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Young
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Seventy kilometres southwest of Cowra along the Olympic Way, the hilly town of
YOUNG
is a good spot to pick up some
cherry-picking
work during the season (approximately six weeks from the first week of Nov). Being monotonous rather than strenuous, the work attracts a genteel crowd and is popular with retired Queenslanders. If you just want to pick your own and have a look at some orchards and packing sheds, there are a number of them on the way into town from Cowra; you could also contact the Employment National on Boorowa Street (tel 02/6340 2900). The long weekend in October generally coincides with the time when the
cherry blossoms
are in full bloom - a glorious sight. There's even a Cherry Festival each year, in late November/early December. There are also several vineyards on the slopes of the undulating area, which is becoming known as the Hilltops wine region; one worth visiting is the small, family-run
Woodonga Hill Winery
, 10km north of Young on the Olympic Way (daily 9am-5pm; tel 02/6382 2972).
Young also has some significance as the site of the notorious
Lambing Flat Riots
, described in every Australian history book. A former gold-mining centre known then as Lambing Flats, the town was the site of racist riots against Chinese miners in June 1861. As the gold ran out, European miners resented what they saw as the greater success of the more industrious Chinese. Troops had to be called in when the Chinese were chased violently from the diggings, beaten, their pigtails cut off, and their property destroyed. Carried at the head of the mob was a flag, painted on a tent flysheet, with the Southern Cross in the centre, and "Roll Up, Roll Up, No Chinese" lettered in the manner of a circus flyer. You can see the original flag, and other exhibits relating to the riots, in the
Lambing Flat Folk Museum
(Mon-Sat 10am-4pm, Sun 10.45am-4pm; $2), located on the Olympic Way, just south of Boorowa Street. For more information, including lists of accommodation and where to eat, contact the
Young Visitor Information Centre
, 2 Short St (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat & Sun 9.30am-4pm; tel 02/6382 3394,
tourist@yol.net.au
). A recommended
farmstay
outside town is
Old Nubba School House
(tel 02/6943 2513; $50-90), halfway between Young and Cootamundra on the Olympic Highway; the peaceful self-contained accommodation, a former schoolhouse in the grounds of the friendly family farm, sleeps up to six and breakfast provisions are included. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Australia,
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