Yet in 1850 Carcoar was second only to Bathurst as the most populous town west of the mountains. At its peak Carcoar hosted three banks, including the Commercial, claimed site of Australia’s first “daylight robbery” by members of Ben Hall’s gang.

Yet the surrounding landscape is often ravishingly beautiful. Many a painter has fallen in love with the classic Australian landscapes of the region, including Brett Whiteley, who painted Summer in Carcoar. The fast-flowing Belubula River runs through the centre of town.

“Somebody could buy it, buy groceries and open it as a cafe tomorrow. The business was good. A lot of people come through Carcoar. It’s in the centre of a triangle between Orange, Bathurst and Cowra and Carcoar attracts from all those towns.”

IT would be hard to find a more scenic spot than historic Carcoar in the central west of NSW.

The entire town, with its old stables and original architecture, is classified by the National Trust.

The third-oldest settlement west of the Blue Mountains, most of the buildings in the town were built between 1860 and 1890.

But picturesque or not, a casual onlooker could be forgiven for thinking half the town, indeed half Blayney Shire in NSW’s central west, is up for sale.

The closure of two of the region’s major employers, the local abattoir and the Browns Creek goldmine, shut more than a year ago, combined with the general loss of services in many rural towns, have all contributed to the decline.

In Blayney itself, once a thriving little community, virtually every second shop is shut.

Real-estate prices have dropped so much that local agents say it is now a regular sight to see Sydneysiders crawling the area for bargains.

In Carcoar itself the signs for the closed tourist-information centre are rusting, the butcher shop is long gone and there is only one general store left.

Yet in 1850 Carcoar was second only to Bathurst as the most populous town west of the mountains. At its peak Carcoar hosted three banks, including the Commercial, claimed site of Australia’s first “daylight robbery” by members of Ben Hall’s gang.

The town is quiet, very quiet, tourists only a steady trickle.

Yet the surrounding landscape is often ravishingly beautiful. Many a painter has fallen in love with the classic Australian landscapes of the region, including Brett Whiteley, who painted Summer in Carcoar. The fast-flowing Belubula River runs through the centre of town.

Right on the main intersection of town is a large double-fronted cafe and residence.

The price: by city standards an absolutely measly $115,000. It is being sold as a “whole”, with stock including books, collectibles, some antique furniture and cafe equipment.

The owners say the business has been shut for some months and the price reflects that.

Debbie and Garry Sexton bought Carcoar Antiques and Bridge Tearooms almost six years ago. Built in 1927, it was originally thetown’s emporium at a prosperous period of its history. Timber floors, exposed beams and high ceilings all add to the atmosphere. There are 300sqm of space, including the accompanying two-bedroom flat out the back, described as “basic but comfortable”.

Other demands mean the Sextons have had to move away to Goulburn.

“We still miss the place,” Mr Sexton said. “We tried to keep it going on the weekends driving up from Goulburn, but it just proved too much.

“Somebody could buy it, buy groceries and open it as a cafe tomorrow. The business was good. A lot of people come through Carcoar. It’s in the centre of a triangle between Orange, Bathurst and Cowra and Carcoar attracts from all those towns.”

Agent Bob Moxon of Masters, Stephens and Company in Blayney said the area lost a lot of population in a short time with the closure of the abattoir and the mine.

“It is taking time for the shire to recover, but it will come back,” he says. “A lot of Sydney people are moving into the area because it is particularly cheap at the moment. It is quiet, picturesque, a safe place to bring up kids, it has all the medical facilities and is close to major centres, three hours to Sydney, two- and-a-half to Canberra.

“There’s good educational, sport and recreational facilities, swimming, boating, fishing, all within an hour of Blayney and Carcoar.

“There’s no doubt there are some very good real estate bargains at the moment.”