Cudal

History

Major Thomas Mitchell left on his exploration of inland Australia from the historic homestead Boree Cabonne near Cudal in 1835. Two factors contributed to the establishment of the town of Cudal. One was the 1860s free selection laws of New South Wales, allowing people to move to newer areas of the colony. The second was the need to access the gold fields in Forbes, which required the crossing of Boree Creek. Cudal is situated on the banks of Boree Creek. As a mid way point between Orange and Canowindra and Eugowra, it was a place to rest, see to horses and stay safe from bushrangers. Cudal was first surveyed in 1867. In 1882 the town had two churches, a bank, a public school (founded 1876), five stores, three hotels and a mixture of other businesses. Cudal is located on The Escort Way, an important road within NSW for the transport of gold from the diggings to the main commercial centres. Consequently, bushrangers, including Ben Hall and Frank Gardiner, operated in the area. Many men from the district participated in war as part of the duty for King and country. The memorial park gates on Main Street honour their service and list those who made the supreme sacrifice. The wooden trestle bridge crossing Boree Creek was severely damaged by floods in 1959 and was replaced by a concrete bridge. Hazelton Airlines operated from Cudal airport, located on the flat country to the east of the village, from 1959. It used the airport as both an administrative centre and maintenance facility, until it ceased to operate in the 1990s. Hazeltons was a major employer in the village. On 5 May 2015 a fire destroyed the Royal Hotel on Main Street. It has since been fully demolished. The Commercial Exchange Store, located on Main Street, was built in 1901. It replaced a previous…

Most-observed species

• Australian Magpie

  Gymnorhina tibicen (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  235
• Galah

  Eolophus roseicapilla (Vieillot, 1817) · Aves
  208
• Eastern Rosella

  Platycercus eximius (Shaw, 1792) · Aves
  169
• Noisy Miner

  Manorina melanocephala (Latham, 1801) · Aves
  158
• Sulphur-crested Cockatoo

  Cacatua galerita (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  140
• Superb Parrot

  Polytelis swainsonii (Desmarest, 1826) · Aves
  123
• Magpie-lark

  Grallina cyanoleuca (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  117
• Superb Fairywren

  Malurus cyaneus (Ellis, 1782) · Aves
  115

Most recent

• M 4.5 — 2026-04-14
  24 km ENE of Canowindra, Australia
• M 4.2 — 2017-04-13
  23 km WSW of Millthorpe, Australia
• M 3.7 — 2008-03-18
  32 km NE of Peak Hill, Australia
• M 4.2 — 2006-10-21
  48 km ESE of Cowra, Australia
• M 2.7 — 2006-06-30
  21 km SSE of Cowra, Australia
• M 2.9 — 2005-02-20
  19 km S of Cowra, Australia