Mount Hope, New South Wales facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mount Hope New South Wales
The Royal Hotel at Mount Hope.
Mount Hope Location in New South Wales
Population	19 (2016)
Elevation	223 m (732 ft)
Location	94.7 km (59 mi) NNE of Hillston
LGA(s)	Cobar Shire
Federal Division(s)	Parkes

Mount Hope is a small settlement located in western New South Wales, Australia. It sits about 223 meters above sea level. You can find it on the Kidman Way, which is a long road. It's about 95 kilometers north of Hillston and 160 kilometers south of Cobar.

Back in the 1870s, a copper mine started working here. This brought people to the area. In the mid-1880s, a town was planned and officially named Nombinnie. However, most people just called the growing town closer to the mine "Mount Hope."

According to the 2016 census, only 19 people lived in Mount Hope and the surrounding area. They lived in 9 homes, and the average age was 31 years. Today, the only business still open in Mount Hope is the Royal Hotel. People often call it the 'Mount Hope Pub'. It offers food, drinks, and a place to stay. Just remember, you can't get fuel there anymore!

Exploring Mount Hope's Past

Mount Hope was once a very busy place, especially between the 1890s and 1920s. This was when the copper mine was active. In the 2006 census, 53 people lived here.

Sadly, a big bushfire in the 1950s destroyed a lot of the town. Even today, Mount Hope has its own air strips that are still used. The Royal Hotel is the main place you'll see open in the village.

The Royal Hotel: A Historic Pub

The Royal Hotel is a special building because it survived from Mount Hope's busiest times. When the New Mount Hope Copper Mining Company started mining in 1881, four hotels were given licenses. The Royal Hotel was one of them, opened by William Clark in July 1881.

William and Sarah Clark had lived in the Mount Hope area since about 1876. William Clark also owned a store in the town.

Later, from 1898 to 1905, a man named Louis Mozzini ran the Royal Hotel. William Clark then took over again in 1905. After William Clark passed away in 1910, his wife Sarah ran the hotel. In 1912, their son, William Frederick Clark, took over. People hoped that business in Mount Hope would get better for him. Around 1917, the Clark family sold the hotel to B. A. Davis.

In 1930, John Swasbrick (Senior) owned the Royal Hotel, and Mrs. W. Davis was in charge. In December 1930, a fire sadly destroyed the Royal Hotel. Even though the building was mostly made of concrete and iron, the fire spread very quickly.

In June 1933, John Swasbrick passed away at the Royal Hotel. He was 79 years old and was both the owner and the person running the hotel at that time.

Today, the Royal Hotel in Mount Hope still offers cold and hot drinks. You can get meals and snacks there, and they have rooms if you need to stay overnight. But remember, you can't get fuel there anymore. The hotel proudly says it has the only concrete bar in all of New South Wales!

Nature and Wildlife Around Mount Hope

Mount Hope is surrounded by three large nature reserves: Yathong, Nombinnie, and Round Hill. These reserves cover a huge area of flat plains and hilly country. They are where three different natural areas meet.

These reserves protect the biggest remaining area of mallee trees in New South Wales. Mallee is a type of eucalyptus tree that grows with many stems from the ground. This area is home to many different kinds of plants and animals, including some that are rare or endangered.

Round Hill Nature Reserve (to the south-east), Nombinnie Nature Reserve (to the south), and Yathong Nature Reserve (to the north-west) are all part of the Central NSW Mallee Important Bird Area. This special area is about 2,500 square kilometers. It's very important for bird conservation, especially for birds like the malleefowl and the red-lored whistler.