Bigga, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Bigga is a village
in the Southern Tablelands
of New South Wales
, Australia
, in Upper Lachlan Shire. It is in the Parish of Bigga, County of Georgiana. As of 2006, the village had a population of 193 people. The name Bigga is thought to originate as a shortened version of the Biggs Grant. Bigga is on the western side of the Abercrombie Mountains. It is 91 km northwest of Goulburn
and 52 km southeast of Cowra
. Nearby towns are: Abercrombie, Binda
, Greenmantle, Grabine, Reids Flat
, and Tuena
. Nearby places are: Blanket Flat and Crooked Corner. These places were once towns.
Bigga is noted for producing some of the world's finest superfine wool
.
The earliest explorer into the Bigga area was James Meehan
who passed through in April 1820, travelling from Mount McDonald to Bathurst
, via what was then called the Fish River, but today is known as the Lachlan River
. The first official land sale in the region was of 1000 acres (404.7 ha) at Sandy Creek to Samuel Blackman in 1835. Sandy Creek was one of the first fine wool farms in the district. During the 1850s there was a land boom and numerous families added to the three original families of the area: the McGuinesses, Blackmans and the Hearnes. After this the area again did not attract new settlers until the 1880s. Bigga village was proclaimed in 1892. In May 1896 a Bigga and Blanket Flat progress association was formed.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in the Southern Tablelands
Southern Tablelands
The Southern Tablelands is a geographic area of the State of New South Wales, Australia. This area is located west of the Great Dividing Range.The area is characterised by flat country which has generally been extensively cleared and used for grazing purposes...
of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, in Upper Lachlan Shire. It is in the Parish of Bigga, County of Georgiana. As of 2006, the village had a population of 193 people. The name Bigga is thought to originate as a shortened version of the Biggs Grant. Bigga is on the western side of the Abercrombie Mountains. It is 91 km northwest of Goulburn
Goulburn, New South Wales
Goulburn is a provincial city in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia in Goulburn Mulwaree Council Local Government Area. It is located south-west of Sydney on the Hume Highway and above sea-level. On Census night 2006, Goulburn had a population of 20,127 people...
and 52 km southeast of Cowra
Cowra, New South Wales
Cowra is a town in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia in the Cowra Shire. It is located on the Mid-Western Highway, 317 kilometres west of Sydney on the banks of the Lachlan River at an altitude of 310 metres above sea level. At the 2006 census Cowra had a population of 8,430...
. Nearby towns are: Abercrombie, Binda
Binda, New South Wales
Binda is a village in the Southern Tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia in Upper Lachlan Shire. In 2006, Binda had a population of 131 people.It is about 17 km north-north-west of Crookwell in the county of Georgiana...
, Greenmantle, Grabine, Reids Flat
Reids Flat, New South Wales
Reids Flat is a small historic village sited on the south bank of the Lachlan River, approximately 40 kilometres southeast of Wyangala Dam, in the northeastern corner of Boorowa Shire, in the South West Slopes region of New South Wales, hidden in the Great Dividing Range.The village – now...
, and Tuena
Tuena, New South Wales
Tuena is a town in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia in Upper Lachlan Shire. It is located west of the state capital, Sydney.-External links:* - Southern Tableland tourism site...
. Nearby places are: Blanket Flat and Crooked Corner. These places were once towns.
Bigga is noted for producing some of the world's finest superfine wool
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
.
The earliest explorer into the Bigga area was James Meehan
James Meehan
James Meehan was an Irish-Australian explorer and surveyor.Meehan was born in Ireland in 1774, and was one of a number of political prisoners who arrived in Australia in February 1800. Two months later he became an assistant to Charles Grimes, the surveyor-general, and went with him to explore the...
who passed through in April 1820, travelling from Mount McDonald to Bathurst
Bathurst, New South Wales
-CBD and suburbs:Bathurst's CBD is located on William, George, Howick, Russell, and Durham Streets. The CBD is approximately 25 hectares and surrounds two city blocks. Within this block layout is banking, government services, shopping centres, retail shops, a park* and monuments...
, via what was then called the Fish River, but today is known as the Lachlan River
Lachlan River
- Course :The river rises in the central highland of New South Wales, part of the Great Dividing Range, 13 km east of Gunning. Its major headwaters, the Carcoar River, the Belubula River and the Abercrombie River converge near the town of Cowra. Minor tributaries include the Morongla Creek...
. The first official land sale in the region was of 1000 acres (404.7 ha) at Sandy Creek to Samuel Blackman in 1835. Sandy Creek was one of the first fine wool farms in the district. During the 1850s there was a land boom and numerous families added to the three original families of the area: the McGuinesses, Blackmans and the Hearnes. After this the area again did not attract new settlers until the 1880s. Bigga village was proclaimed in 1892. In May 1896 a Bigga and Blanket Flat progress association was formed.