I remember the pub (The Cudgegong Hotel). I was only a kid but my dad used to stop there on his way back from Mudgee. He had a truck and in those times the trucks used to have to stop and cool the tyres at every available location. On the way out it was the Capertee pub and on the way back it was the Cudgegong Hotel.
I had to wait on the verandah as I was only young.
The publican had a talking magpie!
The dam took a long time to build, it was stop start for a long time but once it was finished it filled up very quickly. They were supposed to remove a lot of buildings but it filled up before they got a chance.