Towns and Villages

Old Bonalbo

Nestled at the base of ‘Nooloiga’, or Haystack Mountain, this ideal setting ignites your senses providing an instant appreciation of the story telling of the cultural significance and history of the surrounding area. The village was established to cater for the growing population of ‘Cedar Getters’ seeking the red gold from the surrounding forests and the arrival of graziers establishing vast landholdings.  Old Bonalbo began life in the mid nineteenth century as the original site for the village of Bonalbo, thirteen kilometers further south established on the banks of Peacock Creek.

The rolling tree covered hills and rich pasture lands remain long after the Cedar Getters moved on and the sprawling cattle stations divided into smaller farms that are the life blood of the area. The “Old” was added in the early 1900’s as the villages took their name from the largest landholding ‘Bunalbo Station’ taken up by John McLean in 1840. The name Bonalbo translated from the Aboriginal word ‘bunawlbu’ meaning ‘place of many bloodwoods’.