Wauchope

Wauchope is a town in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia.

Wauchopeis a town in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. It is within the boundaries of the Port Macquarie-Hastings Council area.Wauchope is inland on the Hastings River and the Oxley Highway 19 km (12 mi) west of Port Macquarie. The town is 406 km (252 mi) north of the state capital Sydney.

Wauchope is the location of Timbertown, a popular heritage theme park inspired by the logging industry that formed the basis for Wauchope's early economy and prosperity.The town has a population of approximately 7,500 (as of 2006 - including King Creek & Redbank).It has also played an important role in the Hastings Valley dairy industry.

The Birpai (also known as Birrbay) people have lived in this area for more than 40,000 years.By 1828 a number of land grants had been made along the Hastings River. It was not until 1836 that the village of Wauchope first came into existence. In that year Captain Robert Andrew Wauch (whose father dropped the 'ope' from the end of his name as a result of a family dispute) paid a deposit on 760 acres (3.1 km2) on King Creek. He bought more property and built Wauch House.

Robert Wauch died in the Macleay area in 1866, and the Government Gazette published the deeds of his properties, specifying that they should be called Wauchope. When the post office opened in a nearby settlement in 1881, it was named Wauchope, although the Government Gazette misprinted the name Wanghope, an error that was not corrected until 1889.

It is pronounced 'war-hope', although the family pronounced their name 'walk-op'. This is similar to the Canadian town which is pronounced 'walk-up'. The Wauchope family currently pronounce their name 'walk-ope'.