Early in 1829  the Collits Family was granted land in the Forbes District.

His father  Pierce took up a grazing license in the Wellington District.  The Government had granted him 317 acres at Canowindra, when they ackowledged the loss of custom when the Mt Victoria Pass was built

His elder brother, James Collit, was granted 640 acres  at Canowindra  as a reward for finding a path down Mt York. He also had land at Carrawobitty. James Collits moved to  the Forbes District and his holdings was near the Paytens Bridge at Bandon, near Eugowra.

James died in 1880 and was buried at Forbes. They had a property known as Brandon Station.

History

The first European explorers entered the Lachlan Valley in 1815, and settlers first put down their roots in 1836. Canowindra became famous in 1863 when bushranger Ben Hall held up the entire population at the local inn for three days. Eugowra is known as bushranger country, in 1862 Frank Gardiner’s bushranger gang including the infamous Ben Hall ambushed and robbed the gold escort coach on its way from Forbes to Bathurst in New South Wales.   2917 oz’s of gold and 3700 pounds of sterling cash were stolen, but a portion of the total value of 14,000 pounds sterling was never recovered and locals say the fortune is still hidden in the hills.

Eugowra 2806

 
State Local government NSW Cabonne Surrounding locations
Bandon   Forbes  Gooloogong