Otford

Place names

Otford

Parish of Bulgo County of Cumberland

Otford was formerly known as Bulgo. Bulgo appears to have been first marked on Robert Dixon's "Map of the Colony of New South Wales" in 1842 and the name continued in use for some time. Construction of the Illawarra line, north of Clifton, brought the appearance of a village here in early 1885. Trains on the Illawarra line stopped here to take in water and a small railway and sawmill centre developed at the mouth of the Otford tunnel. The name of the village changed to Otford in May 1885. Otford was probably named after the historic village of Otford in West Kent, England, the name meaning "otta's ford".

Location

Otford is located approximately 37 kms north of Wollongong and 58kms south of Sydney. Otford is a small town situated in the Hacking River Valley, adjacent to the river and the main southern railway line. Otford is separated from the coast by the eastern ridge of the Hacking River Valley.