Bredbo was always a favoured stopping point for travellers. During the Kiandra Gold Rush, the small village became an overnight stop for the gold coach and a safe haven from bushrangers.
Bredbo has always been a service centre for surrounding properties. In early 1889, when the railway line reached the village, there were only eight houses there; after that the village flourished.
Gold was discovered near Bredbo, the main field being Cowra Creek. The Reverend W B Clarke, who discovered the fold there, was also the man who discovered gold at Kiandra.
One of the earliest settlers in the Bredbo district, John Cosgrove of Billilingera, was believed to be the largest landholder in southern New South Wales. In one year 68,000 sheep were shorn in the Billilingera shearing shed.
The original General Store (now the Pancake Parlour) was built in 1903. Today there are about 200 residents in the village of Bredbo; the community is small but thriving and continues to offer travellers a warm and friendly welcome and genuine country hospitality.
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