Yarrangobilly Village, NSW
1.5 km (1 hr )
★★☆☆☆

The Yarrangobilly area was first settled in the 1830s by graziers, but it was the discovery of gold in nearby Kiandra in 1859 that led to the establishment of Yarrangobilly Village. A police station was built here in 1860 to protect the gold escort on its way to Tumut. The gold rush was short lived, but some settlers remained to graze stock and log the nearby forests. In 1889 Yarrangobilly was proclaimed a village and in 1899 Cotterill's Cottage was built, now the only remaining building in the former village.

While I have passed through Yarrangobilly Village a number of times, and even camped here before, this was the first time I had a few hours in which to explore in more detail. Set along the banks of Yarrangobilly River, the large grassed area has space for a number of campsites and there are a few semi-hidden points of interest in the surrounding area (like the ruins of another house on the hillside). Unfortunately, much of the surrounding area was closed due to the effects of the devastating bushfires in the previous summer. It was fantastic that Cotterill's Cottage was spared (the oldest surviving structure in the area). A word of caution for those planning to camp in winter as I did. This area is a frost hollow, with temperatures dropping below zero overnight (-5 degrees when I camped!).