The Adelong township, which was first established in 1836, came alive when in 1857 William Willams discovered a gold bearing reef ore on Charcoal Hill.

Alluvial mining and panning along the Adelong Creek was followed by mines being staked in the surrounding hills and water and steam powered stamper batteries were located along the creek to crush and process the hard pyritic quartz ore.[6] These included the heritage-listed Adelong Falls Gold Workings.

During the gold rush many Chinese people worked in the mines, a lot of whom died and were buried in a special portion of the Adelong cemetery.

[9] Adelong has a climate that is characteristic of the upper South West Slopes, though wetter on account of its proximity to the Brindabella Range.

Summers are warm to hot and dry, though often chilly by morning; winters cool and rainy, with occasional snowfall (with the last occurrence in August 2019).