What is Binda?
[[Image:Binda 1.jpg|thumb|300px|Binda]] '''Binda''' is a village in the [[Southern Tablelands]] region of [[New South Wales]], [[Australia]] in [[Upper Lachlan]] Shire. It is about 261 [[kilometer|km]] south-west of Sydney and 19 [[kilometer|km]] north of [[Crookwell]].<ref name=smh/> Other near-by towns or locations are: *[[Crooked Corner, New South Wales|Crooked Corner]] *[[Peelwood, New South Wales|Peelwood]] *[[Redground, New South Wales|Redground]] *[[Wheeo, New South Wales|Wheeo]] *[[Narrawa North, New South Wales|Narrawa North]] In 2006, the population of Binda was 131 people.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/ |title=Australian Bureau of Statistics |access-date=2008-08-13 |archive-date=2008-07-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080709051122/http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> ==History== The word Binda is thought to be from the [[Gandangara]] [[indigenous Australian|Aboriginal]] word for deep water. The first Europeans in the Binda area were the explorers [[James Meehan]] and [[John Oxley]] in 1820. People began living in the area in the 1840s. [[Police]] were based at Binda in 1840 to protect local farmers from [[bushranger]]s.<ref name=smh/> The town was begun in 1851. Blocks of land in the town were made ready for sale in 1852. It was the first town in the area to have a [[school]], [[post office]], [[police station]] and a [[courthouse]].<ref name = ult>{{cite web|url= http://www.upperlachlantourism.com/binda.htm|title= Binda, New South Wales|access-date= 2008-08-13|work= Upper Lachlan Tourism|archive-date= 2008-12-01|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081201095700/http://www.upperlachlantourism.com/binda.htm|url-status= dead}}</ref> At Funny Hill, a sheep farm, a [[racing]] track for horses was made and the Binda Picnic Races began in 1848.<ref name=smh/> On [[Boxing Day]], December 26, 1864, the [[bushranger]]s [[Ben Hall]], [[John Gilbert (bushranger)|John Gilbert]] and [[John Dunn]] rode into the town with 3 local girls. They robbe