Development of the Town of Tambaroora

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Data was last added to this page on the
28 February 2026

DEVELOPMENT OF THE TOWN
(Information to be added when found)

Preamble
The information on this page hopefully will describe the layout of the town and the ongoing changes that were made, it also hopes to explain the different types of land acquisitions that were made available to potential landowners or grantee's of lands.

Originally the names of surveyed dimensioned land area's were called either "Portions" or "Allotments", Portion was used to identify District or Suburban surveyed lands, Allotment was used to identify Town Lots as noted on the various Land Purchase documents, but in time this nomenclature was replaced with the simple term "Lot", I have used Lot throughout this web site.

There are four area's which fall within the scope of this research:
1. that part of the Parish of Cummings (PoCu), DP756877 located in the north west of the Tambaroura,
2. that part of the Parish of Carroll (PoCa), DP756873 located in the east of the Tambaroura,
3. the Parish of Tambaroora (PoT), DP756905 in the centre which covers the majority of the area, and
4. the Township (ToT), DP758950.

Parish boundaries have changed over the years and where known have been indicated.

Surveying Instruments
Surveying the Lots entailed using either of two types of instruments:

the Circumfernator, and or
the Theodolite

these were supported by the Gunters Chain for measuring the distances. At every corner of a Lot a stake was driven and the corners were lockspit.

Types of Land Purchases

Grant Upon Purchase of Improved Crown Land - Introduced in 1861 as the Crown Lands Alienation Act 1861. Under the 8 Clause of the Act a person could apply to purchase land previously occupied by the intending purchaser upon which they had made improvements, be it building or cultivation.
The various dealings of the individual lots are all documented, the referring registered document is annotated with the year date and document number ie; Mis:68-1234 or Aln:70-1234 or 64-1234
Auction Sales - As advertised in the newspapers and Government Gazettes, usually held at the Police Office
Grant of Land Offered for Sale at Auction and not Sold - Where a Lot was advertised for sale by auction and was not sold at that auction, a potential purchaser could apply to purchase the Lot at the Upset Price set prior to the original auction.

The date used as the purchase date for the land acquisition may not be the exact date, some Grants only note the date the document was signed by the Register General. This date could be days, weeks or months after the actual purchase was made, this is especially true where the land may have been purchased at a Land Auction Sale.

Terminology

Application by Transmission - In a bRd sense is the dealings of a Deceased Estate or an Insolvent Estate.

Grant Upon Purchase of Improved Crown Land - Purchase of land previously occupied by the intending purchaser upon which they had made improvements, be it building or cultivation.
The various dealings of the individual lots are all documented, the referring registered document is annotated with the year date and document number ie; Mis:68-1234 or Aln:70-1234 or 64-1234

(The date used as the purchase date for the land acquisition may not be the exact date, some Grants only note the date the document was signed by the Register General. This date could be days, weeks or months after the actual purchase was made, this is especially true where the land may have been purchased at a Land Auction Sale.)

Upset Price - the lowest price at which a person is permitted to bid for something being sold at auction.

Vesting Order - An Order of a Court passing legal title in lieu of a legal conveyance.

The Towns Development
The town boundary is a defined area and is broken up into sections and in most cases bounded by Sts, within each section are the lots. Also within the town boundary are scattered suburban lots of various acreage.

Prior to 1859 and from the outset of the initial gold rush of 1852 the land was settled in a very haphazard fashion without any thought of uniformity, it was a case of first in first choice of land. Irregular shaped lots sprung up everywhere, especially along the main St of the town from McBrian St down to Clark St, and along McMahon St in the west, this area was to become the hub of the towns business district.

1859 saw a survey undertaken of the town to bring some uniformity to its layout and in preparation for the formal naming of the town on the 13 Dec 1859. What may have appeared on town and parish maps did not necessarily mean that it was how it was on the ground, Rds shown on maps in fact never existed on the ground.

Deceased Estates
It has been found that some Certificates of Title for Lots owned by persons who have passed away have not had Applications by Transmission made upon them, suggesting that the Title may have been lost hence those responsible for the administration of the Estate were not aware that these Lots were part of the deceased estate.

Mortgages
Where a Mortgage was undertaken there have been instances where the mortgage has not been discharged and no further dealings have been noted on the Certificate of Title.

Site fixed upon and town officially named

Source: ^{(030) No.254, Pg.2756 dtd 16 Dec 1859

Extracted from the digitized Gazettes by Archive Digital Books Australasia}

On the 3 Dec 1860 at the Tambaroora Police Office an auction sale was held for Town Lots:

Town Lot Purchases - 3 Dec 1860

Source: ^{(32) No.194, Pg.2017 dtd 20 Oct 1860

Extracted from the digitized Gazettes by Archive Digital Books Australasia}

Another land sale took place on the 15 May 1861 for that land that was not bid for or where deposits were forfeited from the previous sale.

Town Lot Purchases - 15 May 1861

Source: ^{(025) No.81, Pg.809 dtd 10 Apr 1861

Extracted from the digitized Gazettes by Archive Digital Books Australasia}

1861 was the introduction of the Crown Lands Alienation Act of 1861. One of the clauses of this act, clause 8 allowed individuals to apply for land that they may have occupied previously and had made improvements upon, this was called an "Improvements Purchase".

1863 saw the first group of Lots applied for as "Improvement Purchases" approved, all were located along the main St of Tambaroora known as Mudgee Rd:

Permission to purchase Improved Lands - 1863

Source: ^{(236) No.25, Pg.389 & 390 dated 13 Feb 1863

Extracted from the digitized Gazettes by Archive Digital Books Australasia}

Deeds of Grant ready for Delivery - 1864

Source: ^{(040) No.76, Pg.906-909 dtd 13 Feb 1863
Extracted from the digitized Gazettes by Archive Digital Books Australasia}

Permission to purchase Improved Lands - 1864

Source: ^{(040) No.157, Pg.1751 dated 5 Aug 1864

Extracted from the digitized Gazettes by Archive Digital Books Australasia}

This was followed by another approval in Sep 1864.
Permission to purchase Improved Lands - 1864

Source: ^{(040) No.185, Pg.2084 dated 20 Sep 1864

Extracted from the digitized Gazettes by Archive Digital Books Australasia}

Again in Oct 1864 another approval.
Approval to Purchase Improved Lands - 1864

Source: ^{(040) No.193, Pg.2197 dtd 4 Oct 1864

Extracted from the digitized Gazettes by Archive Digital Books Australasia}

Approval for the purchase of these lots did not necessarily mean that the applicant purchased the Lot, different circumstances may have either prevented the purchase or the applicant decided not to proceed with the claim be it for financial reasons or the need for the Lot was no longer required, which resulted in the Lot containing the improvements and was applied for as such being forfeited for non-payment of the appraised value.

As can be seen in the image above, the monetary payment conditions were laid out in paragraph 2, it has been seen on some survey plans that some purchasers did not meet these requirements and their applications were forfeited.

The appraised values of the Lots gives an indication of the extent of the improvements made to the Lots at the time of the survey or appraisal that accompanied the application. Thomas SMITH's purchase of Lot 1 Section 9 is a good example, this was the site of the original Hargraves Hotel, the extent of the improvements made on this Lot were extensive and can be read in the For Sale advertisement of 1857 for the Hotel. The appraisal value in 1863 was 18 pounds 11 shillings and 3 pence.

It is interesting to note that there appears to be a trend by persons wanting to purchase their improved land as an "Improvement Purchase" but they did not pay the appraised value of the Lot and instead preferred to purchase the Lot at the auction sales that were held at later dates. The value of the auctioned Lot appears in some cases to be less than the appraised values that were put on the same Lot.
5 May 1865
Lands Dedicated for Religious and Public Purposes

Source: ^{(41) No.87, Pg.985, dtd 5 May 1865

Extracted from the digitized Gazettes by Archive Digital Books Australasia}

Land Sale Town and Suburban Lots - 27 Sep 1865

Source: ^{(41) No.179, Pg. 1877 dtd 24 Aug 1865

Extracted from the digitized Gazettes by Archive Digital Books Australasia}

Deeds of Grant - 27 Oct 1868

Source: ^{(44) No.276, Pg.4009-4013 dtd 14 Nov 1868

Extracted from the digitized Gazettes by Archive Digital Books Australasia}

Deeds of Grant Ready for Delivery - 26 Jun 1873

Source: ^{(721) No.162, Pg.1799-1803, dtd 26 Jun 1873

Extracted from the digitized Gazettes by Archive Digital Books Australasia}

Approval to Purchase Portions or Lots - 4 May 1875

Source: ^{(51) No.94, Pg.1310, dtd 4 May 1875

Extracted from the digitized Gazettes by Archive Digital Books Australasia}

In the early 1890's an attempt appears to have been made to reawaken the township, alterations to the design of the Town and the addition of Lots saw in the ensuing years Auction Sales to sell off those Lots and those Lots that were not originally sold in the 1860's and 70's.

17 Feb 1891 - Proposed Alteration of Design of the Town and Suburban Lots of Tambaroora
The alterations consisted of the addition of Suburban Lots in the north eastern part of the Town

Source: ^{(390) No.113, Pg.1366, dtd 17 Feb 1891

Extracted from the digitised articles found in Trove, reproduced courtesy of the National Library of Australia.}

18 Jul 1891 - Revocation of Temporary Reserves - Within the Town of Tambaroora

Source: ^{(390 ) No.464, Pg.6491, dtd 18 Jul 1891}

Application to Mine within the Town and under Rds - 27 Jun 1893
The Application was refused on the 15 Aug 1893

Source: ^{(391) No.462, Pg.5076, dtd 27 Jun 1893

Extracted from the digitised articles found in Trove, reproduced courtesy of the National Library of Australia.}

Hill End and Tambaroora Temporary Commonage - 29 Jul 1893
Removed from within the boundaries of the Town and Suburban Lands of the Town of Tambaroora

Source: ^{(391) No.544, Pg.6048, dtd 29 Jul 1893

Extracted from the digitised articles found in Trove, reproduced courtesy of the National Library of Australia.}

Application to Mine within the Town and under Rds - 15 Aug 1893
These Applications were all refused

Source: ^{(391) No.568, Pg.6306, dtd 15 Aug 1893

Extracted from the digitised articles found in Trove, reproduced courtesy of the National Library of Australia.}

Land Sale Town Lots - 7 Nov 1893

Source: ^{(391) No.609, Pg.6885, dtd 31 Aug 1893

Extracted from the digitised articles found in Trove, reproduced courtesy of the National Library of Australia.}

In Dec of the same year 425 acres was revoked from the Wellington Goldfield and made available for sale in the Town and its Suburban lands.

Land Revoked from Wellington Goldfield and to be sold as part of Tambaroora Township and Suburban Lands - 14 Dec 1893

Source: ^{(391) No.544, Pg.6039, dtd 29 Jul 1894

Extracted from the digitised articles found in Trove, reproduced courtesy of the National Library of Australia.}

In 1894 Lots which had previously not been sold when sales were held in the 1860s and 70s and the unsold Lots from the Auction held in the previous year were placed up for Auction again, this Auction also included the lands that were revoked in the later part of 1893, all were put up for Auction on the 18 Sep 1894.

Land Sale Town and Suburban Lots - 18 Sep 1894

Source: ^{(295) No.467, Pg.4535, dtd 18 Sep 1894

Extracted from the digitised articles found in Trove, reproduced courtesy of the National Library of Australia.}

Again in 1895 Lots which had previously not been sold when sales were held in the 1860s, 1870s and the unsold Lots from the Auction held in the previous year were placed up for Auction again, all were put up for Auction on the 5 Jun 1895.

Land Sale Town and Suburban Lots - 5 Jun 1895

Source: ^{(468) No.226, Pg.2205, dtd 1 Apr 1895

Extracted from the digitised articles found in Trove, reproduced courtesy of the National Library of Australia.}

Revocation of Reserves from Sale - 4 Jan 1918
The listed Lots below appear to not have been sold after the previous years attempts, their Reserve status was revoked 60 days after the notification date.

Source: ^{(142) No.2, Pg.84, dtd 1 Jan 1918

Extracted from the digitised articles found in Trove, reproduced courtesy of the National Library of Australia.}

TO BE CONTINUED