completed structure cost about £8,000. The bridge construction was probably privately funded. Corowa Post Office opened on 1 January 1861. In 1861 an Anglican church was built at Corowa on land donated by John Foord. It was reported in 1868 that Corowa "was fast becoming one of the most important of the border districts". Buildings erected that year included a new store, two hotels and a new court-house. A branch of the Bank of New South Wales was established in a new brick structure at Corowa in 1874. The building of a Roman Catholic church commenced in September 1874. A report in 1875 stated that Corowa as a township "was making rapid strides". The township had a total of seven hotels. A "private township" had been laid out at Corowa on land formerly owned by Sanger and Foord, with the land selling at £80 to £100 per acre. The Government township, laid out about two miles from the river, was deemed a failure. A report published in The Sydney Mail in October 1879 stated that Corowa township consisted of one thoroughfare containing the business houses. On a nearby hill the residences of the wealthier residents had been erected. It was claimed that the Government town of Corowa, two miles from the river, was "a vast wilderness". It was postulated that the reason for the failure of this township to develop was the fact that only one approach to the bridge from that point could be obtained. The toll for crossing the bridge was said to be "somewhat exorbitant," and prevented free intercourse between Corowa and Wahgunyah. Later developments In 1882 the bridge between Corowa and Wahgunyah was purchased by the New South Wales Government. A Presbyterian church and an Oddfellows' Hall were built at Corowa in 1886 . In the 1890s, Corowa was the site of several important conferences leading to the federation of the various colonies into the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901. Heritage listings Corowa has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: 8 Church Street: Corowa Courthouse Culcairn-Corowa railway: Corowa railway station Steel Street: Corowa Flour Mill Climate Corowa has a temperate Mediterranean climate (Csa) with hot, mostly dry summers and cool wetter winters. Prominent people Sam Groth - Australian tennis player Charles Raymond Gurney - Australian aviator and WW2 pilot, born in Corowa John Howard - Actor born in Corowa Nigel Lappin - Australian rules football player