NSWFarming
Braidwood
Wool country, then goldfield trade.
1839Town surveyed
WHAT STARTED IT
Braidwood began as a rural service settlement for the surrounding pastoral properties. A courthouse and surveyed town gave the district a local centre for trade and administration; roads towards the coast were sought to get wool to shipping ports more cheaply.
WHAT SUSTAINED IT
Gold in the nearby Araluen Valley in 1851–52 dramatically increased demand for supplies. The original grid and surrounding open countryside remain unusually legible. In 2006 the town and its setting were added to the NSW State Heritage Register.
TURNING POINTS
1839The town is surveyed.
1851–52Nearby gold discoveries boost trade.
2006The town and its setting receive state heritage listing.
WHAT IT DOES NOW
A working rural town with shops, cafés, creative businesses and heritage tourism on the road between Canberra and the coast.