WOLUMLA

Wolumla’s location was determined by the route of the Bega to Eden road. It was the junction of that road and the road that connected the coast to the Monaro.

Its name is derived from the Aboriginal word for wattle, and reflects one of the early activities common in the area – the collection of wattle bark for use in the tanning industry.

Originally Wolumla was about three miles from the current site at Three Mile Yellow Waterhole, a stopover for teamsters travelling down the Tantawangalo Mountain road from the Monaro.

In 1898 gold was discovered nearby on Mt Momsen. This led to rapid growth of the town. Three batteries were reported to be fully employed crushing rock from this goldfield, and over the 12 years to 1908 (by which time gold mining at Wolumla had largely ceased) about 670kg of gold and 100kg of silver had been recovered.

The town then serviced and became the centre of a prosperous farming community. A butter factory was erected in South Wolumla in 1887 (it was one of the first co-operative dairy factories in the state). It operated until 1967.

On a visit to the town in 1888, the NSW Premier, Sir Henry Parkes, promised that railway lines would be built from Bombala to Wolumla and from Bega to Eden, and that they would meet at Wolumla. This raised optimism that Wolumla would become an important railway town and the name of the hotel was changed to the Railway Junction Hotel – the name that the town’s only remaining hotel still bears.