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Oberon
New South Wales
Oberon Oberon Street 003.JPG
Oberon Street, the main street of Oberon
Oberon is located in New South Wales
Oberon
Oberon
Location in New South Wales
Population 3,256 (2016 census)
Postcode(s) 2787
Elevation 1,113 m (3,652 ft)
Location
LGA(s) Oberon Council
County Westmoreland
State electorate(s) Bathurst
Federal Division(s) Calare
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
16.8 °C
62 °F
5.2 °C
41 °F
842.9 mm
33.2 in

Oberon is a town located within the Oberon Council local government area, in the central tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia. The main industries are farming, forestry and wood products. The town usually receives snowfall during the winter months, owing to its high elevation. At the 2016 census, Oberon had a population of 3,256 people.

It is the birthplace of Greens politician Bob Brown, Ken Sutcliffe, supermotard rider Scott Saul, former Penrith Panthers players Ray Blacklock, Mark Booth, Dr Therese Wales and DJ Tallis O’Neill. Oberon is located near Jenolan Caves and the Kanangra-Boyd National Park.

Australian pub rock band Cold Chisel filmed the music video to their hit song "Flame Trees" in and around Oberon. The song's lyrics (written by Cold Chisel keyboardist Don Walker) present the story of a young man returning to his hometown, where he reminisces about the past and his former girlfriend from the region.

History

Fish River Creek Post Office opened on 1 January 1855 and was renamed Oberon in 1866.

Culture

Fishing is a pastime possible at Lake Oberon and The Reef Reserve. Oberon also has a golf club off Hume Street.

Oberon is known for its two inns, the Big Trout Motor Inn and the Highlands Motor Inn.

South of the town is Lake Oberon, Oberon Dam and the Fish River. There is a picnic area at the dam and a reserve with walking tracks near the lake.

Rugby league football coach Craig Bellamy started his playing career with Oberon's team in the 1970s.

Transport

From 1923 to 1979, Oberon was served by a branch railway line noted for its very steep 4% gradients and very sharp 100 m radius curves. Following closure, that line was allowed to fall into disrepair, but has been under restoration by the volunteer organisation Oberon Tarana Heritage Railway since 2005.

Road access

  • From Bathurst it is around 49 km (30 mi) southeast, along the sealed O'Connell Road.
  • From Great Western Highway near Hartley it is around 50 km (31 mi) south-west, along the sealed Jenolan Caves and Duckmaloi Roads.
  • From Goulburn it is around 140 km (87 mi) north, along the sealed Goulburn-Oberon Road.
  • Relief maps of the area are provided by NSW Central Ranges Weather.

Bus connection

From 1 June 2020, there is a Monday to Friday morning bus service to Tarana station where it connects with the Bathurst Bullet train to Sydney Central with an afternoon return connection. This replaced the previous three days a week coach service to Mount Victoria

Climate

Oberon has a subtropical highland influenced (Cwb) oceanic climate (Cfb) with mild to warm summers, cool to cold winters averaging 0 to 9C and evenly spread rainfall throughout the year. Frosts occur regularly during autumn, winter and spring. Because of its elevation, several snowfalls can be expected each year during winter. On an annual basis, Oberon receives 80.8 clear days.

Climate data for Oberon
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 36.0
(96.8)
34.5
(94.1)
32.6
(90.7)
25.0
(77.0)
23.1
(73.6)
17.1
(62.8)
16.8
(62.2)
20.2
(68.4)
25.6
(78.1)
30.1
(86.2)
35.2
(95.4)
35.0
(95.0)
36.0
(96.8)
Average high °C (°F) 24.8
(76.6)
23.7
(74.7)
21.5
(70.7)
17.1
(62.8)
13.1
(55.6)
9.4
(48.9)
8.7
(47.7)
10.3
(50.5)
13.7
(56.7)
17.0
(62.6)
19.8
(67.6)
23.2
(73.8)
16.8
(62.2)
Average low °C (°F) 10.8
(51.4)
11.2
(52.2)
8.9
(48.0)
5.3
(41.5)
2.5
(36.5)
0.8
(33.4)
−0.4
(31.3)
0.3
(32.5)
2.3
(36.1)
4.8
(40.6)
6.7
(44.1)
8.9
(48.0)
5.2
(41.4)
Record low °C (°F) −0.5
(31.1)
1.7
(35.1)
−2.2
(28.0)
−4.0
(24.8)
−6.3
(20.7)
−8.5
(16.7)
−8.7
(16.3)
−7.2
(19.0)
−5.8
(21.6)
−2.8
(27.0)
−2.5
(27.5)
−3.0
(26.6)
−8.7
(16.3)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 80.6
(3.17)
61.3
(2.41)
66.1
(2.60)
57.4
(2.26)
60.6
(2.39)
79.2
(3.12)
70.8
(2.79)
75.5
(2.97)
67.4
(2.65)
78.4
(3.09)
71.4
(2.81)
73.8
(2.91)
842.9
(33.19)
Average precipitation days 7.8 7.5 7.8 7.5 8.7 11.4 10.7 10.5 9.2 9.4 8.0 7.5 106.0

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