The town was started in the 1860s on the site of the farm. This was where the track for people going to the Lachlan gold fields crossed the Mandagery Creek. A bridge was built over the creek, and then the John Bull Hotel (later the Fat Lamb Hotel) was built next to it. In 1881, the town was laid out and a police station, courthouse and school were built. The creek has flooded many times; in 2005 it had a flood peak of . This cut the town in two, and water flowed through many buildings and houses.