Tarago, NSW

Eleven kilometres along the Braidwood Road from Lake Bathurst lies the village of Tarago. The village boasts a number of historical buildings, particularly the Anglican Church, the Railway Station dating from 1884, and the Loaded Dog Hotel established in 1848. The hotel is an important part of Australia's heritage. It was the meeting place and 'safe house' for many bushrangers, including the notorious Frank Gardiner and Ben Hall. Much of the hotel is still in the original stone, brick and wood of that era. For many years Tarago was a staging post and railhead for the southern line. The Loaded Dog Hotel is part of the Merino Country food, wine & culture trail.

Tarago lies in a valley through which the Mulwaree Ponds flow towards Goulburn. The major industry in the area was the Woodlawn Mine that operated for about 20 years, producing copper, lead and zinc. It has now been converted to Woodlawn Bioreactor that is using the latest technology to treat and dispose of waste material transported by rail from Sydney. Bioreactor technology is a waste treatment process founded on the principles of anaerobic digestion. The Waste will become the fuel for producing considerable volumes of landfill gas to generate green electricity sufficient to power a city of 30,000 people for more than 50 years. Coach groups to Woodlawn can have the whole operation explained, including a visit to the viewing platform. Group tours can be arranged through the Visitor Information Centre.

Sheep and cattle production have been the mainstay of the district's development. The Tarago & District Show is held in March and includes a dog show, horse show, shearing competition and entertainment for all ages.

This dry grassy valley once contained towering forests of ribbon gum and candlebark, together with much of the wildlife found in these forests. The grassland and snowgum copses that remain come alive in spring with the vibrant colours of wildflowers such as native buttercups and daisies as well as a host of ground orchids.

Winter is heralded by the clogging of fences with the seedheads of several species of 'blowaway' grasses. One of the most common is Hairy Panic (Panicum effusum), a species that often forms great clumps along the fence lines. The small seeds were once husked by hand to be ground into flour by the local Aboriginal people using grinding stones and hand mortars.

See MAP for location.