Bathurst to Bourke - The Cobb & Co Story
Following his visit to Australia in the late 1800s the American writer Mark Twain commented
that 'Australian history is almost always picturesque. Australian history does not read like
history - it is full of surprises and adventure, incongruities and incredibility's but they are all
true, they all happened' This comment could describe the Cobb & Co story.
The Bathurst to Bourke Cobb & Co Heritage Trail project commenced in 1997 due to the
enthusiasm and foresight of people such as Bathurst City Council's Cr Les Wardman, Nyngan
based coach builder Don Burns and Mudgee based architect and Heritage Advisor Barbara
Hickson. An invitation was issued to the twelve local government councils located between
Bathurst to Bourke to establish a Working Party with the aim of recording the history of Cobb
& Co and its contribution to the area. What has evolved has been a fascinating story in itself
of a Committee and local communities working together to record history and promote a
diverse region of country NSW.
The Bathurst to Bourke Cobb & Co story centres on the expansion and settlement of inland
NSW during the era of 1860 to 1900. The company provided transport and communications
networks not just to inland NSW but across most of eastern Australia and became
synonymous with efficient and fast travel. Initially the business was established in Victoria,
but relocated to Bathurst NSW in 1862 to follow the gold rush. The business provided gold
escorts, mail services and passenger services to the towns and rural settlements. The advent of
the railway line diversified the coaching lines, establishing feeder services to the railheads
with Bourke providing the company's focus by the end of the 19th century. The company
expanded its business into Queensland, continuing with transport services until 1924 when
the last horse drawn vehicle was replaced by motor lorries.
The Bathurst to Bourke project sought to record the history of Cobb & Co and its impact on
the area. Sufficient evidence remains within the landscape to identify the old roads, the inns
and changing stations that formed the network for the coaching lines. Likewise local and
family history provide a source for recording social history about the individuals who worked
for Cobb & Co - the inn keepers, coach drivers, grooms as well as the passengers who relied
on the coaches for transport.
The research project takes in a variety of areas of interest such as:

Geography, landscape and transport network relationships. Explorers
and settlers established the roads used by Cobb & Co. Some of these
roads probably followed tracks used by indigenous inhabitants of the
area and related to ease of passage and connection to supplies of food
and water. Other tracks were located due to seasonal and climatic
variation - the coach track was located wherever sound ground was
located.

Architecture. The inns, shanties, changing stations and settlers cottages provide evidence
of vernacular Australian architecture and show unique features of building ingenuity with
limited building materials.

Landscape elements. Vegetation may be the sole reminder of a former landuse. Yucca
plants, peppercorn trees and date palms provide evidence of occupation of sites. Features
such as marked gravesites also add to the details of the people and the customs of the
victorian era.

Environmental factors - the seasonal climatic variation and the diverse variation in
landscape from the mountains of the Great Dividing range to the plains of Bourke had an
impact on the location of tracks, the type of horse best suited to each climatic zone and the
need for dependable sources of stockfeed and water.

Economic, social and political history. To understand the relevance of the coaching story
it is necessary to be aware of the events that were shaping the colony as it headed towards
a national identity and Federation.

Business management. The individuals who were the Directors of Cobb & Co have a
special place in the story. Not only did two of the key people live in the Orange and
Bathurst districts, but their ability as business men who turned the coaching company of
Cobb & Co into the most efficient coaching business of its time is noteworthy.

Technology. The evolution of the construction process of the States road network
including bridge construction through to the development of the railway network.

Trade skills. The craft of coach building which incorporated some eleven different trades,
and the evolution of the design of coaches to suit the Australian climatic conditions.

Local and family history. The stories of the individuals associated with this colourful part
of history. Folklore especially relating to the activities of bushrangers during the coaching
era requires attention to separate fact from fiction.
The Cobb & Co project provides a transport and communications thematic concept that can
be networked to the victorian era history of goldfields, pastoral settlement, bushrangers, and
the growth of the Colony towards Federation. Whilst the historical context has a place in
cultural tourism marketing strategies throughout the Bathurst to Bourke area, the project lends
itself to several other areas of interest. These include the opportunity to consider heritage
conservation promotion, Australian history as part of the education syllabus, record the
contribution of a multi-cultural society and promote a sense of community ownership of the
Bathurst to Bourke Cobb & Co Heritage Trail.
The challenge ahead for the Working Party is to maintain the direction of the project and to
guide it particularly now that interest in the Cobb & Co Heritage Trail is being generated at
State and National level. The three main areas of promotion that have been identified for
action are cultural tourism to develop a tourism product from the Cobb & Co concept, using
the NSW Cobb & Co story as the case study for a primary school level education resource kit,
and continuation of the project by fostering a sense of community ownership in the project.
One of the unique features of the program perhaps lies in the geographic size of the subject
area. The distance across the twelve local government areas is approximately 1000 km. The
ability of the committee to focus on research and regional tourism promotion at such a broad
level has been part of its success. The appeal for the project covers a wide audience from the
city based audience wanting to experience country NSW, to family history and local history
devotees, to horse riding and driving club members through to the tourist market wanting to
see and experience part of a unique environment and landscape.
The Bathurst to Bourke Cobb & Co Heritage Trail project has gone beyond the initial aim of
recording and area's colonial and victorian history and has developed into a project with
considerable potential to target tourism, conservation, education and community awareness
using history and heritage, and in doing so capture the essence of the colourful history
referred to by that 1800s tourist Mark Twain.
Reproduced with permission of Cobb & Co.