WALCHA Walcha is a crossroads town on the Oxley Hgy that joins Bendemeer and the NSW Nth Coast. Walcha services a very rich rural constituency that include merino sheep and cattle farming. The region is also rich wheat producer. Walcha itself is a small town that has a number of unique characteristics including heritage protection that makes a visit most worthwhile. The area is thought to have been occupied by the Ngayaywana and Dyangadi Aborigines prior to European settlement. In 1818, John Oxley became the first white person to discover the area and the falls which were later to be named Apsley Falls. In 1861 the population was recorded at 355 and the Anglican Church was built in 1862 of stone taken from the demolished homestead, 'Villa Walcha', erected on the Wolka run in the 1840s. The old church has fine stained-glass windows which bear tribute to some of the town's pioneers. On 5 April 1878 Walcha was proclaimed a town, when it was gazetted, the boundaries defined and a courthouse were built. A rail link to Sydney and Uralla opened at Walcha Road in 1882. The town became a municipality in 1889. On 19 March 1890 the Walcha Pastoral & Agricultural Association was formed. Given the early history there are quite a number of heritage buildings. The Presbyterian Church is a great classic for the period that has survived. The new Anglican is modern the old historic and the Catholic early 20th century. The Walcha Museum is located on the eastern approach. Walcha has two pubs both well over 100 years old. The Walcha War Memorial is acknowledged with a simple stone within a park on the northern approach to the town.and at the Memorial Gardens at the east of the town Walcha has a number of wooden artworks and other sculptures located around the township. Be sure to visit Walcha and allow plenty of time to enjoy. Heritage diary