The Australian Hotel (known as Ironbark Inn)

Stuart Town (including Mumbil and Mookerawa Park)
Small service centre in the Central Western Slopes.
Stuart Town is a small town of about 300 people which is situated in a hillside hollow, 34 km south-east of Wellington and 380 km north-west of Sydney. It is a small service centre to the surrounding area where sheep and cattle farming and orchards are the major enterprises. There are two general stores and an hotel.

The route to Stuart Town follows that to Lake Burrendong. 5 km south of Wellington turn left. After 16 km there is a T-intersection. Instead of turning left to the lake, turn right and head south. 3 km brings you to the village of Mumbil. Although it was established with the arrival of the railway in 1879, the village did not really develop until the 1950s when it became the home of those involved in the construction of Lake Burrendong . Another 10 km south is Stuart Town. The road is sealed all the way.

Stuart Town (like Mookerawa) sprang up when a goldrush was sparked in the 1870s, although it is claimed that the gold was first found in the 1840s by a shepherd who did not know what he had.

The settlement was originally known as Ironbark, after the trees in the area. As such, it is the 'Ironbark' mentioned in 'Banjo' Paterson's well-known poem, 'The Man from Ironbark'.

It has been claimed that there were as many as 6000 persons working the local fields at the peak of activities, though this may well be an exaggeration. At any rate it is clear that they were of very mixed origins, including many Chinese. While the Europeans worked individually or in small groups the Chinese worked in units numbering in the hundreds which consisted of a large extended family and friends. They worked in shifts and built water races which ran for kilometres to supply water for washing.

Reef mining was also extensively conducted though water-logging defeated many, as the effort of clearing tunnels by bucket was so exhausting and slow. After its retrieval the ore was crushed in a stamper battery. The gold was retained on mercury-coated copper plates.

By 1880 there were four hotels in existence, with another at Mookerawa. The first gold dredging in NSW was allegedly carried out here in 1899. Most mining had ceased in 1914 although some dredging continued until 1958. Reef and alluvial activities retrieved 4 metric tonnes of gold between 1875 and 1914. In the early days an ounce (28.3 g) of gold was worth three times an average weekly wage. The riches attracted a number of bushrangers. Ben Hall and his associates robbed a wine shanty at Mookerawa at one point. The well-known NSW Premier, Robert Askin, was born at Stuart Town in 1901.

Stuart Town's annual fair is held at Easter and Mumbil's on the Australia Day weekend.

Things to see:  

Tourist Information
The major information centre in the area is at Wellington, tel: (02) 6845 1733. You can also ring the Ironbark Inn on (02) 6846 8224.

Buildings
The town has two 19th-century commercial buildings. The Railway Hotel (1880) has been recently restored and it is now a community centre, used principally as a craft outlet on Tuesdays and Thursdays and during the Easter markets. The Ironbark Inn was originally the Carrington Hotel (1888).

Town Common
There are numerous old mines on the 1000-acre town common which can be accessed by crossing the railway line from town. You can pitch a tent and undertake some bushwalking and birdwatching as the area has plenty of fauna and flora of interest. Splitter's Gully, at the southern end of town, in the wooded area of the common, was the richest part of the reef. You can try your luck panning in the creeks. Be careful, however, as some of the derelict shafts and tunnels can be dangerous. It is claimed by some that only the easily accessible material has been removed and that 90 per cent remains. Gold pans can be hired from Muller's Store, tel: (02) 6846 8223 or Paterson's Garage, tel: (02) 6846 8341. Enquiries about the old goldfields can be directed to either.

Mookerawa Park
An 11-km branch road heads north-east from Stuart Town to Mookerawa Park, on the shore of Lake Burrendong. About halfway along, to the left, is an early miner's hut beside the remains of an old Chinese oven.

At Mookerawa Park there are picnic and barbecue facilities, a kiosk, camping areas, 200 unpowered caravan sites and an amenities block. There are boat ramps for related water activities such as fishing, waterskiing and boating. See the entry on Wellington for more information on the dam, the lakeside recreation areas to the north and the related arboretum.

Burrendong Foreshore Tours run tag-along 4WD treks which investigate goldmining relics around the lake. Many sites were submerged by the dam but, as the water supply is currently so low, some have been temporarily revealed once more. The tours run on Saturdays at 1.00 p.m. and Sunday at 9.00 a.m. and 1.30 p.m., tel: (02) 6846 7575.

	Hotels
	Ironbark Inn Molong St Stuart Town NSW 2820 Telephone: (02) 6846 8824
	Mumbil Tavern Hotel 34 Railway Crst Mumbil Stuart Town NSW 2820 Telephone: (02) 6846 7426
	Caravan Parks
	Mookerawa Waters Park Via Stuart Town on fore shore of Lake Burrendong Stuart Town NSW 2820 Telephone: (02) 6846 8268
	Restaurants
	Mumbil Tavern Hotel 34 Railway Crst Mumbil Stuart Town NSW 2820 Telephone: (02) 6846 7426