| HENTY - NEW SOUTH WALES - 2658 | ||||
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Population: 100, Height above sea level: 180m Latitude: 35.31.00 Longitude: 147.02.00 Location: 550km south west of Sydney. Highway: Olympic Way (41) Nearest Major Town: Wagga Wagga Nearest Airport: Wagga Wagga Touring Area: Riverina and The Murray |
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Henty is a small town on the Olympic Way with a big history. In 1914 the first mechanical harvester was created by Headlie Shipard Taylor and used on his property where he stripped 200 acres in this first harvest. The machine revolutionised grain harvesting and led to worldwide acclaim. In 1916 H.V. Mackay saw tests of the machine and bought the patent rights leading to the mass production of what was to become the 'Sunshine Harvester' which sold to an international market. The initial demonstrations and subsequent education and training sessions in the use of the new harvester led to the renowned Henty Field Days, held east of the town annually in September and attended by thousands. The inventor was born in Henty in 1883 and lived there until 1915 when he moved to Melbourne to supervise the building and promotion of harvesters. He was named 'Inventor of the Year' in 1928 by the Institute of Engineering in the USA and died in 1957. Henty region was originally known as Dudal Comer (Doodle Cooma) the aboriginal for 'Sweet Water'. In 1880 the railway between Wagga Wagga and Albury passed through the centre of the town and the station was called Doodle Cooma. In 1889 the Doodle Cooma Hotel was built and confusion over the two names, East Doodle Cooma and West Doodle Cooma, and the village name Henty, led residents to accept either name for their small and attractive town. South of Henty on the highway is a small rest stop with the 'Henty Man'. The original was carved from a tree by Mr Aubrey Prior who, in the 1930s, noticed a tree with a likeness of a man pointing to Henty. Over a period he sculpted and painted the tree and it became a landmark for the road. This original tree was destroyed by fire and in 1985 a similar tree was added to the stump to re-create the original and the council financed the wayside stop where the sculpture stands as part of Henty's Centenary Celebrations. Henty is also in an area known as 'Morgan Country' noting the activities of bushranger 'Mad' Dan Morgan. Morgan's Lookout is now a favourite picnic spot and to reach it take the Walbundrie Road then turn right onto the Culcairn-Walbundrie Road. A little along this road turn onto the Walla Walla Road and the entrance is on your right. PLACES OF INTEREST:
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