Forbes
Forbes Visitor Information Centre, Forbes - Credit: Anthony Dainith | Forbes Shire Council
Forbes
Forbes has long been known for its grand heritage buildings set alongside gorgeous riverbanks and leafy parks. A new, world-class sculpture trail shows there's more to this town in the beautiful Lachlan Valley than meets the eye. See the town’s changing face, from colonial gold rush times and notorious bushrangers to the modern day.
Highlights
Heritage and culture
Gold was discovered in the Parkes region in 1861 and helped shaped the area. Learn about the colonial gold rush and famed bushrangers at the Forbes and District Historical Society Museum. It has a fascinating exhibition on bushranger Ben Hall, whose life ended in a hail of bullets at nearby Goobang Creek in 1865.
Ben Hall and Frank Gardiner were the district’s most infamous bushrangers, responsible for the Escort Rock heist in 1862. Australia’s biggest gold robbery, the gang ambushed the Forbes-Orange gold escort coach near Eugowra. Forbes Visitor Information Centre, in the heritage-listed railway station, also has a Ben Hall discovery room. The McFeeters Motor Museum has a remarkable collection of vehicles dating back to 1905.
McFeeters Motor Museum, Forbes
Admire the colonial architecture along the Forbes Heritage Walk, which includes Victoria Park, where Prince Charles planted an elm tree in 1994. Many of Forbes’ heritage buildings featured in The Dish, a movie about the CSIRO Parkes Observatory's radio telescope and its role in the 1969 Moon landing. Sculpture Down the Lachlan is an inland sculpture trail inspired by Bondi Beach's famous Sculpture by the Sea festival. This impressive public art trail is a permanent exhibition, starting in Forbes and winding 100km to Condoblin alongside the Lachlan River.
Sculpture Down the Lachlan, Forbes - Credit: Monique Lovick Photography | Forbes Arts Society
Eat and drink
Forbes regularly celebrates it local produce at food festivals, like Grazing Down the Lachlan. Held each year in September, it is a progressive long lunch between six food stations along the banks of the river. Taste on Templar in November hosts a pop up outdoor dinner along one of the main streets, while Frost and Fire celebrates the winter solstice in June. Pick up some tasty treats from Forbes Country Bakehouse for a picnic at Lake Forbes, enjoy lunch at Sylo or relax in the beer garden of the Forbes Inn Hotel.
Kangaroo Dim Sum at Grazing Down the Lachlan, Forbes - Credit: Monique Lovick Photography
Getting there
Forbes is a five-hour drive from Sydney, seven hours from Melbourne and three hours from Canberra. Trains depart Sydney for Orange, with a connecting bus. Or fly into Parkes and rent a car for the 25-minute drive.
