Henty

History

The first European explorer to visit and record the area was Major Thomas Mitchell in 1835. The first settlers arrived around 1850 were squatters, allowed to lease crown land. The area was known as 'Dudal Comer', Wiradjuri for 'Sweetest Water', with the first property station taking this name. The village of Henty was originally called 'Doodle Cooma'. Nearby wetlands are still called Doodle Cooma Swamp; they cover 20 square kilometres and are a breeding area for water birds. The post office changed its name in 1886 as the railway station's name was thought to be confused with Cooma in the Monaro district. The town's new name was after the Henty family of Portland, Victoria and Launceston, Tasmania. Henry Henty had leased Round Hill station north of Gerogery (south of Henty) in the early 1860s (some suggest the lessor was Edward Henty). Bushranger Dan 'Mad Dog' Morgan operated in the area for a time. Two kilometres west of the town on Pleasant Hills Rd (the Lockhart road) is a memorial stone near the site where Morgan shot Sergeant Thomas Smyth in September 1864. A more recent plaque has been erected by the NSW Police Service and reads: "A memorial to Senior Sergeant Thomas Smyth, aged 29. A member of the NSW Police Force shot by bushranger Dan Morgan in the surrounding hills on 4 September 1864. Senior Sergeant Smyth received a gunshot wound to his left shoulder and convalesced at the Imperial Hotel, Albury until 29 September 1864 where he haemorrhaged as a result of the gunshot wound and died. He is buried in an unmarked grave in the Albury cemetery. Dan Morgan was a murderer with a £1000 price on his head. Senior Sergeant Smyth gave his life while in the pursuit of Morgan who although a tourist attraction these days put fear in the people of the district in the…