It's rare to be able to say that a town's main street is both pretty and fascinating...especially in the winter months...
But that, I find, is Temora...
Temora has travelled a long way since beginning as a pastoral station in 1847 but was not officially named as a town until it had become a hotspot for gold miners in 1880.
(Temora was originally named Watsonforde after the Colonial Treasurer James Watson, but public pressure changed the name to Temora)...
I am constantly finding new points of interest and marvelling at the attention to maintenance of streets, walkways and buildings...
I am still cautiously adjusting to the angled parking...front end to curb...
Driving into the parking spot is fine...It's the backing into traffic I find a little unnerving...
But the through traffic is slow and drivers seem to carefully watch for reversing parked cars...
My fears seem to be unfounded...
Adore the variety of old buildings...
The Commonwealth Bank was built in 1918 and initially opened as the Government Savings Bank...
The current Granleese & Company building has been a solicitor's office since 2005...
It was originally a branch of the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney and opened in 1904...
The current Westpac building was originally the Bank of NSW and built in 1891...
Temora Post Office was built in 1904...
It originally included a post office, residence and rear telephone exchange, now a museum...
The John Meagher & Co building - general merchants...
(I don't understand this building at all)...
An earlier post of mine (HERE) identified the John Meagher & Co building as being the 2 storey building of the current Paleface Arcade, across the road)...
The current, large Diamonds and Dust shop resides in this heritage building...
The Mee Ling store was one of the first shops in Temora...It was originally named Man Sing...
More details HERE
Inside the current shop, this heritage is acknowledged with large, informative banners/posters...
The Shamrock Hotel was built in 1882...
The Federal Hotel, built in 1912, occupied the site of the 1901 fire-ravaged Grenfell Hotel...
So while the date on the facade identifies as being built in 1912, it may have been in use before that date...
More details of the hotel's chequered history HERE...
When I read through the history, I was intrigued by 'the ghost stories'...
A little girl ghost named Belle Belle wanders the upper level of the premises...
Any connection with the metal gates (locking off the access from the main street to the rear of the premises) which are believed to be from the Old Temora Cemetery???...
History appears to be strangely silent on this one...
But I'll keep eyes and ears open...
There are a few buildings I can't identify...
This is one of them...It currently stands empty...
And there is always something quirky to be found in the country town main street...
Love this one...
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