The Prince of Wales Opera House dates from 1871, when Gulgong was booming on gold money and needed places for touring performers, meetings, and public spectacle. It is often described as the oldest still-operating opera house in the Southern Hemisphere.
Even if there is no performance on, the building helps explain Gulgong's preserved streetscape. This was not just a mining camp; for a short, loud period it was a town trying to look permanent.