben Hall, was shot dead in an early morning police ambush about to the north-west of Forbes on 5 May 1865. Hall and his gang were famous for stealing of gold and £3,700 from the nearby town of Eugowra in 1862. He is buried in Forbes Cemetery. Kate Kelly, the sister of bushranger Ned Kelly, lived in the town. She drowned in Lake Forbes while saving an Aboriginal child during a flood in 1898 and was found in a lagoon of the Lachlan River, just outside Forbes.[3] She is buried in Forbes Cemetery.[4] [edit] Research Tips
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