Candelo

Postcode: 2550

Candelo is a town in south-eastern New South Wales, Australia. The town is located in the Bega Valley Shire Local Government Area, 448 kilometres (278 mi) south of the state capital, Sydney. At the 2001 census, Candelo had a population of 348.

The area around Candelo was first settled by Europeans in the 1830s and the village was developed in the 1860s at a crossroads following the passage of the New South Wales Land Act of 1861 allowed closer settlement.

Candelo, 451 km south of Sydney via the Princes Highway and 22 km southwest of Bega, is a tiny but charming village that has been designated an urban conservation area. Its old, attractive, timber buildings with their shady verandahs invite a leisurely stroll through the town's tranquil atmosphere and turn-of-the-century charm.

Candelo was originally part of the land owned by the Imlay Brothers from the 1830s which passed to the Walker Brothers when the Imlays encountered hard times the following decade. It was sold to the Twofold Bay Pastoral Association in the 1852. The village developed in the 1860s to serve as a centre for both the through-trade, at what was something of a junction of roadways, and for the independent farmers who moved there after free selection became law in an 1861 Land Act.

Most notable among Candelo's buildings is St Peter's Anglican Church (1906), designed by the Blacket brothers, Edmund being a noted ecclesiastical architect responsible for a number of churches in the Sydney region and for some of the work at the University of Sydney, notably the Great Hall.

If you turn into Eden St it will take you to historic 'Rosemont'. Formerly a convent it is now a private residence. Bombala Road will take you to Tantawangalo National Park and Tantawangalo Mountain (763 m) where there is a lookout. 5 km from Candelo this road passes Tantawangalo Trail Rides which offers half and full-day rides through 2000 acres of rolling hills and forest. The service is by appointment only; tel: (02) 6493 2350. Even closer to Candelo the road also branches left to Wyndham and crosses Myrtle Mountain where there is also a lookout. If you are in town on the first Sunday of any month you may wish to have a look around Candelo Markets, held on the village green.

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