Barry, New South Wales facts for kids

Barry is a small village located in the Central West area of New South Wales, Australia. It's part of the Blayney Shire. You can find it about an hour's drive from towns like Blayney, Millthorpe, Mandurama, Neville, Lyndhurst, and Carcoar. In 2016, a count showed that 166 people lived in Barry.

History of Barry

One of the first people to live in the area was Edward Hargraves. He was a gold prospector, meaning he searched for gold. Hargraves first called the village "Five Islands." He likely chose this name because he used to own land in a place called Five Islands near Wollongong.

How Barry Grew

Barry started to grow in the second half of the 1800s. A school was built in 1862, and soon there were stores, a church, and a blacksmith's shop. A town hall was also built. More farm workers moved to the village, and a delivery service for goods started up.

Changing the Name

In 1890, the village's name was changed to Barry. This was probably to honor Caleb Barry. He used to be the bank manager in nearby Blayney. He was also a very active member of the Church of England there.

Interestingly, many of Barry's streets are named after important church leaders from that time. These names include Barber, Moorhouse, Hale, Marsden, Pearson, Sawyer, Turner, Selwyn, and Staunton.

Barry Today

Today, most of the public buildings in Barry are closed. Only St James Anglican Church, the school, and the community hall are still open for their original uses.

Other buildings, like the old Post Office, the stores, the school residence, and the former Roman Catholic Church of St Therese, are now private homes.

Village Improvements

Most of Barry's streets are still unsealed, meaning they are dirt or gravel roads. However, the water supply has gotten much better. Water now flows from a large tank on a hilltop. This tank is always filled with water from a bore, which is like a deep well.