Weddin Mountains Region
Bimbi
THE PLACE OF MANY BIRDS - WEDDIN MOUNTAINS REGION
On the road between Grenfell, the hub of the Weddin Mountains Region, and the authentic country village of Quandialla – lies Bimbi… the place of many birds. Number 13 on the Bird Trail, Bimbi is the ideal location for bird watching in their natural habitat.
Bird watching has become quite a large tourism draw card for the Weddin Mountains Region. Bimbi provides habitat for the Eastern Yellow Robin, Double-Barred and Zebra Finch.
Plan a camping or bushwalking trip near Bimbi, include the village in a Weddin Region round trip, or use it as a gateway to the Weddin Mountains National Park which is also ideal for exploring local history at fascinating destinations such as Ben Hall’s Cave and Seaton’s Farm.
About Bimbi
Bimbi was proclaimed in 1888 on the banks of Sandy Creek later renamed Burrangong Creek. When the railway bypassed the village around 1912, the buildings in the village were moved to Quandialla, Bribbaree and Thuddungra. Only about ten buildings remain today.
Bimbi’s claims to fame include a link to famous Australian writer, Banjo Patterson, who farmed wheat at a property near Bimbi in the early 1900’s. One of Australia’s greatest aviators and the first Controller of Civil Aviation in Australia, Lt Col Horace Clowes Brinsmead OBE MC, also resided in Bimbi before he went to the First World War. Brinsmead went on to earn a Military Cross and he is commemorated at the Bimbi Fire Brigade Shed.
Scenes from the Logie winning Australian mini-series “1915” were filmed in Bimbi in the 1980’s. The series follows two young men from the country who join the army and leave for the First World War. It starred Sigrid Thornton, Scott McGregor, Lorraine Bailey and John Blake.
Don't Miss...
The old Bimbi Post Office is one of the last remaining buildings in Bimbi’s main Street and is worth a look. The building was established as a Post Office in 1883. Check out the six heritage panels on the Bimbi Fire Brigade Shed that depict the history of the town. Public toilets are also located at the Fire Shed Camp.
Trace the history of the village via the Pioneer Cemetery to the south of the village, the remains of the old Sawmill, the 1915 House and the old Police Station in Caldwell Street.
Residents of Bimbi were hugely patriotic and the large numbers that enlisted during the First World War also shaped the region. This can be seen in the World War I Memorial, the 100-year-old Cenotaph, and the ANZAC Memorial Drive in Young Street.
Hipcamp at Ben Hall Creek Camp on Wentworth Station – an ideal place to spend a bit of recreational time in the region. Camp on the banks of a creek where it is said the bushranger Ben Hall used to camp with his horses in the 1800s. The picturesque creek is suitable for swimming, fishing, gabbling and paddling.