Sofala

History

Sofala came about as a direct result of the gold rush which had been triggered when Edward Hargraves discovered gold at Summerhill Creek on 12 February 1851. By June of that year, thousands of people had set up mining operations in the valley, and both the Royal Hotel and a general store were built in 1851 to handle the increased demand. Initially, gold was found in the area known as Gold Point on the Turon River. When the alluvial gold ran out, activity switched to quartz reef mining. The town was a centre of opposition to the gold licensing system in New South Wales at the time. A considerable number of the miners were Chinese. Sofala Public School was established in 1878. There was an Anglican church, which was closed in 2019, and a Catholic convent. The Convent opened in 1872 and closed in 1909, although it was a church until 1970. Contemporary attractions include the gold-rush-era Sofala Royal Hotel and the old gaol. Sofala is reportedly the oldest surviving gold-rush town in Australia. Small-scale gold workings are still active in the area, with prospectors using metal detectors, gold pans, and sluice boxes to recover small quantities of gold.

Most-observed species

• Serrated Tussock Grass

  Nassella trichotoma (Nees) Hack. & Arechav. · Liliopsida
  611
• Blackberry

  Rubus fruticosus L. · Magnoliopsida
  602
• koala

  Phascolarctos cinereus (Goldfuss, 1817) · Mammalia
  223
• Australian Magpie

  Gymnorhina tibicen (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  181
• Crimson Rosella

  Platycercus elegans (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  119
• White-throated Treecreeper

  Cormobates leucophaea (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  114
• Superb Fairywren

  Malurus cyaneus (Ellis, 1782) · Aves
  108
• Pied Currawong

  Strepera graculina (Shaw, 1790) · Aves
  104

Most recent

• M 4.5 — 2026-04-14
  24 km ENE of Canowindra, Australia
• M 3 — 2020-11-20
  27 km S of Oberon, Australia
• M 4.2 — 2017-04-13
  23 km WSW of Millthorpe, Australia