The town came into being after a pub was opened on the upper Barwon River during the late 1850's, and developed with the rising need for supplies and services.Notorious bushranger Captain Thunderbolt is said to have roamed the area in 1866, holding people at gunpoint and relieving them of their hard-earned cash. One story tells how Thunderbolt held up the local storekeeper, stealing 22 pounds, then proceeded to rob three businesses, including the Squatters Arms Hotel on the same day.

The first school teacher in Collarenebri was appointed in 1885. She was just 17 years old when she took her posting: unusual even in those days.

Have a walk around the streets and soak up the history of the many of the buildings date back to 1910.

Collarenebri was among the last places in Australia to be converted from a manual switchboard to an automatic telephone exchange.