Cudal

Cudal ( KEW-dal) is a town in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia.

Cudal ( KEW-dal) is a town in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. Cudal is in the Cabonne Shire Council local government area, 296 kilometres (184 mi) west of the state capital, Sydney. The town was first surveyed in 1867. Running through the town is "Boree Creek". Platypi are common in the Boree Creek, giving Cudal the catchline 'home of the platypus' on signs entering the town. The place name, Cudal, could have derived from an Aboriginal word meaning 'flat'. At the 2011 census, Cudal had a population of 339. Industry and commerce in Cudal is a mixture of retail, government services, and agriculture (sheep, canola).

Major Thomas Mitchell left on his exploration of inland Australia from the historic homestead Boree Cabonne near Cudal in 1835.Two factors contributed to the establishment of the town of Cudal. One was the 1860s free selection laws of New South Wales, allowing people to move to newer areas of the colony. The second was the need to access the gold fields in Forbes, which required the crossing of Boree Creek. Cudal is situated on the banks of Boree Creek. As a mid way point between Orange and Canowindra and Eugowra, it was a place to rest, see to horses and stay safe from bushrangers. Cudal was first surveyed in 1867. In 1882 the town had two churches, a bank, a public school, five stores, three hotels and a mixture of other businesses.

Cudal is located on The Escort Way, an important road within NSW for the transport of gold from the diggings to the main commercial centres. Consequently, bushrangers, including Ben Hall and Frank Gardiner, operated in the area.

Many men from the district participated in war as part of the duty for King and country. The memorial park gates on Main Street honour their service and list those who made the supreme sacrifice.

Hazelton Airlines operated from Cudal airport, using the airport as both an administrative centre and maintenance facility, until it ceased to operate in the 1990s.

On 5 May 2015 a firedestroyed the Royal Hotel on Main Street. It has since been fully demolished.

The Commercial Exchange Store, located on Main Street, was built in 1901. It replaced a previous Parkers building erected in 1875. The store was designed to offer for sale to the people of Cudal and district all the goods one would need from drapery to foods to tools. In 1921 the store was purchased by Mr. E. W. Cordern and the name changed to "Cordern's Store". The store operated until 1958. The building then was used by the local Boree Shire Council until 2001. At this point a group of local women took over the building and it has once again become the centre of Cudal retail, now known as the "Cabonne Food Wine and Cultural Centre".The centre includes a cafe, crafts, antiques, and a library. There are also a number of displays on people and items from the town history. Volunteers from the local community operate the store Friday - Sunday.