Temora, New South Wales: History
Temora started as a pastoral station in 1847. Gold was discovered later in the area, and a small village established. Temora Post Office opened on 1 February 1874 and was renamed West Temora in 1880 on the same day an existing East Temora office was renamed Temora.
Gold was first found in the area in 1869 but the main rush commenced in 1879, with over 20,000 people thronging to the gold diggings at Temora the district was proclaimed a gold field on 4 June 1880. Despite drought conditions, it is said that, by 1881, the Temora field was producing half the state's gold. In 1881 the highest yield from the Temora field was attained – an Impressive 35,228oz.
Some large discoveries were made, including the famous Mother Shipton nugget, which weighed in at 308.35 ounces, a facsimile of which appears in the Rock and Mineral Museum section of Temora Rural Museum.
With the collapse of the gold field Temora witnessed a rapid drop in population. By the time of the first Australian census in 1911 the population was 2,784.
The Temora railway station opened in 1893.
In the early twentieth century, Temora was among a number of places in New South Wales settled by people of German origin. Temora and surrounding districts such a Trungley Hall have many Germanic road names.
In more recent times, gold mining occurred at the Paragon Gold Mine at Gidginbung, 12 km north of the town, from 1986 to 1996.