Many have been delving into the local and regional stories on display, told through more than 100 objects from across the Central West.

A section of the exhibition is dedicated to stories surrounding Mount Canobolas, known to the Wiradjuri as Gaanha Bulla.

The Mount has made such an impression on us, that in 1902 there was a bid to make Orange the federal capital of Australia.

With a proposal to call the new centre 'Canobolas', after the mountain.

With the advent of Federation in 1901, the first Commonwealth Parliament sought to establish a federal capital within the state of New South Wales and the New South Wales Government set up a Royal Commission in 1899 to investigate possible sites.

In the list of criteria published by the Registrar of the Land Appeal Court, the successful site had to be at least one hundred miles from Sydney and other considerations included climatic conditions, transport infrastructure, physical conditions such as soil quality and water supply, and capacity to support a considerable population.

Sydney was ruled out because Victorian and South Australian politicians agreed to the Federal Capital being in NSW as long as it was located 100 miles from Sydney.

Forty towns bid for the honour of federal capital.

In the Central West these included Bathurst, Carcoar, Forrest Reefs and Calvert (Millthorpe), Molong, Wellington and Orange.

The Orange Federal Capital League, published a booklet in 1902 to propose the nation's capital city be near Mount Canobolas.

Only the most serious contenders produced printed publications.

In this booklet you will find photographs of Orange and charming quotes on the virtues of the region such as:

"The healthiness of the district is proverbial and medical gentlemen highly recommend it as a health resort. Locally born persons are famous for longevity."

Visitors can read the whole booklet, digitised on display and there are many other stories to discover about Mount Canobolas and beyond. Visit us at Orange Regional Museum and see 'Inherit: old and new histories' today.

This exhibition brings together both familiar and less well-known stories from across the Central West.

The Museum is open daily from 9am to 4pm, and entry to our exhibitions is free.

For more information contact us on 02 6393 8444 or museum@orange.nsw.gov.au.