The Blayney district is in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales. Its main retail and local government centre is the town of Blayney. The villages of Newbridge, Hobbys Yards, Barry, Neville, Carcoar, Mandurama, Lyndhurst and Millthorpe are within its area. The Belubula River begins north of Blayney and flows in a southerly direction through the shire near to Blayney, Carcoar, and Mandurama. Two major dams are close to both Blayney and Carcoar - Lake Rowlands on Coombing Creek and the Carcoar Dam on the Belubula River.
The first inhabitants of the district were clans of the Wiradjuri nation, who were living in the Carcoar and King's Plains areas at the time of the first European exploration journey south of Bathurst by George Evans. Carcoar was the first settlement, gazetted in 1839, and it became the principal centre of government administration south of Bathurst. With the construction of the Great Western Railway in 1876 the fortunes of Blayney rose at the expense of Carcoar and it became a major rail hub particularly after the construction of the southern Blayney-Demondrille line.
The district has had a diverse history, but its base has always been agriculture, since European settlement.
Above: Coombing Park historic property near Carcoar.