Tahmoor New South Wales

A Township formed

 

Tahmoor Post Office and residence of Samuel Emmett c. 1917

 The first real boom period occurred in 1916 with the building of the Picton-Mittagong railway deviation which virtually followed the line of the Great South Road taking the main line away from Thirlmere, Buxton, Balmoral and Hilltop and running it through Tahmoor, Bargo and Yerrinbool. This caused great consternation to the residents of villages along the existing line who were concerned that the removal of the main line would have a detrimental effect on property values and the district generally. One complainant was Samuel Emmett who held 4000 acres of land near Hilltop and could no longer hope to make any profit from it. Not to be thwarted, Sam purchased hundreds of acres of land near where it was proposed to build a new railway platform along the Bargo road part of which was James Ashcraft’s property. Sam subdivided the land into some 600 building blocks which now forms the nucleus of the township of Tahmoor.

The deviation works brought hundreds of men and their families to the area creating an urgent need for postal facilities and shops. Sam Emmett was again ahead of the rest, applying for the re establishment of a post office which he proposed to be in premises attached to a shop which he was in the process of building.

The application for a post office was approved, however the identity of the location was still in question. Sam Emmett favoured names such as ‘Wonga Park’, ‘Boronia’, or ‘Bronzewing Park’. Wonga Park was found to be unsuitable as there was already a town by that name in Victoria. Sam’s preference of ‘Bronzewing Park’ was referred to the Railway Department by the Department of Lands as it was desirable that both post office and railway platform should bear the same name. The Railway Department advised that the new platform would be called ‘Tahmoor’, Aboriginal for bronzewing pigeon. Sam was not pleased with the decision and asked that the matter be reconsidered, submitting a list of residents names who he said were also against the name ‘Tahmoor’ and in favour of ‘Bronzewing Park’. By this time a railway camp at Bargo Bridge had been established and the men were anxious to have access to postal facilities closer than Bargo or Thirlmere. In order to expedite the matter, the Postal Department took the side of the Railway Department and directed that the new Post Office be called ‘Tahmoor’. Tahmoor Post Office commenced operations on 1 September 1916 with Sam as Postmaster.

By 1918, a second major subdivision was almost complete while purchasers of some of the land in the first were commencing to build homes and shops. The railway line was opened on 13 July 1919. A Progress Association was established in August of that year which actively and successfully lobbied for improvements to the district. For many years the Progress Association also took on the role of a P & C Association.

Outside of the newly subdivided land, poultry farms and orchards had been established by families such as the Millers of "Brundah" , Joseph Tickle of Hilton Park and J R Stewart of "Denfield Park".

In 1921 the lands formerly comprising the Myrtle Creek Estate were subdivided and named Tahmoor Park Estate. This subdivision brought about the creation of Myrtle Creek Avenue, River Road, Tahmoor Road, Struan Street (then called Station Street ), Park Avenue, and Moorland Road. A limited water supply for some was available by tapping into the Picton water supply which came from the Bargo Weir, and a telephone service was soon to be established. Although there was a promise of an electricity supply for the short term, it was to be nearly another 20 years before this commodity became available to the residents of Tahmoor.

 

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References:

Fairfax, M. "Tahmoor's First Land Developer - Samuel Emmett", Stonequarry Journal, Vol.  7.  No.  1.  1993, pp.  11-13.
Fairfax, M  It has no definite name - Postal History of Tahmoor p.3
Picton Post 23 October 1918.