SOFALA

Sofala was born as a tent town in 1851. Gold was discovered in the Turon River flowing along the edge of the town. It was named Sofala after one of King Solomon's gold mines, as told in the Bible (Ophir was another of Solomon's goldmines).

In its early years, Sofala was a bustling goldrush town filled with people from around the world - China, America, Germany, and Britain. The town provided supplies and services for the thousands of miners working their claims along the river and in the nearby hills. Sofala was also a rest stop for wagons and stagecoaches on the way to Hill End, Mudgee and Bathurst.

By 1901, Sofala was a much quieter place as most of the gold had been found. A few diggers stayed on though, growing old while still seeking their fortune.

If you visit Sofala today, you can still see buildings from the goldrush, such as the Royal Hotel (1860s), the General Store (1860s), and the Courthouse (1850s-1860s) as well as miner's houses and cottages.
It is important we conserve, or look after, Sofala as it is an historic goldmining village where many of its buildings look the same as they did 100 years ago.