While it may sometimes be referred to as ‘Submarine Town’, the popularity of Holbrook as a grey nomad destination shows absolutely no sign of sinking.
In fact, quite the reverse is true. In 2013, the Hume Highway was realigned around this NSW community, further enhancing its appeal.
Located about 400 kilometres north-east of Melbourne, the town was re-named in 1915 after Lieutenant Norman Holbrook, the first submariner to receive the Victoria Cross.
Today, the Holbrook Submarine Museum is a huge visitor attraction. As well as telling the story of Lieutenant Holbrook’s heroics in the 1914 Gallipoli campaign, the museum contains a huge and fascinating collection of submarine memorabilia.
The HMAS Otway at Holbrook, PIC: Simon Dallinger
It’s also got an impressive audio-visual area and a submarine control room … complete with periscope.
Nearby is the much-photographed ‘shell’ of the decommissioned HMAS Otway submarine, which is a full 90-metres long; and a 1/5 scale model of the British submarine HMS B11, the craft operated by Lieutenant Holbrook in 1914.
But there is a lot more to Holbrook, which has a population of less than 2000, than its hard-to-miss nautical theme. The area is also known for its produce, including merino wool, wheat and other grains.
The first Europeans in the area were believed to be explorers Hamilton Hume and William Hovell, who passed through in 1824. As the settlement began to develop it was initially known as Ten Mile Creek before a German immigrant, John Christopher Pabst, became the landlord of the Woolpack Hotel … and the name slowly evolved to Germanton or German Town.
However, this was obviously not an ideal name during World War 1, so it was changed again to Holbrook.
The original Woolpack Inn was destroyed by fire in 1895, and the Criterion Hotel was quickly rebuilt on the site and continued operating until 1965. The two-storey heritage-listed building now houses the Woolpack Inn Museum, which boasts 22 rooms of exhibits, as well as an extensive display of early transport and machinery.
Another must-visit for many grey nomads is the National Museum of Australian Pottery, the only museum dedicated to 19th and early 20th century Australian pottery. On display are more than 2,000 pieces of pottery from 130 different Australian pottery companies.
The town’s historic streets house a number of unique stores and businesses, including; Lady Gils Bookshop and Curios; Grandma’s Closet; and The Ten Nile, an eatery set inside a restored mechanic’s workshop. About 20 kilometres southeast of town is Woomargama National Park, famed for its wildlife, views, and excellent bushwalking and 4WDing.
There’s a couple of good campsites in the park; Samual Bollard campground; and the Tin Mines campground. In Holbrook itself, the well-equipped Holbrook Motor Village offers shady and spacious drive-through powered sites, as well as non-powered sites.
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