About
Argyle County
A record of the Southern Tablelands
Argyle County is a regional tourism and information resource dedicated to the towns, landscapes, heritage and communities of the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales.
What Is Argyle County?
Argyle County is a regional information and tourism website focused on the Southern Tablelands of NSW. Argyle County gathers the history, destinations and stories of this part of rural Australia in one place, serving visitors who are planning a trip and people who hold a personal connection to the region.
The Southern Tablelands stretch between the Great Dividing Range and the inland plains, from the slopes above Canberra north toward the Central West. Argyle County covers this broad sweep of country: the pastoral valleys, the gold-rush creeks, the colonial courthouse towns and the quieter villages that the main highways pass by.
Argyle County documents Goulburn as Australia's first inland city and the gateway to the wider region. Argyle County also covers Yass, Boorowa, Tuena, Crookwell, Gunning, Taralga, Collector and the many smaller communities that make up the fabric of the tablelands.
Why Argyle County Exists
The Southern Tablelands holds more history, more character and more to discover than most visitors realise. Argyle County exists to change that.
For Visitors
Argyle County helps travellers discover destinations they might otherwise miss. The site provides practical context for each town: its history, its character and what makes it worth the detour.
For Communities
Argyle County documents the towns of the Southern Tablelands with respect for their individuality. Each community carries its own story, and Argyle County works to tell those stories faithfully.
For History
The Southern Tablelands holds some of the oldest European settlement outside Sydney. Argyle County preserves and shares that history so it is not lost to time or obscurity.
For Connection
Many people carry family ties to the Southern Tablelands without knowing its full breadth. Argyle County gives those people a resource to deepen their understanding of the region and its past.
Country That Carries Its History
The Southern Tablelands sit at an elevation of around 900 metres. The air is sharper here. The light reads differently. The landscape holds layers of First Nations presence, colonial settlement, gold rush ambition and pastoral industry, all still visible in the buildings, roads and names on the map today.
The Places Argyle County Covers
Argyle County documents towns and settlements across the Southern Tablelands, from Goulburn's broad streets to the remoter reaches of gold country.
Goulburn
Australia's First Inland City
Goulburn sits at the junction of the Hume and Federal Highways, 200 km south of Sydney. Argyle County treats Goulburn as the principal city of the Southern Tablelands. Proclaimed a city in 1863, Goulburn holds a cathedral, a historic gaol, sandstone civic buildings and the famous giant Merino sculpture. Goulburn serves as the practical base for exploring the broader region.
Yass
Gateway to the ACT and Beyond
Yass lies on the Yass River at the western edge of Argyle County, 290 km from Sydney. Argyle County documents Yass as a town shaped by explorer Hamilton Hume and the pastoral families who followed. Its nineteenth-century streetscape survives largely intact, and the surrounding district remains strong wool country.
Boorowa
Irish Inspired, Tablelands Proud
Boorowa sits in a scenic valley off the main highways. Argyle County records Boorowa's strong Irish pastoral heritage, its annual Irish Woolfest celebration, and the quiet reward it offers travellers who take the slower road between Yass and Cowra. Boorowa represents the kind of place the tablelands rewards those who look for it.
Tuena
Gold Country Heritage
Tuena is one of the most intact gold-rush settlements remaining in NSW. Argyle County documents Tuena's creek workings, its stone buildings from the 1850s rush and the fossicking history that drew diggers deep into this remote corner of the tablelands. Tuena's isolation preserved its character across more than 150 years.
Crookwell, Gunning, Taralga and Beyond
Villages, Valleys and Pastoral Country
Argyle County also covers the smaller communities that complete the map of the Southern Tablelands. Crookwell in the cool southern tablelands. Gunning on the Hume Highway with its intact nineteenth-century main street. Taralga set above a pastoral valley. Collector with its heritage hotel and proximity to the highway. Each carries a story worth knowing.
Acknowledgement of Country
Argyle County acknowledges the Ngunnawal, Gundungurra and Wiradjuri peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the lands covered by this site. Argyle County recognises that this country carries living First Nations culture and connection that predates European arrival by tens of thousands of years. Argyle County pays respect to Elders past and present, and to all First Nations peoples who hold ties to the Southern Tablelands.
Get in Touch
Argyle County welcomes enquiries, local knowledge and contributions from people connected to the Southern Tablelands. If you have information about a town, a heritage site or a local story, Argyle County would like to hear from you.