Wauchope, New South Wales



Wauchope (pronounced ) is a town in the Australian state of New South Wales, in Port Macquarie-Hastings Council. It is 19 km (12 miles) inland on the Hastings River west of Port Macquarie. The town is 406 km north of the state capital Sydney.

Wauchope is the location of Timbertown, a popular heritage theme park based around the logging industry that formed the basis for Wauchope's early economy and prosperity. The town has a population of approximately 7,500 (as of 2006 - including King Creek & Redbank). It has also played an important role in the Hastings Valley dairy industry.

History
By 1828 a number of land grants had been made along the Hastings River. It was not until 1836 that the village of Wauchope first came into existence. In that year Captain Robert Andrew Wauch (whose father dropped the 'ope' from the end of his name as a result of a family dispute) paid a deposit on 760 acre on King Creek. He bought more property and built Wauch House.

Robert Wauch died in the Macleay area in 1866, and the Government Gazette published the deeds of his properties, specifying that they should be called Wauchope. When the post office opened in a nearby settlement in 1881, it was named Wauchope, although the Government Gazette misprinted the name Wanghope, an error that was not corrected until 1889.

Industry and economy
Wauchope's economy has always been primarily based on the timber industry. At different stages, the railway station shipped more timber than any other town in Australia. This is giving way to farming and other more modern industries such as tourism.

Tourism is an important part of the local economy. The Wauchope railway station services as an interchange for passengers travelling to nearby coastal centres such as Port Macquarie.

Timbertown, the best-known attraction, is a colonial-era themed village attraction, which is located on the outskirts of Wauchope. It features static displays and attractions such as a working steam train, bullock team, and a Cobb and Co stage coach. Previously, the Big Bull was an important attraction between Wauchope and Port Macquarie, but it has now been removed.

Other important attractions include the historical society, historic buildings, Broken Bago vineyards and natural attractions including state forests and Bago Bluff National Park.

Layout
The township is set out along the southern bank of the Hastings River with the back drop of Bago Mountain further south.

The main street is High Street (a small section of the Oxley Highway), running generally westward through the town after coming east from Port Macquarie and across the North Coast railway line. The main street includes the Co-op general store (previously Parkers) and a number of smaller businesses and local bank branches. At the corner of Hastings Street is the local post office. Further up the main street is the town clock, a legacy of the days the town was the centre of the Hastings Shire local government area. Back along Hastings Street is the Co-op supermarket as well as the court house. In 2009 work commenced on the rebuilding of this supermarket. The old building was completely demolished and a much larger and more modern structure is expected to be completed in June 2010.

The main cross street is Cameron Street. The Hastings Hotel is on the south-east corner of Cameron and High and the Star Hotel is a short distance north. The RSL club is another 100 metres north. Cameron Street leads to the Hastings River. A wharf was built at the northern end of Cameron Street for shipping produce downstream to Port Macquarie, but this no longer exists.

To the south of the main shopping area is the Wauchope Golf Course and Country Club, which occupies a premium site within the middle of the town. Further west is Timbertown, on the edge of large tracts of forestry land leading into the Bago Mountain area.

To the east of the main shopping area is the railway line from Sydney. The Hastings dairy and milk factory is located close to the point where the railway line crosses the Hastings River.

Railway station
Wauchope has its own railway station on the North Coast Line of New South Wales. It is serviced by 6 Countrylink trains per day 3 heading South (to Sydney), 3 heading further north to Grafton, Casino and Brisbane. Passengers can alight at this station for connecting coaches to the nearby Port Macquarie.

People from Wauchope

 * Iva Davies - Musician, Icehouse
 * Alison Langdon - Channel Nine News Reader - Today Show
 * Phil Jamieson - Musician, Grinspoon
 * Andrew Stoner - NSW National Party of Australia leader, Member for Oxley
 * Ian Schubert - Former Rugby League player and current NRL Salary Cap auditor.
 * Reg Davies - Former Independent Member of Western Australian Parliament and Member of Special Air Service Regiment

Sister cities
The following city has been identified as a sister city of Wauchope by Sister Cities International:
 * Canisteo, New York, USA