Dalgety, New South Wales facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dalgety New South Wales
Main street of Dalgety and the Buckley's Crossing Hotel
Dalgety Location in New South Wales
Established	1832
Postcode(s)	2628
Location	51 km (32 mi) from Cooma 452 km (281 mi) from Sydney
LGA(s)	Snowy Monaro Regional Council
State electorate(s)	Monaro
Federal Division(s)	Eden-Monaro

Dalgety is a small town in New South Wales, Australia. It sits right on the banks of the beautiful Snowy River. You can find Dalgety between the big cities of Melbourne and Sydney. Long ago, this spot was a very important river crossing. It was part of a special path called a Travelling Stock route, used by people moving animals between Gippsland and the Snowy Mountains High Country, starting way back in the 1840s.

History of Dalgety

The first settlement here was called Buckley's Crossing. This name came from Edward Buckley, who started a farm near the river crossing in 1832. In 1848, it was renamed Barnes Crossing. By then, it had become a key stopping point on the stock route. This route was used to move farm animals between Gippsland in Victoria and the Snowy Mountains in New South Wales.

In 1874, the town was officially measured and mapped. It was then named Dalgety. This name honored the maiden name of the wife of the surveyor, J. R. Campbell. She was also a grandchild of Colonel Alexander Dalgety.

When the town was surveyed, only 23 people lived there. Records show that a punt (a type of flat-bottomed boat) was used to cross the river. A Catholic school opened in 1874. It served the children of Irish gold prospectors (people looking for gold). The first bridge over the river was built in 1888.

Dalgety also became a meeting place for white settlers and local Aboriginal people. The Thaua people and Ngarigo people would camp along the river bank. They did this on their way to the Snowy Mountains, as they lived in this area during different seasons.

Why Dalgety Was Almost Australia's Capital

Australia's Constitution, which is like its rulebook, said that the country's capital city had to be in New South Wales. It also had to be at least 100 miles (about 160 kilometers) away from Sydney. The exact spot would be chosen by the Australian Parliament.

An old map from 1907 showing Dalgety as the planned capital city.

In 1903, a special group called a Federal Royal Commission suggested Dalgety as the place for Australia's national capital. They chose it based on things like climate, food supply, and land. However, even the official investigators admitted the site was "very rough" and "treeless."

This recommendation became law in the Seat of Government Act 1904. The Prime Minister, George Reid, and the Minister for the Interior, John Forrest, strongly supported it. This was even though Forrest had once joked that "only lunatics" would put the capital in the middle of the country!

However, the Parliament of New South Wales immediately disagreed. They said Dalgety was too close to Melbourne and too far from Sydney. A more practical problem was how far it was from the main Sydney-Melbourne railway line. Building a new train track to the capital would be very expensive. Even with strong supporters, Dalgety's chance was fading.

Finally, in October 1908, politicians voted on the capital site. They held several rounds of voting, removing sites one by one. In the very last vote, Dalgety lost to 'Yass-Canberra' by 33 votes to 39. After this, the Seat of Government Act 1908 was passed, and Canberra officially became the capital.

Even though Dalgety wasn't chosen, a lot of planning had already happened. This included ideas for water supply and electricity from the Snowy River. A large water storage area was even planned near Jindabyne.

Geography of Dalgety

Dalgety is located on the Snowy River. This picture shows the river from a bridge on the west side of town.

Dalgety is located on the Monaro Plains. It sits in the "rain shadow" of the Snowy Mountains. This means the mountains block most of the rain, making Dalgety a relatively dry area. The landscape has rolling hills with large granite rocks scattered around.

The town relies on the Snowy River for its water. In 2007, there was a recommendation to reduce the amount of water flowing through nearby Lake Jindabyne. This could mean Dalgety might need to bring in drinking water from somewhere else in the future.

Images for kids

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  Main street of Dalgety and the Buckley's Crossing Hotel