Mudgee (pop. 11,563) is a town in New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the oldest towns west of the Great Dividing Range. The Mudgee region is a popular tourist destination known for its vineyards.
The town lies along the Cudgegong River, a tributary of the Macquarie River. Lake Windamere, which lies 14 miles (23 kilometers) southeast of Mudgee, is a popular site for recreational fishing and water sports. Windamere Dam, completed in 1984, supplies water to Mudgee and nearby communities. Other tourist attractions include the Mudgee Post Office, built in 1862, and the Henry Lawson Memorial. Lawson, one of Australia’s best-known poets, grew up just north of Mudgee in Eurunderee, then known as Pipeclay. The memorial, located on the site of Lawson’s childhood home, was dedicated in 1949.
Mining and grape-growing have been major industries in Mudgee since the 1850’s. Farmers in the region also produce honey and such livestock products as wool. Many Mudgee residents are employed in the construction, health care, and retail industries.
The land on which Mudgee sits is traditionally inhabited by the Wiradjuri people, one of the largest Aboriginal groups in New South Wales. The British-born explorer James Blackman was the first known European to encounter the land around Mudgee. He discovered the area on an expedition along the Cudgegong River in 1821. Shortly after Blackman’s expedition, the surveyor William Lawson also traveled to the region. Lawson and other settlers established several stations (ranches) and settlements, including Mudgee, near the Cudgegong. The Mudgee settlement was officially declared a village in 1838.
In 1851, the prospector Edward Hargraves discovered gold in Lewis Ponds Creek, about 45 miles (70 kilometers) southeast of Mudgee. This discovery, along with other gold finds around Bathurst, sparked the beginning of the Australian gold rushes in New South Wales. The population of Mudgee significantly increased during the gold rush period, and it was declared a municipality in 1860. Gold was also discovered in the nearby communities of Gulgong and Hill End in the 1870’s. Mudgee was connected to the Great Western Railway line in 1884.
