About The Region
Tarcutta takes it name from the property, Tarcuttah, established in 1839 by Geoge and Hanen MacLeay. The likely origin of the name is a Wiradjuri word meaning either ‘grass seed’ or ‘damper made from grass seeds.’
Located halfway between Sydney and Melbourne, Tarcutta’s reputation grew as it became an extremely important trucking destination - before being one of the last sections of the Hume Highway to be bypassed in 2011.
What was once a popular stop and changeover point for the trucking industry – where truckies could catch up with each other and take time to rest before continuing their journey, travellers now making the drive between Melbourne and Sydney frequently break their journey in Tarcutta.
Also popular with seasonal workers and shearers coming to the region for work, its proximity to Wagga Wagga, Gundagai and Adelong has seen Tarcutta become a popular town from which to base yourself whilst exploring these popular regional centres that are just a 35-minute drive; whilst Holbrook and The Rock are within an hour’s drive.
Tarcutta would also inspire two of Australia’s most influential writers. Les Murray, considered the voice of Australia, wrote ‘The Burning Truck’ in a Tarcutta café in 1961; and one of our country’s most influential poets, Bruce Dawe, featured the local café in his book ‘Under Way’ – writing ‘There would be days / banging open and shut like the wire door of the cafe in Tarcutta / where the flies sang at the windows’. Tarcutta is also the birthplace of Australian tennis legend, Tony Roche.
Where to Eat
If you are planning to prepare your own meals whilst staying with us, we recommend purchasing your own food prior to your arrival at Tarcutta – with no supermarket in the town. A selection of pantry staples is available for you in our fully-equipped, shared kitchen that offers ample storage and refrigeration.
Tarcutta Retreat is within easy walking distance of the town’s centre which offers the following options for your dining enjoyment.
Tarcutta RSL Club – Clayton’s Bistro
Run by the community for the community, the Tarcutta RSL Club is one of our favourite places to dine – where you are always greeted with a friendly smile. Open daily, they are famous for their Sunday Roast and Friday Night Chinese is very popular with the locals.
Tarcutta Hotel
Previously known as the Horse and Jockey Hotel, the Tarcutta Hotel offers traditional pub-style meals Wednesday – Sunday. Showcasing local food artisans, there’s also a children’s play area and welcoming fireplace for winter days.
Coffee at Joe’s
Our go to café for great coffee and food during the day, Coffee at Joe’s is open Thursday to Monday, and every day of the school holidays.
Visitors to the town are encouraged to visit the Truck Drivers Memorial – built in 1994. This moving monument pays tribute to those drivers accidently killed whist performing their duty in the transport industry. Equally touching, but in a much more positive way, is the ‘Arm Horn’ sculpture by Australian blacksmith, William Maguire. This beautiful steel sculpture recreates the story of local children standing at the side of the road waving to passing truck drivers – becoming known as the ‘air horn arm pull’ - encouraging them to give them a friendly honk of their horn as they passed through the town.
What to See & Do
Held on the third Saturday of each month, the Tarcutta Market offer a large range of stalls including home grown products, plants, homewares, second-hand stalls, books and much more.
Located just 15 kilometres south of Tarcutta and established in 1999, the Tarcutta Hills Reserve is a 432-hectare reserve managed by Bush Heritage Australia. A twitchers delight, the reserve is offering a last refuge for many endangered birds such as the swift parrot, squirrel glider and as many as 11 other threatened wildlife species including turquoise parrots, brown tree creepers, superb parrots, speckled warblers, black-chinned honey eaters, hooded robins and diamond firetails. Listed on the Register of the National Estate, 82+ different bird species are known to use the area and it also protects the spotted grass frog, tree skins, small-leaf bush pea, cypress pine, mugga ironbark scribbly gum and red stringybark red box.
Approximately 23 kilometres south west of Tarcutta, John Smith was the first European to occupy Kyeamba and his homestead was eventually converted to an inn – known as the Travellers Joy. Kyeamba achieved fame in the 1860’s when notorious bushranger, ‘Mad Dan’ Morgan decided it was the perfect place for a meal – stopping at the Travellers Joy Inn. The Inn has, once again, reverted to a private property.