Eugowra is a town in the Central
Western region of New South Wales, meaning "The place where the sand
washes down the hill" from the Wiradjuri people.
European exploration in the area began in 1815 and was followed two
years later by John Oxley passing through the area on an expedition to
explore the inland. Pastoral settlement began with the establishment of
Eugowra station in 1834.
The town was established in the 1860s on the site of the station where
the route for travellers to the Lachlan gold fields crossed the
Mandagery Creek. The John Bull Hotel, later the Fat Lamb Hotel, was
constructed followed by a bridge over the creek. In 1881 the town was
laid out and a police station, courthouse and school were built.
It was near Eugowra where Australia's largest gold robbery took place.
The infamous bushranger, Frank Gardiner and his gang, including Ben Hall
ambushed the Forbes-Orange Cobb and Co coach on 15 June 1862. The
bushrangers stole 77 kilograms of gold and £3,700 in cash.
The Eugowra Promotion and Progress Association Inc. began a mural
project in the township with the intention of having a variation of
nostalgic hand painted murals and old fashioned advertisements on
various key locations throughout the township. Each artwork is designed
to compliment the heritage components of the town depicting the colonial
aspect of Australian life and historic events of Eugowra.