Millthorpe

Millthorpe and its distinctive bluestone buildings are blanketed by a National Trust listing, but, had the political fates been kinder, the small Central Tablelands town might well have been a national showcase. Just outside town near the turnoff to Spring Hill stand some large granite blocks that mark an area which, back in the 1890s, was seriously considered as the site of the national capital. In the end, of course, Canberra got the nod. About 30km south of Orange, Millthorpe is at the centre of a region which raged with gold fever in the 1850s and the Golden Memories Museum is located in the Good Templars Hall which was built in 1881. The remains of John Lister, co-discoverer of gold at Ophir in 1851, rest in a grave in the local cemetery. The Old Mill Café, which occupies one of the town's original bakeries dating back to the 1890s doubles as a visitors' information centre. Contemporary main street buildings accommodate gift shops, a craft gallery and a period lolly shop. The magnificent old railway station which was built in 1870 is attended by a slightly younger Railway Hotel.