NSWFarming
Dorrigo
Timber opened a mountain plateau later sustained by farming.
1860sPermanent settlement develops on the plateau
WHAT STARTED IT
Dorrigo developed after cedar getters established temporary camps on the plateau and permanent settlement followed in the 1860s. Timber work, then dairying and other farming, created demand for stores, mills and transport.
WHAT SUSTAINED IT
Timber established Dorrigo before the railway. Dairying and other plateau farming broadened the economy, while the 1924 railway improved access for people and produce. Rainforest, waterfalls and the national park later added a substantial visitor economy.
Read the fuller history
Timber established Dorrigo before the railway. Construction of the difficult Glenreagh–Dorrigo line began in 1914 and took a decade, opening in 1924 to carry people, timber and farm produce. The town’s museum preserves photographs and material from these local industries.
TURNING POINTS
1860sPermanent settlement develops after earlier cedar-getting camps.
1914Construction begins on the difficult railway route.
1924The Glenreagh–Dorrigo railway opens.
WHAT IT DOES NOW
A rural plateau town with farming and tourism. Visitors come for rainforest, waterfalls and the surrounding national park, adding a new economic role to its agricultural beginnings.