The town is located on the Snowy Mountains Highway, in the Bega Valley Shire local government area, 474 kilometres (295 miles) south of the state capital, Sydney.

[4] The first European settlers were squatters grazing sheep and cattle on crown land beyond the limits of location set by the NSW Government in 1829.

The two towns remained relatively isolated until the bridle trail on Brown Mountain used to carry post was upgraded in 1889 to take vehicles, providing an effective means of descent from the Monaro to the coastal plain.

These were superseded by cooperatives, with the Bemboka Co-operative Factory at the east end of town remaining in business until 1980.

[15] In the surrounding state forests, woodchopping and logging was a major industry until the late 1980s, when activism by conservationists resulted in the reservation of 15,300 hectares as Bemboka National Park.

[17] During the 1970s, the village raised funds through housie nights, catering and grants to build a swimming pool in the town.