 Braidwood
Although this isn't a one-street town, its remarkable
gold-rush era main street is what sets it apart. There's a lot of political
bickering about preservation in Braidwood and how it has stiffled development but, whatever the outcome, it's
unlikely that this strip of heritage buildings will be allowed to moulder away.
The whole town is classified by the National Trust.
The district was settled in the late 1820s, the town site
surveyed in 1839 and the town named after one of the first landholders, Dr
Thomas Braidwood Wilson. In 1851, gold was discovered, changing the character of
the town completely. As with other gold rush towns, Chinese miners had a
significant influence on the culture of the day. Sydney's first successful
Chinese businessman, Quong Tart, grew up in Braidwood and went on to overcome
the prejudices of Federation-era ‘White Australia' society.
The town's beauty and cheap shop rentals has fostered a string of arts and
crafts shops that open and close regularly. Many of the people who live in the
town work in Canberra and drive in each day, and Canberrans reciprocate on the
weekends, stopping at Braidwood on their way to the coast.
Next: Bungendore
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