Settlers of German descent arrived in the late 1860s and established the town of Henty following the construction of the railway. Henty is known as the ‘Home of the Header’ due to agricultural innovations that revolutionised world agriculture. In 1914, a local farmer, Headlie Taylor invented the header harvester. An authentic header harvester and blacksmith's shop and sculpture of Headlie Taylor are located at Bicentennial Park, Olympic Highway.
Henty has an active community and was the first town in NSW to develop and successfully run its own bank, the Henty Community Bendigo Bank. Other recent developments include a community club, an art gallery, a hospital and nursing home, library with IT facilities and a retirement village, a striking testament to how rural communities can compete with their city and regional cousins for business and industry investment.
The Henty Government Dam Nature Reserve is a delight for bird lovers, with two walking tracks through the reserve allowing visitors to enjoy the native vegetation and regional wildlife.
During spring the district is full of colour with fields of canola in full bloom for the Henty Machinery Field Days when thousands of people come from near and far to see the latest in agricultural displays.
