In 1866, shepherd Cornelius O’Brien discovered a gold bearing quartz outcrop. Within weeks, large parties of miners from the Lambing Flats and Forbes diggings arrived. Tents, bark huts and a business centre grew along the banks of Emu Creek. A few months later, Grenfell was proclaimed on January 1, 1867 after Gold Commissioner, John Granville Grenfell, who was wounded by bushrangers near Narromine on 7 December 1866. John Granville Grenfell was driving a coach at the time and refused to stop when bushrangers called him to. He was shot twice in the groin and died 24 hours later. Between 1867 and 1869 over of gold were produced each year on the Grenfell goldfields and were the richest gold fields in NSW during this time. Grenfell was a goldmining town first known as Emu Creek and renamed in honour of John Grenfell, Gold Commissioner at Forbes, who had been killed in 1866 when bushrangers attacked a stagecoach on which he was travelling. "Weddin" Post Office opened on 3 December 1866 and was renamed "Grenfell" on 24 December the same year. By 1870-71 it was producing more gold than any other town in NSW. However, by the mid-1870s gold was in decline. Wheat was first grown in the district in 1871. In late October 1901, the railway from Koorawatha to Grenfell was officially opened. Unlike most Australian country towns Grenfell has a main street which bends. The town's rugby league team competed for the Maher Cup. In June 2007, the Spirit of the Bush Concert was held on the sporting fields. Acts included the organiser and Australian of the YearLee Kernaghan, local and international star Steve Forde & the Flange, Adam Brand, Leo Sayer, Diesel, and The McClymonts.
Population
In the 2016 Census, there were 2,573 people in Grenfell. 86.5% of people were born in Australia and 91.7% of people spoke only English at home. he most common responses for religion were Anglican 27.1%, Catholic 25.6%, No Religion 17.9% and Uniting Church 8.5%.
Greenethorpe – George Greene built Iandra Castle between 1886 and 1908 and established Australia's first share farming agreement. He was instrumental in providing a rail link from Koorawatha to transport wheat. Greenethorpe grew as a support town for the rural population and was named in honour of George Greene.
Caragabal – The town developed as a staging post and watering hole for coach drivers and horses on the run between West Wyalong and Grenfell. Caragabal was once a thriving hub for railway, stock and grain. The town has an 18-hole golf course, tennis courts, bowling club and hotel.
Quandialla – Quandialla is the aboriginal word for spiny anteater. Founded in 1914 as a railway town, Quandialla has a population of 200 people. Services in the village include the historic hotel, general store, swimming pool, and bowling club. Quandialla was the setting for the film 1915.
Fossils
Grenfell is an important centre for fossils from the Devonian period which are found in many surrounding outcrops of the Hunter Siltstone geological formation.
Notable people
Notable people from or who have lived in Grenfell include:
