YEAR IN REVIEW | Sparkling white hills shine during August's white-out

Along with the big dump came one of Orange's coldest days on record too, with the city shivering through a top temperature of just 2.1 degrees - and the mercury didn't get much warmer the following day either - equalling the lowest maximum recorded temperature in Orange since readings started being taken at the Orange Airport in 1996. Roads closed, sport was thrown into chaos and kids had an absolute ball.

And in another one of the month's biggest stories, a caped villain made national news following on August 30. He was caught on CCTV cameras after attempting to steal cash machines from several businesses in Orange.

The man, who was seen wielding a hunting knife and rifle in the footage, wore a black cape with a mask during break ins at The Victoria Hotel, the Peisley Street IGA and the Orange Ex-Services' Country Club.

On August 2 health service workers downed tools for an hour to protest "dangerous" working conditions at the Orange health precinct, saying conditions were so bad they couldn't guarantee the safety of the public., echoing protests across the state.

There was also heartbreak to start the month, and on August 3, the mother of a three-year-old child who was found dead in an east Orange house remained in hospital under police guard.

Commander of the Central West Police District Superintendent Chris Taylor said the woman was in a stable condition and was being closely monitored.

Paramedics rushed the 40-year-old woman to Orange hospital after officers from the Central West Police District found the woman lapsing in and out of consciousness while her daughter was found dead in one of the bedrooms.

In property news, August 5 resulted in news home owners were adding thousands of dollars to the sale price of their properties by employing stylists to spruce up their houses.

Real estate agents said hiring one of Orange's growing number of stylists for between $1200-$6000 per house was paying for itself in increased sale prices.

On August 7, Orange recorded the second highest number of house sales in country NSW in the past year, but the number was down compared to the past two years.

Figures supplied by property site Domain show 783 properties (729 houses and 54 units) sold in Orange in the 12 months leading up to August 2019.

Meanwhile on August 18, Orange was named as one of five Central West areas to have outperformed several capital cities in property price growth over the past decade.

And in August it was also revealed Orange's housing could move towards more high rise in the centre of town as Orange City Council grapples with catering for population growth.

The council is currently developing a housing strategy lasting to 2036.

On August 5, organisers of Orange's Winter Fire Festival reveal the event is set to be extended to run over a whole month from next year following the success in 2019.

Thousands of people massed around flames big and small to ward off the chilly night with antics ranging from wassailing to star-gazing across Orange and the region.

On festivals, on August 8 a unique suggestion for Orange was flagged with suggestions the colour city could stage The Festival of Fake Tan.

The battle for Orange to receive a connection to the bullet service out of Bathurst continued, with confirmation, on August 13, a second daily return Bathurst Bullet train to Sydney will start running in September, but the government couldn't commit to a coach connection to Orange.

Orange Rail Action Group chairman Dr Peter Bilenkij said they were "very hopeful" the coach link would be provided.

On August 20 it was revealled Cadia workers will be forced to go clean shaven after the mine site introduced a beard-free policy.

Hundreds of workers were told facial hair was no longer permitted as beards had the potential to compromise the effectiveness of dust masks.

On August 27 Greenbuild Group Pty Ltd was revealed to have gone into voluntary liquidation leaving home owners and tradesmen significantly out of pocket.