Hanging Rock, New South Wales

[1] The Hanging Rock Run of about 15,360 acres (6,220 ha), with a grazing capacity of approximately 500 head of cattle, was taken up by Nathan Burrows in 1848.

In August 1851, while out riding his run, Nathan Burrows spotted a stockman panning for gold along Swamp Creek.

During 1853, American gold miners dug, an approximately 23 km, water race from Callaghans Swamp to underneath the Hanging Rock cliff face.

Just south of Hanging Rock village are the Sheba Dams (with a surface area of 3.6 ha) which were erected by hand over a three-week period in 1888 to serve the sluicing needs of the miners.

Today Hanging Rock has a community hall, a New South Wales Rural Fire Service station and a few homes.

Sheba Dams, south of the village, is an interesting spot for an outing with picnic and barbecue facilities in a bush setting abundant with trees, birds, lizards, wallabies and pademelons.

One of them is the 'Tour de Rocque', which is organized to raise money for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter and will take place on the 1st Sunday of November.

The ride will start from the Peel River bridge at Bowling Alley Point, and will take the riders up to Sheba Dam, a 600 m elevation over a distance of 22 km.