Celebrating a rich natural, cultural and man-made heritage, the region was traditionally owned by the Wiradjuri people with European settlement dating around 1823.

Why Orange?
Orange was named by Sir Thomas Mitchell in honour of Prince William of Orange with whom he served during the Peninsular War in Spain and who later became the King of Holland.

A first for gold
The first payable gold in Australia was discovered at Ophir near Orange in 1851 and thousands of people flocked to the diggings.

Architectural era
It was gold that brought the impetus to the growth of Orange and like many towns born of this era several landmark buildings remain. Grand stately homes such as Duntryleague, Croagh Patrick and Wolaroi mansion are a reminder of the prosperity of the region, while Bloomfield Hospital showcases federation and art-deco style buildings amongst several hectares of park- like grounds.

Banjo
Australian poet, Andrew Barton ‘Banjo’ Paterson was born just outside of Orange in 1864 and spent time growing up in the village of Yeoval. The Banjo Paterson memorial park is
at the site of his birthplace along Ophir Road.

Agriculture
In addition to grazing and cropping, orcharding has played an important part in the development of the region and an excellent display of our agricultural past can be seen at the Golden Memories Museum in Millthorpe.

Before man...
A chance discovery in 1955 near Canowindra revealed an extensive fossil bed of over 3500 freshwater fish from the Devonian period - over 360 million years old. Visit the Age of Fishes Museum in Canowindra for an interactive display for all ages.