Young, a former gold-mining town in
Central West NSW, lies in the western shadows of the Great Dividing Range.
Until it was gazetted as Young in 1861, the town was called Lambing Flat, and it was under that name that it is chronicled in a shameful incident of Australian history.
In June, 1861, more than 3000 miners set upon the Chinese community, 'looting, burning and inflicting fearful injuries' in a brutal attempt to establish European dominance on the goldfields.
Young’s Historical Museum contains many relics of the town’s mining past, including the flag carried by the miners during the riots.
Gold was discovered near Young just a year before the riots, with the diggings quickly spreading to encompass some 200 square miles, making them the richest and most populous goldfields in New South Wales. In all, more than 470,000 ounces of gold were extracted by more than 20,000 miners who scavenged the hard earth in search of their fortunes.
Always an innovative town, Young was the first city outside the capitals to introduce both electricity into homes and the school bus concept.
The gold is long gone, and the lovely country town of Young is best known these days for the production of cherries and prunes, and for several excellent wineries.
Find out more about the
Central West region.
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