THINK ORANGE

Orange Local Government Area (LGA) is located only three and a half hours from Sydney in Central NSW. Orange has four distinct seasons, elegant streetscapes, beautiful parks and some of the best regional food and wine in Australia. The Orange region celebrates the beautiful great outdoors, a flourishing cultural scene, fine produce and cosmopolitan cafes and restaurants.

Orange LGA is home to more than 41,000 residents and includes the regional city of Orange and the small villages Lucknow to the east and Spring Hill to the south. The Orange LGA economy is driven by health service activities, mining and mining support, public administration, tourism, retail, viticulture and horticulture. Orange also supports the surrounding region providing key health and education services through Orange Health Service Charles Sturt University and Western TAFE. Orange also boasts a significant regional airport with direct flights to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane that connect the city to metropolitan markets.

The spectacular natural environment and highly productive agricultural land contribute to a thriving tourism sector. There are more than 60 wineries and cellar doors that regularly open in the region showcasing the areas award winning wines. Festivals and events showcase the quality regional produce with Food of Orange District (F.O.O.D) Week festivities, Wine Festival and the Orange Regional Farmers Markets celebrating this sector locally and attracting visitors to the region.

Orange is part of Wiradjuri land – the largest Aboriginal territory at the time of European settlement, covering the Central West slopes and plains. Today about 6.2% of the Orange population identify themselves as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.

The Orange region is part of Australia’s ‘historical heartland’ with the discovery of gold at Ophir in 1851 resulting in a subsequent Gold Rush in the region. By the 1860s Orange had developed into an important business centre. The railway came in 1874 and by 1890 the Town Hall, Post Office and Court House in Orange were all built. The beautiful parks and gardens that are enjoyed in the city today were born of that era.

Orange is expected to grow to almost 50,000 residents by 2036 and just over 1 in 5 of them will be over the age of 65. Children under the age of 14 comprise 21.2% of the Orange population, a higher proportion than for NSW.

Balancing growth of a bustling city while protecting the beautiful natural environment and catering for the needs of all members of our community will be the challenge for Orange over the coming decades.