“Certainly the people of Forbes and all Australians can be proud of this splendid and imaginative project.”
They were the words of then Prime Minister Gough Whitlam on 17 May 1975 as he officially opened the Lachlan Vintage Village.
Friday marks the 50th anniversary of the occasion, which launched years of the thriving tourist attraction – and education resource – for Forbes.
The Village preserved and served as a reminder of the architecture, traditions and lifestyles of an earlier age, Mr Whitlam said at the opening.
“The colonial history of NSW is rich in incident and adventure,” Mr Whitlam said, his speech notes published on the Australian Government’s PM transcripts website.
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“The old Lachlan diggings, the origins of Australian agriculture and the development of rural transport have all been painstakingly recreated in this display, the result is a tribute to the skill of builders, designers, workmen, craftsmen and technicians of the district.”
While the village officially closed to the public in 2004, it was for years a significant part of Forbes and Australia’s heritage tourism.
Schools brought students from all around to try panning for gold, to see blacksmithing or horse-drawn farm machinery.
Forbes Shire Council purchased the site in 2017, the building that is now our Visitor Information Centre was once a 17-stand woolshed at Trigalana.
