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.
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