Wellington (pop. 4,581) is a town in the Wellington Valley region of New South Wales. It is one of the oldest European settlements west of the Blue Mountains. Wellington lies at the base of Mount Arthur, part of the Catombal Range. The town lies at the junction of the Bell and Macquarie rivers. It is best known for its historical association with the British surveyor and explorer John Oxley, who encountered Mount Arthur in 1817. 
Wellington and the surrounding land have many natural attractions, including Mount Arthur Reserve and Lake Burrendong. Another famous regional site is the Wellington cave system. The limestone caves were first encountered by Europeans in the 1820’s. In 1830, megafauna (giant animal) bones were found inside several caves, attracting scientists and tourists to the area. Many bones found within the caves are from animals that died millions of years ago. 
The Wellington area was traditionally inhabited by the Wiradjuri people, one of the largest Aboriginal groups in New South Wales. Following his 1817 arrival in the region, Oxley named the mountain and valley after the British general Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington. In 1823, the British soldier Percy Simpson established a convict settlement by the Bell River, but it was converted to a mission in the early 1830’s.
In 1831, the British merchant Joseph Montefiore received a land grant for an estate on the northern bank of the Macquarie River. This estate grew into the village of Montefiores. Montefiores became a popular travel stop, helping to grow the area’s economy and population. Across the river from Montefiores, another settlement, known as Wellington, was officially established in 1846. Wellington became a municipality in 1879.
