Located 443km south west of Sydney and 725m above sea level, Batlow is set in the beautiful low-lying mountains of the New South Wales south-west slopes. The town is surrounded by orchards and in recent years it has become famous as one of Australia's premier producers of apples, pears, cherries, numerous varieties of berries and stone fruits.
Prior to European settlement the Wiradjuri Aborigines lived in the area. The first Europeans to pass through the district were Hamilton Hume and William Hovell in 1824 on their journey to Port Phillip Bay. A few years later, in the early 1830s, Thomas Boyd settled at Windowie, a property north of the town.
The discovery of gold in the early 1850s at Adelong and in the Batlow Valley led to the establishment of a small settlement at Reedy Creek in 1854. The town was named after a Mr. Batlow, the surveyor who laid out the town's street plan. The primary function of the settlement was to service the surrounding gold mining area. Out of this settlement grew the town of Batlow.
The gold mining era was short lived and by 1855 the first orchards had been planted. The town became a service centre with fruit trees being planted on the surrounding hills and in the surrounding valleys. By 1880 a timber mill had opened and by 1900 more than 5 000 trees both for orchards and for timber milling had been planted in the district. This process of expansion continued until 1915. The town was officially proclaimed in 1910.
Major growth occurred in the town in 1923 with the arrival of the railway (a branch line from Tumut) and the establishment of the state's first cool stores. Four years later, in 1927, the town's co-operative packing sheds and cool stores were opened. It was known as the Batlow Packing House and Cool Stores Co-operative. This organisation was formed by district growers and can be seen as the beginning of a process which continues today in the Batlow Fruit Co-op.
The area continued to prosper through the 1930s with the introduction of cider manufacturing. After the outbreak of World War II the Batlow Packing Company provided both U.S. and Australian forces with dehydrated fruit and vegetable. By the 1950s the town had become a major centre for both the soft wood plantations and the orchards and some farmers were experimenting with asparagus and sweet corn. Today Batlow is at the centre of the most important apple growing area in New South Wales. It is surrounded by more than 350 000 apple trees and it's packing and processing plants are the town's main employers.
Things to see
Springfield Orchard and Tourist Information
Tourist Information can be had from the Springfield Orchard which is located on the Tumut Road about 1km out of Batlow. Springfield Orchard also has picnic and barbecue facilities and sells most of the fruits available in the area. It is open seven days a week. For more details contact (02) 6949 1021.
Batlow Fruit Co-operative Limited
Located on Forest Road south of the town centre. The Batlow Fruit Co-operative Limited is the largest computer controlled fruit grading, packing and storage complex in Australia. Visitors are welcome and fruit is available for sale. Tours can be arranged. For more details contact (02) 6949 1021.
Fruit Picking Seasons
During the year there are times when fruit is readily available from orchards and roadside stalls throughout the Batlow area. Cherries are picked in November - December; berries from December to April; peaches in January and February; pears between February and March and apples from March to May.
Weemala Lookout and Flora and Fauna Reserve
Take the road out of Batlow towards Tumbarumba and turn west into Cherry Lane to reach Weemala Lookout. This lookout offers outstanding views over the township. It is also is an excellent vantage point for a panoramic view across the northern end of the Snowy Mountains.
Cascades Nursery
Located at the end of Fosters Road to the east of the town centre is the Cascade Nursery, specializes in cold climate exotic trees and shrubs. The nursery is open from 10.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday, every week of the year, except Christmas Day. The gardens are open to customers as they contain many of the trees that are for sale in the nursery. There is also a 'Rare Trees Arboretum' continually developing as an extension of the already extensive gardens. For more details contact tel: (02) 6949 1268.
Bago State Forest
To the south east of Batlow lies the Bago State Forest, a 43 000 hectare of soft and hard wood with stands of alpine ash and radiata pine. There are a number of pleasant walks and drives through this state forest including the Hume and Hovell Lookout (follow the signs from Yellowing access road) which has views over the Blowering Valley and Blowering Dam. Buddong Falls which is 25 km from Batlow on a marked road has a lookout at the top with pleasant views of the falls and good picnic and barbecue facilities.
Oregon Forest Walk
Access is via a car park located off Central Logging Road. This walk takes in a fine stand of Douglas fir trees. Various softwoods are nameplated.
Pilot Hill Forest Park and Arboretum
A pleasant locale, it features over forty different species of hardwood and conifers from around the world, which were planted in the early 1920s. Nameplates indicate both the common and botanical names. There are picnic, barbecue and toilet facilities. Access is via the unsealed Bago Forest Way.
Sugar Pine Walk
Sugar pines are one of the largest and most valuable timber trees of North America. An excellent stand of them can be seen along this short walk which lies about 300 metres up Kopsens Road, at Laurel Hill (unsealed).
Tourist Information
Tumut Region Visitor Centre
Old Butter Factory 5 Adelong Rd, Tumut
Batlow NSW 2720
Telephone: (02) 6947 7025
Facsimile: (02) 6947 3752
