The Central West covers a region of great antiquity in geological history. The present natural topography of the region stretches westerly from the mountainous flanks of the Great Dividing Range, through the undulating Tablelands to the flat floodplains of the Lachlan. As the topography changes so do the soil types and geological formations that provide evidence of the formation of this ancient landscape. Rainfall flows westwards, through rapid streams and limestone caves in the east to ever broader and slower river systems in the west with associated seasonal wetlands. The natural vegetation and associated ecosystems of these land forms similarly varies from dense eucalypt forests in the east through to the cypress pine woodlands and open grasslands of the west.
Aboriginal cultures and interactions with other cultures
The Aboriginal people of the Central West are part of a living and vibrant culture that has adapted
to the invasion and occupation of the region by people from other cultures. Twenty-first Century Wiradjuri cultures have their own
practices and identities, and their own remembrances and histories of their interactions with other peoples.
At the beginning of the
nineteenth century the Wiradjuri linguistic group occupied the land from south of the Murrumbidgee to north of the Lachlan as far
as the upper reaches of the Macquarie River. Small clans or related family groups moved around regularly within fairly discrete territories
following seasonal and ritual patterns. The rivers contributed to food supplies and many meeting places and sites of special significance
were located along them. There are (or were) relatively large numbers of carved trees associated with important sites, especially
burial places.
On the Central Tablelands areas most favoured by the local Wiradjuri also attracted the most interest from colonial
settlers. This lead to several battles, and the building of defensive homesteads. The colonial Limits of Location, defined in October
1829 followed the Wammerawa or Wambool (Macquarie River) and formed a de facto border. The colonial authorities established a headquarters
at Bathurst, and a convict station at Wellington, both forming military outposts along this border as it passed through the region.
Local
Wiradjuri people had many apprehensions about the colonial settlers and their military attendants, and by the 1840s when there was
widespread dislocation of Aboriginal culture. The handing out of blankets and supplies at Hartley and Mudgee in the 1840s and the
holding of Corroborees in the hills around Mudgee until the 1850s were some of the last reported signs of a traditional Aboriginal
presence in the Central Tablelands. Significant numbers of Aboriginal people remained on the Lachlan Plains for many years after the
arrival of Europeans, and relationships with the rivers and plains continued to be important. However the continuance of traditional
or cultural practices such as Corroborees becoming increasingly difficult as crops and stock took over more and more land.
Reserves
and missions began to be established through the region from the 1890s to contain and control Wiradjuri refugees, and to create a
stable pool of labour.
Convict
Despite living in a society in which status, kin and birthplace precisely defined one’s place,
the Wiradjuri had no form of incarceration or servile subjection. Thus, the entry of white Europeans into the Central West and Lachlan
with their society sharply divided into free and convict was a profound shock to the Wiradjuri.
The term ‘convict system’ refers to
the incarceration of prisoners convicted of criminal offences in the United Kingdom and certain British colonies and transported to
New South Wales between 1787 and 1840. Transportation to the colony ceased in 1840, but it was some years before the system was finally
wound down as sentences expired.
Ethnic influences
Ethnic and cultural difference initially was sharply distinguished by the contrastbetween white European settlers and the darker Wiradjuri inhabitants.
The Central West and Lachlan region has become the home to several shared cultural traditions, and to exchanges between such traditions. It is perhaps the cultural traditions and ethnicity derived from England that is the most pervasive and, because of its naturalisation, the most difficult to see. Place names such as Bathurst,Wellington and Orange typify this influence. Yet, although the English like to think they represent all of Britain, the Scots, Welsh, and Irish form distinct sub-cultures, as do the Cornish. Each group is well represented. In some localities their presence has created a recognizable local style. The Welsh and Cornish were often miners and they have left their mark at places such as Byng. The Scottish Presbyterian influence is demonstrated at Cooerwull.
European influences can be understood in the vineyards and wine making practices
of French and German vintners.
Influences closer to Australia are mainly Chinese, still evident in many old mine sites and memories
of Chinese market gardens and ringbarking. Chinese were also prominent as retailers in many towns, and have left a legacy of buildings
associated with their businesses such as at Wellington and Stuart Town. There is also a hint of African influences in the names of
early pastoralists such as ‘Black Sims’ of Merool Station. A number of Maoris worked on pastoral stations or odd jobs through thedistrict.
Migration
The movement and resettlement of peoples in the region reflects the broader movement of peoples in NSW since
the early nineteenth century. There they came up against the Wiradjuri who were contending with and influx of lighter skinned people,principally from Britain, but also from other parts of Europe and Asia.
Generally, people have moved from the port and suburbs of Sydney
over the mountains and into the region during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, motivated by the availability of alluvial
gold, then of cheap farm land and philosophies of the need for ‘closer settlement’. The pull of work in various mines, which operated
across the Central West and Lachlan, fuelled a migratory lifestyle for miners. After crossing the seas from Cornwall or Wales, these
miners and their families moved from mine to mine as mines opened up and closed down. Chain migration was an important factor, as
one member of the family came first, set up a base and then sent for other members of the clan. Copper mining and later gold mining
and the mining of coal attracted such men and their families. By the later nineteenth century, shale mining and limestone mining was
also acting as a magnet for these men. Many men worked as waged labour in the mines, though others worked on a tribute system. A different
mode of employment was that of the free gold miner working for himself.
The Central West and Lachlan also experienced notable
inter-colonial migration from South Australia and Victoria, especially in the search for gold. Farmers from Victoria and South Australia
and those from further east in New South Wales moved in to take up land.
Another wave of migration occurred with the seasons. As different
tasks were undertaken in the agricultural year, such as shearing, planting and harvesting, seasonal workers arrived to offer their
labour to assist with the work. Usually, they were unskilled. Many of them were non-British, since that was the only work available
to them. Accommodation for them was provided on many rural properties.
The movement of people into the region had several
results besides increased population, such as the resistance by Wiradjuri communities to being relocated to make way for newcomers,
and the creation of refugee Wiradjuri communities on missions and reserves.
As in all stories of migration there are tales of fear
and hope, of being pushed or pulled: ultimately, the region is probably representative of other country regions in NSW where migration
has been a prime factor in creating the present population and its distribution in the Central West.
These new peoples left their mark. Sometimes, particular ethnic practices or skills affected the area. In other cases, they became significant for other reasons.
Edited by ES(NW) 7.7.2012