Michelago

Beresford
| parish = *Michelago
Monkellan
| postcode = 2620
| est =
|local map=yes|zoom=9| pop = 562
| pop year =
| pop footnotes = The village is in the Snowy Monaro Regional Council local government area, south of Canberra on the Monaro Highway. It was founded in the 1820s, on the main route from Sydney to the Snowy Mountains. Its name is also applied to the surrounding area, for postal and statistical purposes. At the , Michelago had a population of 562.

Michelago is situated in a valley between two mountain ranges, the Tinderry Range to the East and the Clear Range to the west. The Tinderry Road crosses the Tinderry range from Michelago, leading ultimately to the 1950s silver mining settlement Captains Flat. The highest peaks in the picturesque Tinderry Range reach approximately 1600m above sea level, while Michelago itself has an elevation of around 800m. The Murrumbidgee River separates the village from the Clear Range. The Michelago Creek passes through the village, and is a source of water for the residents. Its catchment area is in the Tinderry Range, and after passing the town the creek flows into the Murrumbidgee River. It has been claimed that Michelago represents the territorial divide between white backed and black backed magpies on the Monaro Highway from Canberra to Cooma.

The area later known as Michelago lies within the traditional lands of the Ngarigo people. Currie and Ovens explored the Michelago region in 1823 and the first settlement proceeded soon thereafter, involving the ex convict couple, Emmanuel and Catherine Elliot. The explorer Dr John Lhotsky claimed that his journey in 1834 south from the Limestone Plains toward Michelago represented a descent into what he considered barbarism: no church south of Sutton Forest, no window pane south of Canberra, no white woman south of Michelago. Six hundred and forty acres of Crown Land at "Meccaligo" were advertised to be sold on 9 December 1835. The community was served by a licensed Inn by 1850. The first Monaro Superintendent of Police, the Corsican Francis Nicholas Rossi, built an ironbark slab homestead in the region called Micilago on 35,000 acres (14,175 hectares) in 1837; this station was bought in 1859 by Alexander Ryrie who married Charlotte Faunce the daughter of Alured Tasker Faunce the police magistrate at Queanbeyan; one of their children being Granville Ryrie, later a General in World War I, knighted and involved with the League of Nations in Geneva. Alexander Ryrie kept the name Micalago for his station, but advocated that new village name be spelt "Michelago" in the hope of avoiding confusion between the Station and the township. He had some influence here and the two spellings diverged. Both Michelago and Micalago are pronounced the same. Alexander built St Thomas' church in the village of Michelago and life for those in the area was very self sufficient, with income from wool, cattle for meat, milk and butter, locally grown fruit and vegetables, with soap and tallow candles also being made by hand. A big social event was the picnic races and over 200 people attended the Michelago Public School picnic in 1906. During the 1930 50's eucalyptus stilling was a profitable occupation in the Tinderry Range above Michelago and a drum of eucalyptus oil (44 gallons or 200L) was worth 100 pounds on site in the 1940s. Notable families of the early years of Michelago include the Kellys, Cotters, Shanahans, Lawlers, McTernans and Poveys. Many of their descendants still live in the region. Lea Scarlett notes that in October 1840 a gang of five bushrangers broke out of the lockup at Queanbeyan and police magistrate Captain Faunce had to give chase to Michelago before he recaptured them. On 1 June 1866 a bushranging gang consisting of the Clarke brothers, Patsy Connell and two accomplices held up Michelago town (which then consisted of Thomas Kennedy's Hibernian Hotel, a police station and lockup, Abraham Levy's store, a Catholic school house and church and a few houses) and drank its entire liquor supply before staggering off to their rocky hide out called 'Beefcask' in the Tinderrys. In February 1866, two armed men robbed the post office, destroyed the letters and escaped with three horses, one of them a race horse. St Patrick's Catholic Church was a small building made of stone. It was too small for its congregation by 1906 and it was decided to build a new brick church. The foundation stone for the Michelago Memorial Church was laid in October 1906. Some 75,000 bricks were used made from local red clay. The building was roofed with slate. The cost of construction was £1,134 and six shillings, of which £50 was the architects fee. The architect was James Nangle and the builder Mr J. G. Taylor, both of Sydney. The building had seating for 150 people and it was officially opened on 28 April 1907.

The railway to the town opened on 7 December 1887 and Bernard Ferris's railway pub at Michelago established during the construction period was called the 'Navvies' Arms'. In the 1920s Michelago was visited by the Great White Train with fifteen exhibition coaches encouraging people to 'Buy Australian Made'. The railway line closed in 1989—along with the rest of the line from Queanbeyan to Cooma. From 1993 until 1997, the Australian Railway Historical Society ACT Division operated the line to Michelago as a heritage railway. However, as the line deteriorated, services were truncated to Royalla (approx north). Due to significant damage to some of the older wooden bridges in the 2010 floods near Queanbeyan, the ARHS ACT is unlikely ever to run to Michelago again. The railway was cut in July 2016 by the removal of a bridge over a road just to the north of Michelago station. To the south, the railway is also disused between Michelago and Chakola, and a 1990s resurfacing of the Monaro Highway north of Bredbo, severed where the railway crossed the highway.

There was a big bushfire in the Tinderry Range in November 1957 which burnt out 90% of the reserve and was not contained until 24 December.

Canberra based developer Geocon has plans to develop land at Michelago into what would be another cross border satellite suburb of Canberra. The development would change the nature of the village, but may also bring long awaited infrastructure to the area.