View source for Braidwood, New South Wales

{{Use Australian English|date=August 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{Infobox Australian place 
| type      = town
| name      = Braidwood
| state     = nsw
| image     = BraidwoodCourthouse.JPG
| caption   = The Braidwood Courthouse, built in 1901
| region    = Southern Tablelands
| county    = [[St Vincent County|St Vincent]]
| parish    = Braidwood
| lga       = [[Queanbeyan–Palerang Regional Council]]
| postcode  = 2622
| est       = 
| pop       = 1,720
| pop_year  = {{CensusAU|2021}}
| pop_footnotes = <ref name="ABS"/>
| elevation = 643
| coordinates = {{coord|35|26|0|S|149|48|0|E|display=inline,title}}
| maxtemp   = 19.0
| mintemp   = 5.5
| rainfall  = 718.2
| stategov  = [[Electoral district of Monaro|Monaro]]
| fedgov    = [[Division of Eden-Monaro|Eden-Monaro]]
| dist1     = 325
| dir1      = S
| location1 = [[Sydney]]
| dist2     = 91
| dir2      = E
| location2 = [[Canberra]]
| dist3     = 74
| dir3      = E
| location3 = [[Queanbeyan]]
| dist4     = 62
| dir4      = NW
| location4 = [[Batemans Bay, New South Wales|Batemans Bay]]
| near-n    = [[Warri, New South Wales|Warri]]
| near-ne   = [[Durran Durra]]
| near-e    = [[Mongarlowe, New South Wales|Mongarlowe]]
| near-se   = [[Northangera]]
| near-s    = [[Jembaicumbene]]
| near-sw   = [[Bendoura]]
| near-w    = [[Bombay, New South Wales|Bombay]]
| near-nw   = [[Warri, New South Wales|Warri]]
}}
'''Braidwood''' is a town in the [[Southern Tablelands]] of [[New South Wales]], [[Australia]], in [[Queanbeyan–Palerang Regional Council]].<ref>{{NSW GNR|id=MnKqWytLKW|title=Braidwood|access-date=2 November 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/6079482#map=11/-35.4277/149.8075 |publisher =OpenStreetMap|title=Braidwood|access-date=2 November 2017}}</ref> It is located on the  [[Kings Highway, Australia|Kings Highway]] linking [[Canberra]] with [[Batemans Bay]]. It is approximately 200 kilometres south west of [[Sydney]],  60 kilometres inland from the coast, and 55 kilometres east of [[Canberra]]. Braidwood is a service town for the surrounding district which is based on sheep and cattle grazing, and forestry operations.

== Indigenous History ==

Braidwood is located within the [[Yuin]] Nation, on [[Walbanga]] Country. The Walbanga People speak dialects of the [[Dhurga language|Thurga (Durga/Dhurga) language]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.samuseum.sa.gov.au/collection/archives/language_groups/walbanga|title=Walbanga (NSW)}}</ref>

The Walbanga Peoples relied on the plentiful supply of vegetables available in the tablelands, such as the tubers of the yam daisy, wattle-seeds, and orchid tubers. In September to May, fish and crayfish were eaten, while possums and larger grazing animals were hunted year round. The Walbanga People and neighbouring groups made annual trips in December and January from to the Bogong Mountains and Snowy Mountains to roast and eat bogong moths (Agrotis infusa).<ref name="environment.nsw.gov.au">{{Cite web|title=South Eastern Highlands – regional history|url=https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/bioregions/SouthEasternHighlands-History.htm|access-date=2021-01-03|website=www.environment.nsw.gov.au|language=en}}</ref>

The lives of the Walbanga People were forever changed by the arrival and early colonisation of Europeans in the 1820s. There were reports of the loss of water, fish and native animals essential to the First Nations's diet after the arrival of the settlers. The settlers also brought exotic diseases, particularly smallpox, the influenza epidemic in 1846-7 and syphilis, which devastated the First Nation's people in the region, likely including the Walbanga People. The Walbanga and surrounding populations culture and traditional life was considered to have been destroyed by 1850. Bogong moth ceremonies, intertribal meetings and corroborees also ceased in the region.<ref name="environment.nsw.gov.au"/>

In 1872, First Nation's Peoples from the south coast and the highlands areas met in a large ceremonial gathering on the Braidwood goldfields, where they also held discussions about strategies to gain back access to their land. After the gathering, the local police officer, Martin Brennan, was approached by 62 members of the gathering, led by 'Jack Bawn and Alick' who asked for his assistance, and Brennan recorded the following: "I asked Jack what they wanted. He replied, 'We have come to you to intercede for us in getting the Government to do something for us... I have assisted the police for many years, and we want to get some land which we can call our own in reality, where we can settle down, and which the old people can call their home.'..."

On 29 March 1873, Brennan sent the government a comprehensive report detailing the experiences, circumstances and the aspirations of the group. Shortly afterwards he received instructions to name forty acres of Crown Lands in whatever location Jack Bawn desired as an Aboriginal Reserve. However, Jack Bawn and his people were blocked from occupying the surveyed land due to the hostility from surrounding white farmers, but they continued to urge Brennan to press Authorities for the land. Brennan also recorded the following statement in regards to the First Nation's Peoples of the Braidwood and Coast Districts "...whose aspirations at all times were to be allowed some land which they might call their own...; which they might cultivate unmolested for the use of themselves and their families; and where the aborigines of the surrounding districts might meet periodically for the purpose of holding coroborees and other exhilarating games."<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Goodall|first=Heather|date=1990|title=Land in Our Country: The Aboriginal Land Rights Movement in South-Eastern Australia, 1860 to 1914|url=https://press-files.anu.edu.au/downloads/press/p72191/pdf/book.pdf|journal=Aboriginal History |volume=14}}</ref>

As of the 2016 Census, there were less than 100 First Nations' Australians living in the Braidwood Region.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Braidwood : Region Data Summary|url=https://itt.abs.gov.au/itt/r.jsp?RegionSummary&region=101021007&dataset=ABS_REGIONAL_ASGS2016&geoconcept=ASGS_2016&measure=MEASURE&datasetASGS=ABS_REGIONAL_ASGS2016&datasetLGA=ABS_REGIONAL_LGA2019&regionLGA=LGA_2019&regionASGS=ASGS_2016|access-date=2021-01-03|website=itt.abs.gov.au}}</ref>

{{Historical populations
|type= Australia
|1921|1042
|1933|1073
|1947|
|1954|1088
|1961|1052
|1966|929
|1971|959
|1976|989
|1981|944
|1986|958
|1991|976
|1996|940
|2001|996
|2006|1108
|2011|1158
|2016|1273
|2021|1414
|source=[[Australian Bureau of Statistics]] data.<ref name="ABS Census data">{{cite web |title=Statistics by Catalogue Number |publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/ViewContent?readform&view=ProductsbyCatalogue&Action=Expand&Num=2.2 |access-date=1 March 2024}}</ref><ref name="ABS Census data recent">{{cite web |title=Search Census data |publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/search-by-area |access-date=24 January 2024}}</ref>
}}

== Settler History ==
{{Main|History of Braidwood, New South Wales}}
[[European ethnic groups|European]] explorers reached the district in 1822 (Kearns, Marsh and Packer). The area was first settled by Europeans in the 1820s, and the town was surveyed in 1839. The village was located near the headwaters of the [[Shoalhaven River]].  The settlement was built with the labour of convicts, and many of the buildings they built around the region are still standing.

Most streets in the town are named after early settlers of the surrounding district; [[William Sandys Elrington|Elrington]], [[John Coghill (Australian politician)|Coghill]], [[Duncan Mackellar, Junior|Duncan]],  [[Duncan Mackellar|Mackellar]], [[William Ryrie|Ryrie]], Wallace, and [[Thomas Braidwood Wilson|Wilson]]. Ryrie Park is named after [[Alexander Ryrie]].

===Dr Wilson===
The town was named after Dr [[Thomas Braidwood Wilson]].<ref>{{NSW GNR|id=MnlpZxKm|title=Braidwood|access-date=20 June 2009}}</ref> 
He had been a [[surgeon-superintendent]] of ships taking [[convicts]] to New South Wales and [[Van Diemen's Land]] (now known as [[Tasmania]]). He was first granted land in Van Diemen's Land in 1824, which he exchanged for land near Lake George in 1825. In addition he was given 2560 acres (10&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) which he selected in the 'new country' on two tributaries of the Shoalhaven, Monkittee and Flood creeks. In 1833, the western end of Wilson's grant was resumed and reserved for a future village and a similar area added to the eastern end in compensation. He eventually controlled a total of 12,305 acres in the area.<ref>Philip Cox & Wesley Stacey (1973), ''Historic towns of Australia'', Melbourne, Lansdowne, p.92. {{ISBN|0701801840}}</ref> He and his wife and children settled in the district in late 1836. He became a community leader and amongst other things contracted to build the first courthouse in 1837–38. In 1840 Wilson petitioned the government to build [[The Wool Road (New South Wales)|a road from Braidwood to Jervis Bay]] to enable faster and cheaper shipping of the wool clip to Sydney and, with [[John Mackenzie (colonial settler)|Col. John Mackenzie]], supplied the materials and labour for the Braidwood to [[Nerriga, New South Wales|Nerriga]] section.

In 1841 Braidwood Farm had 141 residents. Wilson was sent bankrupt due to a drought in the late 1830s and the subsequent depression. He died in November 1843. His land was sold for £2,000 to John Coghill, who now owned all the land on the south, east and north of the town. Coghill built the historic house [[Bedervale]].  However, before his death, Wilson had purchased the block immediately to the north of Braidwood. He was [[Thomas Braidwood Wilson#Death and Grave Site|buried on this block]], high on the hill overlooking the town.

A memorial and large pine tree mark the site of Wilson's grave, from which there are views of the town. The path to the grave is no longer open to the public.

===First Royal Commission===
Braidwood was the subject of Australia's first [[Royal Commission]] in 1867, inquiring into the activities of police officers and managers in the district, concerning the extent to which [[bushrangers]] had been shielded and assisted by police connivance and inactivity. The Commission identified several instances of misconduct and found the superintendent of police had failed to exercise 'strict and proper control over his men.'<ref>Report of the Commissioners, State of crime in the Braidwood District, 30 July 1867</ref>

===Gold discovered===
Gold was discovered in 1851, and for the next two decades the district's population swelled to about 10,000. Supplies and produce to support the workforce on the gold fields came from as far afield as the Canberra region,<ref>Newman Chris (2004), Gold Creek, Reflections of Canberra's Rural Heritage, Gold Creek Homestead Working Group.</ref> (though Canberra itself would not be founded until 1913). This prosperity lasted for several years, during which some substantial commercial buildings including banks and hotels were constructed.

===Twentieth century===
Braidwood was formerly the seat of the [[Tallaganda]] local government area. However, following restructuring of local government areas by the [[New South Wales]] Government, it is now part of [[Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council]]. The local paper is now called the ''Braidwood Times''.

Through much of the 20th century, Braidwood was essentially in rural recession. Amongst other consequences, very little building work was carried out, and as a result the town entered the 21st century with much of its original streetscape and architecture intact. On 30 March 2006 the town and its setting were listed on the NSW State Heritage Register, following a period of unpleasant dispute between those wishing to preserve the town's charm and those wishing to develop it.

Braidwood is located equidistant from [[Bungendore]] and [[Tarago]] railway stations, a distance of approximately 40 kilometres. [[NSW TrainLink]] operate multiple direct services from both railways stations to [[Canberra]], [[Sydney]], and provides connections across the state. Murray's coach services operate daily between Bateman's Bay and Canberra including picking up and setting down passengers in Braidwood.

== Heritage listings ==
[[File:Braidwood Museum Feb 2013.jpg|thumb|The [[Braidwood District Historical Society Museum]]]]
Braidwood has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

* [[History of Braidwood, New South Wales|Braidwood and Its Setting]]<ref name=nswshr-1749>{{cite NSW SHR|5054706|Braidwood and Its Setting|hr=01749|fn=EF14/5097; H03/00326|access-date=18 May 2018}}</ref>
* Monkitee Street: [[Bedervale]]<ref name=nswshr-17>{{cite NSW SHR|5045345|Bedervale|hr=00017|fn=S90/05304, HAP90 308, HC 30176|access-date=18 May 2018}}</ref>
* Wallace Street: [[Braidwood District Historical Society Museum]]<ref name=nswshr-149>{{cite NSW SHR|5045462|Braidwood District Historical Society Museum|hr=00149|fn=S90/06104 & HC 32183|access-date=18 May 2018}}</ref>
* Wallace Street: [[Mill Complex, Braidwood|Mill Complex]]<ref name=nswshr-434>{{cite NSW SHR|5045386|Mill Centre|hr=00434|fn=S90/03300 & HC 33485|access-date=18 May 2018}}</ref>
* 119 Wallace Street: [[Albion Hotel, Braidwood|Albion Hotel]]<ref name=nswshr-304>{{cite NSW SHR|5045458|Albion Hotel, 3 adjoining shops & stables|hr=00304|fn=EF14/5094; S90/5414; HC 32790|access-date=18 May 2018}}</ref>

==Climate==
Braidwood has an [[oceanic climate]] (''Cfb'') with mild to warm summers and cold winters with frequent morning frost. Due to its position on the eastern slopes of the Great Dividing Range and its proximity to the Tasman Sea, summer temperatures are generally cooler than in nearby Bungendore and Goulburn which lie further inland at a similar altitude. Braidwood's greater exposure to moist easterly winds also yields a wetter climate relative to Bungendore and Goulburn. Warm to hot summer days are usually tempered by afternoon and evening easterly breezes.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Mills |first1=Graham |title='On easterly changes over elevated terrain in Australia's southeast |journal=Australian Meteorological Magazine |date=September 2007 |volume=56 |issue=3 |pages=177–190 |citeseerx=10.1.1.222.6330 }}</ref>
{{Weather box
|location = Braidwood (1991–2020, extremes 1965–2025); 665 m AMSL; 35.43° S, 149.78° E
|metric first = Yes
|single line = Yes
|Jan record high C = 42.6
|Feb record high C = 42.0
|Mar record high C = 36.6
|Apr record high C = 31.4
|May record high C = 26.2	
|Jun record high C = 20.3
|Jul record high C = 18.5	
|Aug record high C = 22.3	
|Sep record high C = 28.9	
|Oct record high C = 31.4
|Nov record high C = 39.2
|Dec record high C = 40.4	
|year record high C = 42.6
|Jan high C = 27.1
|Feb high C = 25.4
|Mar high C = 22.9
|Apr high C = 19.5
|May high C = 16.0
|Jun high C = 12.6
|Jul high C = 12.1
|Aug high C = 13.6
|Sep high C = 16.7
|Oct high C = 19.4
|Nov high C = 22.2
|Dec high C = 24.8
|year high C = 19.4
|Jan low C = 12.4
|Feb low C = 12.3
|Mar low C = 10.1
|Apr low C = 6.1
|May low C = 2.7
|Jun low C = 1.0	
|Jul low C = 0.1
|Aug low C = 0.6	
|Sep low C = 3.3
|Oct low C = 5.8
|Nov low C = 8.5
|Dec low C = 10.7
|year low C = 6.1
|Jan record low C = 1.2	
|Feb record low C = 1.7	
|Mar record low C = -1.4
|Apr record low C = -5.6	
|May record low C = -7.6
|Jun record low C = -9.3	
|Jul record low C = -9.2
|Aug record low C = -9.8	
|Sep record low C = -6.7	 
|Oct record low C = -6.0
|Nov record low C = -2.1
|Dec record low C = -0.4
|year record low C = -9.8
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 61.6
|Feb precipitation mm = 70.8
|Mar precipitation mm = 61.7
|Apr precipitation mm = 31.5
|May precipitation mm = 37.5 	
|Jun precipitation mm = 58.9
|Jul precipitation mm = 33.2	
|Aug precipitation mm = 50.7
|Sep precipitation mm = 45.9
|Oct precipitation mm = 52.5
|Nov precipitation mm = 65.3
|Dec precipitation mm = 63.2
|year precipitation mm = 633.0
|Jan precipitation days = 12.3
|Feb precipitation days = 11.2
|Mar precipitation days = 12.8
|Apr precipitation days = 10.9
|May precipitation days = 11.7
|Jun precipitation days = 13.7
|Jul precipitation days = 12.7
|Aug precipitation days = 10.6
|Sep precipitation days = 10.7
|Oct precipitation days = 11.2
|Nov precipitation days = 12.3
|Dec precipitation days = 11.0
|year precipitation days = 141.1
|humidity colour=green
|Jan afthumidity = 49
|Feb afthumidity = 54
|Mar afthumidity = 52
|Apr afthumidity = 51
|May afthumidity = 55
|Jun afthumidity = 61
|Jul afthumidity = 57
|Aug afthumidity = 50
|Sep afthumidity = 50
|Oct afthumidity = 52
|Nov afthumidity = 53
|Dec afthumidity = 49
|year afthumidity = 53
|source 1 = Braidwood (Monkittee Street, 1907–1975)<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_069010_All.shtml
| publisher = Bureau of Meteorology |title = Climate statistics for Braidwood (Wallace Street) |access-date = 21 October 2018}}</ref>
|source 2 = Braidwood Racecourse AWS (1985–present)<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_069132_All.shtml
| publisher = Bureau of Meteorology |title = Climate statistics for Braidwood Racecourse AWS |access-date = 6 March 2025}}</ref>
}}

==Population==
At the {{CensusAU|2021}}, Braidwood had a population of 1,720. 78.0% of people were born in Australia and 85.9% of people only spoke English at home. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 40.5%, Catholic 21.0% and Anglican 16.6%.<ref name="ABS">{{Census 2021 AUS| id = SAL10544| name = Braidwood| quick = on| access-date = 26 September 2022}}</ref>

== Media ==
Braidwood is served by local newspaper, the [[Braidwood Times]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.braidwoodtimes.com.au/|title=Braidwood news, sport and weather {{!}} Braidwood Times|website=www.braidwoodtimes.com.au|access-date=2020-01-14}}</ref> which is owned by [[Australian Community Media]].

Braidwood is home to [[CBAA|community]] [[radio]] station [[2BRW]]. Operating under the name '[[2brw|Braidwood Community Radio]]', the station can be heard on 88.9 FM.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.braidwoodradio.com.au/|title=Home|website=Braidwood Community Radio 88.9 FM|language=en|access-date=2020-01-14}}</ref> For [[Commercial Radio Australia|commercial]] radio, Braidwood is in the [[Goulburn, New South Wales|Goulburn]] broadcast licence area<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.radioalive.com.au/Find-a-Station/LAP/GOULBURN|title=Goulburn Radio Licence Area|website=Commercial Radio Australia}}</ref> with [[2GN]] heard on 1368 AM and [[Eagle FM (Australia)|Eagle FM]] on 93.5 FM. These stations have studios in Goulburn.

The town falls under the Southern NSW [[television]] licence area with stations transmitting from a tower on Mount Gillamatong, adjacent to the township.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://channelfinder.acma.gov.au/postcode/results_callsign.asp?pc=2622&la=169&cs=CTC|title=ACMA - Search for broadcasters by postcode|website=channelfinder.acma.gov.au|access-date=2020-01-14}}</ref>

==In popular culture==

===Film and television===
The town has several times been used for film locations, including ''[[Robbery Under Arms (1920 film)|Robbery Under Arms]]'' (1920), ''[[Ned Kelly (1970 film)|Ned Kelly]]'' (1970), ''[[The Year My Voice Broke]]'' (1987), ''[[Dad and Dave: On Our Selection|On our Selection]]'' (1995), ''Finding Joy'' (2003), ''[[The Discontinuity]]'' (2009) and ''[[Australia's Most Haunted]]'' (2013).

==Notable residents==
* [[Deuchar Gordon]], Australian pastoralist and president of the [[Australian Club]]
* [[Judith Wright]], Australian poet and conservationist and Aboriginal rights campaigner
* [[John Chapman (general)|John Chapman]], Army Officer
* [[James Fraser (railways administrator)|James Fraser]], first native-born Commissioner of Railways

==See also==
* [[Ralph Hush]]
* [[Christopher Eipper]]
* [[Quong Tart]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{commons category|Braidwood, New South Wales}}
*
*[http://www.braidwood-c.schools.nsw.edu.au/ Braidwood Central School website]
*[http://www.visitbraidwood.com.au/ Heritage information about various buildings in Braidwood]
*[http://www.heritage.nsw.gov.au/07_subnav_02_2.cfm?itemid=5054706 NSW Heritage listing for Braidwood] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080723062744/http://www.heritage.nsw.gov.au/07_subnav_02_2.cfm?itemid=5054706 |date=23 July 2008 }}
*[http://www.qprc.nsw.gov.au/ Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council website]
*[http://www.braidwoodtimes.com.au/ The Braidwood Times Newspaper]

{{Localities in Queanbeyan–Palerang Regional Council}}
{{LGAs Southern Tablelands}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Braidwood, New South Wales| ]]
[[Category:Towns in New South Wales]]
[[Category:Southern Tablelands]]
[[Category:Queanbeyan–Palerang Regional Council]]
[[Category:New South Wales State Heritage Register]]