Orange

Orange, New South Wales, Australia

Orange, city, east-central New South Wales, Australia. It is located near the slopes of Mount Canobolas, an extinct volcano.

In 1828 the area was named by Sir Thomas Livingstone Mitchell, the surveyor general of New South Wales, in memory of the prince of Orange (later William II), with whom he served in the Peninsular War, and the village of Orange was proclaimed in 1846. It grew after the announcement in 1851 of payable gold deposits at nearby Ophir, but farming eventually replaced mining. It was proclaimed a town in 1885 and a city in 1946. From 1972 to 1983 it was part of the Bathurst-Orange Growth Area, designed to promote decentralization.

Orange is now the centre of a fruit-growing (mainly apples), mixed-farming, and grazing area. It is also within a noted wine-growing region. Industrial development includes the manufacture of metal products. The city is noted for its parks and hiking opportunities and for its Food of Orange District festival in April. Pop. (2006) local government area, 35,338; (2011) local government 38,057.