Wauchope, New South Wales

"Wauchope" redirects here. For the village in Canada, see Wauchope, Saskatchewan.

Wauchope New South Wales
Library and war memorial clock, Wauchope, NSW.
Wauchope
Population:	6002 (2006)
Established:	1836
Postcode:	2446
Elevation:	20 m (66 ft)
Location:	19 km (12 mi) from Port Macquarie
LGA:	Port Macquarie-Hastings Council
County:	Macquarie
State electorate:	Oxley
Federal Division:	Lyne

Presbyterian Church, Wauchope

The Hastings River at the northern end of Wauchope with the North Coast Railway bridge.

Wauchope (pronounced English pronunciation: /ˈwɔːhoʊp/) is a town in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. It is within the boundaries of the Port Macquarie-Hastings Council area. Wauchope is inland on the Hastings River and the Oxley Highway 19 km (12 mi) 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 acres (3.1 km²) 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 was traditionally based on the timber industry. At different stages in its history, more timber was transported (via the Wauchope railway station) out of Wauchope than out of any other town in Australia. While still in operation, the timber industry has now primarily given way to farming and other more modern industries such as tourism.

Increasingly, Wauchope and its surrounding villages and farms are becoming known for gourmet produce, including cheeses, wines and organic fruits and vegetables. The Hastings Farmers Markets are held at the Wauchope Showground on the 4th Saturday of every month and showcase a wide variety of local produce. There are also numerous cooking classes held in the surrounding area catering to both locals and tourists.

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.

The Wauchope railway station services as an interchange for passengers travelling to nearby coastal centres such as Port Macquarie.

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 was completed and opened in 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
CountryLink North Coast
Station code	WAU
Suburb	Wauchope
Distance from Central Station	455km km
Altitude (above sea level)	? m
Types of stopping trains	CountryLink
Number of platforms	1
Number of tracks	2
Platform arrangement	Island
Type of station	Ground
Ticket barriers	No
Transfers available	none
Disabled access	Yes (Assisted)
Station facilities	{{{facilities}}}

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.

Platform	Line	Stopping Pattern	Notes
	CountryLink North Coast	country services to Sydney, Brisbane, Casino and Grafton (1 per day)

People from Wauchope

• Iva Davies - Musician, Icehouse
• Allison 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

References

Reg Smith - Wallaby 1971 - 1976 22 Test Caps

External links

• Timbertown
• Town History
• History of Telegraph Point

Preceding station		NSW Main lines		Following station
Telegraph Point towards Border Loop		North Coast Line		Herons Creek towards Maitland
Preceding station		CountryLink Services		Following station
Kempsey towards Grafton, Casino or Brisbane	CountryLink North Coast			Kendall towards Sydney