History of the region
The town is not on a main highway — the main road runs roughly east to the mountains, where it turned into a steep dirt track — and the population was static for many years since its settlement in the early 1850s. The original immigrants were from England, Scotland and Ireland and China. The Gold Rush was followed by the arrival of by large numbers of Welsh miners interested in the tin mines at Mount Owen.
The next wave of settlement was after the First World War, when returned soldiers were offered soldier settlement blocks. These were small properties, and it was difficult to support families by farming. Most of the soldier-settlers either went to work for others, farming part-time, or sold their blocks to their neighbours. After the Second World War came immigrants from Europe, most of them Italians. They often settled on the small blocks that were left, and developed vegetable gardens and even a few small vineyards.
Most of the farming families have been here for several generations, using the local town as their usual shopping area, with some visits to the larger centre of Bendalong, about 30 minutes drive away, for major purchases.
There has also been a strong community interest in maintaining the state forest and preserving the environment as much as possible. Because the land is rich and well watered, people can produce enough to live on while preserving land that is environmentally more delicate. From the 1970s onwards, a handful of 'new settlers' have come into the district and set up small organic farms. They got on well with most of the locals, though some of the old-timers were suspicious about what might be growing between the tomatoes and the snow peas!
In the 1970s and 1980s the old main street of Bilby had the usual array of shops — a couple of milk bars, a hamburger joint, two fish 'n' chip shops, two small independent supermarkets and a dress shop that has seen better days. There was also a butcher called Lambert — known to everyone as 'Chops' — whose family has been in the business here for as long as anyone can remember.
The town boasted three pubs — one, the Grandview, decidedly more up-market than the others. All three served counter meals and did a good trade at the weekends, but none of them had gaming machines. They applied for gaming licences in 1985, but the local council was deluged with objections. Then, to the disgust of many townsfolk, the council granted a poker-machine licence to the Sporting Spot, a barn-like structure on the edge of the playing fields that lie between the main street and the river. The Sporting Spot serves as a clubhouse for the members of all the town's sports clubs — football, tennis, cricket, netball and bowls.
Sport has always been a big thing in Bilby, and the various teams have done very well because they have a strong sense of community pride. The town's sporting spirit was also helped by the generosity of the Sporting Spot (running a barbecue with meat donated by Chops) and the three pubs when there was a win!
Three churches — one Catholic, one Uniting and one Anglican — overlook the shopping strip, and the Baptists meet in the old community hall. Legend has it that in the 1950s the Methodist minister used to stand at the door of the church, watching the pubs and taking down the names of any parishioners who 'darkened their doors'. This was his way of gathering material for next Sunday's sermon.
At the 1993 census, Bilby and the surrounding rural areas had a population of 9700. The numbers had not changed much over the years. Locals who left often returned to bring up families, and a few city people retired there to take advantage of the pleasant lifestyle and climate. Some people travelled to work in Bendalong, while others had jobs in the shops around town, worked as contractors on the farms, or helped at the nursing home or Material Design.
Suddenly, in 1998, everything changed for Bilby. The TV show, City Stresses, Country Pleasures, arrived and the town experienced an economic and social boom. Tourism flourished and the population grew, new businesses were established and the town was a hive of activity. The sudden, unexpected cancellation of the TV show has ushered in a need to take corrective action. Advocacy groups are working closely with the shire council and federal and state governments to develop strategies that will bring about long-term sustainability for the town
