Nubrygyn Inn and Cemetery facts for kids

The Nubrygyn Inn and Cemetery is a special historic place in New South Wales, Australia. It includes an old inn, which was like a hotel and pub, and a cemetery. This site is located on Euchareena Road, near the town of Euchareena. The inn was built a long time ago, between 1840 and 1850. It's known by many names, including Nubrigyn and Nubrygin. This important site was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register in 2016 because of its rich history.

A Glimpse into History

The Wellington Valley Story

Before Europeans arrived, the land between Bathurst and Wellington was home to the Wiradjuri people. Their lands stretched across major rivers like the Macquarie and Lachlan. These rivers were important for travel and trade. The Wiradjuri people lived along the rivers in summer and moved to drier camps in winter. You can still find signs of their ancient life, like rock shelters and carved trees. The name Nubrygyn comes from an Aboriginal word, "Lubrygee," meaning "junction of two creeks."

The first Europeans to explore this area were led by John Oxley in 1817. He discovered the Wellington Valley and named the Bell and Macquarie rivers. Nubrygyn is about 50 kilometres (31 miles) from Wellington. Today, the area is mostly farmland, growing wheat and canola, and raising sheep and cattle. The nearby village of Euchareena was first called Warne.

The Nubrygyn Area

The Nubrygyn area became a stopping point between 1823 and 1830. It was on the main road from Bathurst to the Wellington Convict Farm. It was also on the route from Molong to Stuart Town. Because it had a spring-fed creek, it was a good "halting place" for soldiers and convicts. These travellers would stop here to rest. There's a large gum tree near the inn where convicts were supposedly chained.

Early landowners in the area included Thomas Kite and Captain Charles Wray Finch. In 1843, Charles Frederick Warne, who owned the land where the inn stands, went bankrupt. The land then passed through a few owners. In 1853, William Brazier bought 252 acres (102 hectares) of land, including the Nubrygyn Inn. This shows that the Brazier family was already living at or near the inn before they bought the property.

Life at Nubrygyn Inn

We don't know for sure who built the Nubrygyn Inn. It was likely built by John Maxwell or William Brazier. Records show the inn was already built by 1850.

William Brazier and his brothers came to Australia in 1838. William started working at Nubrygyn. In 1847, he married Caroline Coleman. They lived at the Nubrygyn Inn and raised their 11 children there. Most of their children were born at the inn. The Brazier family still owns the inn and farm today, showing a very long connection to the land.

The inn was more than just a place to stay. It had other buildings like a blacksmith's shop, stables, a school, and a bakery. It also offered lodging for farmhands and shepherds. William Brazier ran the inn and held a publican's license until he passed away in 1882. His death notice said he had lived at Nubrygyn since 1838.

Caroline Brazier was born in Parramatta in 1829. Her parents, William and Hannah Coleman, were convicts who also lived and worked at Nubrygyn. They are buried in the cemetery there. Caroline lived at the inn for 55 years until her death in 1905. After she passed away, the original shingle roof was replaced with corrugated iron.

Newspaper articles from the 1870s and 1880s describe the Nubrygyn Inn as a lovely place. One article mentioned its "pise building" (a type of mud-brick construction) with a front verandah covered in ivy and grapevines. The garden was famous for its many fruit trees, including peaches, apricots, and cherries. It also had beautiful flowers. The inn was known for its permanent water supply from Nubrygyn Creek.

The Bushranger Visit

On April 22, 1865, the Nubrygyn Inn became famous across Australia. The well-known bushrangers Ben Hall, John Gilbert, and John Dunn, along with another person, arrived at the inn. They held up the bar and kept everyone inside for the night.

A newspaper article described how the bushrangers entered, demanded money, and gathered everyone into one room. They made people dance and sing. Ben Hall even asked to "borrow" Mr. Brazier's best horse, promising it would be returned. The bushrangers paid for some of what they took, using the money they had just stolen. At daybreak, they rode off towards Shepherds Creek.

This event was very important because it was Ben Hall's last major hold-up. He was shot and killed less than two weeks later, on May 5, 1865. He was likely still riding Brazier's horse when he died. The large gum tree where convicts were once chained was used by the bushrangers to tie up their horses during the hold-up.

Ben Hall was a famous bushranger known for his bold raids. He and his gang often taunted the police. In a similar event to Nubrygyn, Ben Hall and his gang once held people at Robinson's Hotel in Canowindra for three days. They insisted on paying the hotel owner for their stay, even though it was with his own money.

Nubrygyn remained a busy stop for travellers and livestock for many years. However, its importance declined in the late 1890s when the railway came through nearby Euchareena (then called Warne).

The Nubrygyn Cemetery

The small historic cemetery at Nubrygyn started as a private burial ground. It was created in 1854 when two young Brazier children died from measles. Nine members of the Brazier family are buried there, including William and Caroline Brazier, three of their children, and three grandchildren. William's brother Francis is also buried there, as are Caroline's parents, William and Hannah Coleman. William Brazier's body was brought all the way from Sydney by train for burial in this family cemetery.

The cemetery is the resting place for 58 people in total, including many other early settlers and their families from the Nubrygyn and Euchareena areas. It's a valuable historical record of early life in rural New South Wales. For example, out of the 58 burials, 35 were children, with 33 of them aged five or younger, and 21 under one year old. This shows how common childhood illnesses were back then. In contrast, many adults buried there lived to be 70-83 years old.

The cemetery also shows the strong community ties among farmers and farmworkers from the 1850s to the early 1900s. Many families buried there were connected to the Braziers, either as neighbours, relatives through marriage, or workers.

For many years, the cemetery was neglected. But recently, descendants of William Brazier, Richard Clayton and Kate Gadsby, worked to restore it. With help from Wellington Council, a granite stone was placed there, listing the names and dates of everyone known to be buried in the cemetery.

What Nubrygyn Looks Like

The Nubrygyn Inn building sits on a small hill, about 70 metres (230 feet) from the old road and Nubrygyn Creek. The building is about 20 metres (66 feet) long and 11 metres (36 feet) wide. The front of the building faces west and has an open verandah with wooden floorboards. Inside, there's a central hallway with rooms on either side. The kitchen is a large room off the hall to the south.

The building's foundations are made of local stone. The roof is now corrugated iron, but it used to have timber shingles. An old photo from around 1870 shows the original shingle roof. You can still see some of the original timber shingles under the back verandah. The floors are made of local hardwood. There's also a stone-walled cellar that opens onto the front verandah.

An old accommodation wing on the northwest side of the building was removed in the early 1900s. You can still see parts of its stone foundation. The inn's garden still has old pepper trees, fruit trees, and a vine. The large gum tree on the north side of the inn is famous for its connection to both convicts and the Ben Hall hold-up.

The small historic cemetery is about 800 metres (2,600 feet) south of the inn. It's on a rise, looking out over rural hills and the Nubrygyn Creek. The cemetery is surrounded by a wire fence and has a modern steel gate.

Inside the cemetery, there are five original headstones marking seven burials. There's also a wrought iron enclosure without a headstone. William and Caroline Brazier's graves are enclosed by a rusted wrought iron fence. William's headstone is sandstone, and Caroline's is a larger marble monument. Their two young children, Ann Caroline and James, who were the first burials in 1854, share a weathered sandstone headstone. A polished black granite memorial stone, recently added, lists all 58 people buried in the cemetery.

Current Condition

As of 2015, the Nubrygyn Inn had not been lived in for 30 years and was used to store farm equipment. The stone foundations are mostly strong. The mud-brick walls are generally sound, except for one corner where the roof was damaged. The outer plaster and whitewash are in good condition. The timber windows are mostly original. The corrugated iron roof is still in place, but the gutters are damaged or missing. Inside, some timber floors are damaged by white ants and dampness. There are two timber-framed extensions from the 1950s for bathrooms and laundry. Overall, the main part of the building from the 1840s to 1850s is still quite original.

Changes Over Time

Some changes have been made to the inn over the years.

• In the 1950s, two timber-framed extensions were added for bathrooms and laundry.
• A large "picture window" was put into the back verandah.
• The original timber shingle roof was covered with galvanised iron in the late 1880s.
• Fibro ceilings were added in the 1950s.

Why Nubrygyn Inn and Cemetery is Important

The Nubrygyn Inn and Cemetery is very important to the history of New South Wales. It shows how the area beyond Bathurst was first settled. It was a vital "halting place" on the old road for convicts and soldiers travelling to the Wellington Convict Farm in 1823. The old road, the creek, and the gum tree where convicts were chained still exist today.

This site is a rare example of an inn from the 1840s in the Central West of NSW. It shows how early roads were used and why places to stay were needed in remote areas. The inn is also special because it's a mud-brick building from the 1840s that is still mostly original.

The Brazier family has lived at Nubrygyn for over 165 years, which is an unusually long time. This shows their strong connection to the land. Their story gives us a look into the lives of early free settlers, their relationships with other people, and their role in farming in the Wellington Valley. The private cemetery also shows the connections between the Brazier family and their neighbours and workers.

The inn became famous in 1865 because of the hold-up by bushrangers Ben Hall, John Gilbert, and John Dunn. Hall "borrowed" Brazier's best horse, and was killed less than two weeks later. This event adds to the story of Ben Hall, who is a big part of Australian folklore.

The Nubrygyn Inn and Cemetery is important because:

• It shows the expansion of roads and settlement into the Central West of NSW in the 1820s.
• It has a strong link to the famous bushranger Ben Hall and the impact of bushranging on rural communities.
• It's a rare and well-preserved example of a mud-brick building from the 1840s, showing clever design and use of local materials.
• It's unique for the long and continuous ownership by the Brazier family, showing their deep connection to the land.
• It represents the typical wayside inns that provided rest for travellers on the difficult roads of the mid to late 1800s.