Koorawatha
Township famous for a gun battle between
police and the bushranger Ben Hall.
Located 337 km from Sydney, Koorawatha is a tiny
township on the Olympic Highway between Young and Cowra whose only real
claim to fame is that it was once the setting for one of Ben Hall's
daring, and unsuccessful, bushranging ventures.
On 20 May, 1864 Hall, ably assisted by Tom Gordon
and Jimmy Dunleavy attempted to hold up the Bang Bang Hotel (tragically
it was demolished in the 1940s) but found themselves involved in a
desperate gun battle with two policemen. Hall and his accomplices were
forced to retreat.
Things to see:
The Site of the Gun Battle
There is a sign where the old Bang Bang Hotel used to
be. It is located under a peppercorn tree about half a kilometre from
the Olympic Highway and reads:
"Koorawatha Inn. This sign marks the site of the old
Koorawatha Inn. On Friday 20th May, 1864 Ben Hall, Jimmy Dunleavy and
Tom Gordon tried to steal some racehorses which were stabled at the
rear of the inn, but were driven off after a battle with constables
Scott and McNamara. 25 shots were fired by the bushrangers and 9 by the police.'
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Hotels
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Railway Hotel
Olympic Way
Koorawatha
NSW
2807
Telephone: (02) 6345 3401
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Restaurants
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Railway Hotel
Olympic Way
Koorawatha
NSW
2807
Telephone: (02) 6345 3401
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