Morven

Postcode: 2660

Morven is a small village about 7 kilometres West of Culcairn in the eastern Riverina district of New South Wales, Australia. The village and surrounding area has a population of approximately 319 people. Morven commenced its existence as a Cobb and Co Staging Post. In recent years Morven has continued to remain viable with a number of new residents and houses taking up residence. The site of the village still boasts the old church, a set of tennis courts and the Round Hill Hotel.

The Round Hill Hotel is somewhat misnamed as the actual location of Round Hill property is some kilometres away on the Holbrook to Culcairn road. The hotel's name was changed from the Bridge Hotel to its current name when an owner of the hotel was also a part owner of Round Hill property. The bushranger Dan Mad Dog Morgan roamed the area in the mid 1800's and indeed held up the Round Hill Station property situated along the road to Culcairn. During the hold up he fatally wounded John McLean an employee of the station, and a grave and memorial stands at the site to commemorate the unfortunate incident.

It was once a much larger village than is seen today and as that shown on old maps of the village prepared in December 1860 by District Surveyor Francis Adams, with plans for further expansion. There were once over 60 pupils attending the local school. When the town blocks of land were sold in 1861, the majority were purchased by the brother of the owner of Carabobala Station, Elliot Heriot. Others were ’selected’ by George Matchett a former English policeman in 1865. Over the next 20 years the Matchett’s aquired more than 10,000 acres of land.

With the arrival of the Railway line to the west of the village, the town of Culcairn grew, and with the greater use of rail and the decline of Cobb & Co, Morven never saw the materialising of the original plans for the village. Morven is one of the oldest licensed Cobb & Co. coach stations in NSW The remains of the old stables can still be seen, next to the Hotel built around the turn of the 20th Century after fire destroyed the original.

The original Bridge Hotel was built around 1868 and was purchased by John O’Donoghue in 1897, with the Hotel remaining in that familiy until 1959, when it was taken over by Octavius Chaffey. The name was changed to the ‘Round Hill Hotel’ about this time. The hotel is still licenced and fully operational.

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