Singleton, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Industry & Commerce
Major industries near Singleton include coalCoal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
mining, energy generation
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
, light industry, vineyards, horse breeding and cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
production. Dairying was once a mainstay in the area, but has declined.
The Lone Pine army barracks
Lone Pine Barracks
Lone Pine Barracks is an Australian Army base located in New South Wales, south of Singleton. The barracks is home to the Australian Army School of Infantry, Special Forces Training Centre, Defence Support Group Singleton and other regular support services. The Royal Australian Infantry Corps...
is located 8 kilometres (5 mi) south of Singleton.
Being the largest town in the Upper Hunter, Singleton is an important commercial centre. The town centre boasts three small shopping centres, a cinema complex, homemaker centre as well as a traditional 'main street'. Major stores include Woolworths
Woolworths Limited
Woolworths Limited is a major Australian company with extensive retail interest throughout Australia and New Zealand. It is the:* largest retail company in Australia and New Zealand by market capitalisation and sales...
, Big W
Big W
Big W is one of the largest chain of discount department stores in Australia, with over 150 stores. It is a division of Woolworths Limited, the second largest retailer in Australia. Its main competitors are Kmart and Target, both owned by Wesfarmers....
, Franklins
Franklins
Franklins is a discount supermarket chain selling packaged groceries and perishables throughout New South Wales, Australia. It owns the No Frills brand of generic products, promoted by their mascot, "Red Sock". It is known as "Australia's Original Discount Grocer"...
, IGA and most conventional high street stores. People also will often travel to nearby Maitland
Maitland, New South Wales
Maitland is a city in the Lower Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia and the seat of Maitland City Council, situated on the Hunter River approximately by road north of Sydney and north-west of Newcastle...
and Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
for large regional shopping centres.
Singleton residents have a higher than average median income due to the nearby coal mines. At the 2006 census, the median individual income was $62,036.
Tourism
- Sundial. Singleton is home to one of the world's largest sundialSundialA sundial is a device that measures time by the position of the Sun. In common designs such as the horizontal sundial, the sun casts a shadow from its style onto a surface marked with lines indicating the hours of the day. The style is the time-telling edge of the gnomon, often a thin rod or a...
s, presented by a local coal mine for the 1988 Bicentennial Celebrations. - Wineries. The town is close to the famous PokolbinPokolbin, New South WalesPokolbin is a rural locality in the Hunter Region of New South Wales Australia. It is part of the Singleton Shire Council Local Government Area and the city of Cessnock. The area is the centre of the Lower Hunter Valley wine region...
wine region (southeast). There are also many wineries in the shire, especially around BrokeBroke, New South WalesBroke is a village of approximately 540 people in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia in Singleton Shire. It is located to the north of Sydney on the original early colonial road from Sydney to Singleton .-Description:...
. - Boating. Lake St Clair is an artificial lake located to the north of the town, with facilities for boating and camping.
- National Parks. WollemiWollemi National ParkWollemi National Park is the second largest national park in New South Wales, and contains most of the largest wilderness area, the Wollemi Wilderness...
and YengoYengo National ParkYengo is a national park in New South Wales, Australia, 132 km northwest of Sydney.In 1993 the National Park and Wildlife Service opened their depot in Bucketty. From here they started to manage the newly established Yengo National Park...
National Parks are located south of the town via the Putty RoadPutty RoadPutty Road is a New South Wales country road linking Windsor, on the fringes of Sydney, to Singleton. It is designated as State Route 69 and is about 150 kilometres long. It is the northern end of State Route 69, connecting with Metroad 9 in Windsor and New England Highway in Singleton...
. Barrington Tops National ParkBarrington Tops National ParkBarrington Tops is a National Park in the Hunter Valley, approximately north of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. The nearest towns are Scone, Singleton, Dungog, Gloucester and East Gresford....
borders the north of the shire. - Town Walk. In the older parts of Singleton, there is a posted walk that passes by many of the towns historic buildings.
- Museums. Singleton has three main museums, the Singleton Historic Society Museum in Burdekin Park, the Royal Australian Infantry CorpsRoyal Australian Infantry CorpsThe Royal Australian Infantry Corps is the parent corps for all infantry regiments of the Australian Army. It was established on 14 December 1948, with its Royal Corps status being conferred by His Majesty King George VI. At her coronation in 1953, Queen Elizabeth II became Colonel-in-Chief of the...
Museum at the nearby barracks and the Mercy Convent Museum 'Sacred Spaces' within the grounds of the Convent of the Sisters of Mercy (Singleton).
Heritage sites
Singleton Shire contains a number of buildings and other sites that are on the Register of the National Estate- Anglican Church of St James, Jerrys Plains
- Strowan, Denman Road, Jerrys Plains
- Singleton Railway Station
- All Saints Church, Singleton, including Rectory, Dangars Mausoleum and All Saints Sunday School
- Court House, Elizabeth Street, Singleton
- Ewbank and outbuildings, George Street, Singleton
- Club House Hotel, John Street, Singleton
- Minimbah House (formerly Dulcamah), Whittingham, near Singleton
- Appletree Aboriginal Area, 75 kilometres north-west of Newcastle
- Baiame Cave (popular name), Milbrodale
Education
Singleton is home to a number of educational facilities. These include Public and DenominationalParochial school
A parochial school is a school that provides religious education in addition to conventional education. In a narrower sense, a parochial school is a Christian grammar school or high school which is part of, and run by, a parish.-United Kingdom:...
schools at both Primary and Secondary levels, as well as a TAFE Campus and a number of pre-schools.
Primary
Public- Broke Public School
- Jerrys Plains Public School
- King Street Public School
- Milbrodale Public School
- Mount Pleasant Public School
- Singleton Heights Public School
- Singleton Public School
Denominational
- St Catherine's Catholic College
- Singleton Christian College
Secondary
Public- Singleton High School
Denominational
- St Catherine's Catholic College
- Singleton Christian College
Tertiary
Hunter Institute of TAFEHunter Institute of TAFE
TAFE NSW - Hunter Institute has 15 campuses located in the Hunter and Central Coast regions. Its former names include Hunter Institute of TAFE and Hunter Institute of Technology.-External links:*...
maintains a Campus in Singleton. It provides training and further education as well as collaborating with secondary schools for students completing Senior years.
Notable locals
- While obviously not born in Singleton, the township's founder Benjamin Singleton is buried in a local graveyard.
- Australian country musicAustralian country musicAustralian country music is a part of the music of Australia. There is a broad range of styles, from bluegrass, to yodelling to folk to the more popular. The genre has been influenced by Celtic and English folk music, by the traditions of Australian bush balladeers, as well as by popular American...
matriarch Joy McKeanJoy McKeanJoy McKean OAM, born 1930, is an Australian country music singer-songwriter and wife of the late Slim Dusty. Known as the "grand lady" of Australian country music, McKean is recognised as one of Australia's leading song writers and bush balladeers and wrote several of Dusty's most popular...
was born in Singleton in 1930. - Some famous sportspeople include rugby leagueRugby leagueRugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
players Steve Simpson, Sean Rudder, Luke Price (Brisbane Broncos), Leigh McWilliams, Riley Brown and Rugby UnionRugby unionRugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
players Steve Merrick and Joshua Valentine. - Former New South Wales Premier, Sir Charles WadeCharles WadeSir Charles Gregory Wade KCMG was Premier of New South Wales 2 October 1907 – 21 October 1910. According to Percival Serle, "Wade was a public-spirited man of high character...
was born in Singleton, serving as premier from 1907-1910. - Though not born in Singleton, Joe GovernorJimmy GovernorJimmy Governor was one of the Governor brothers, two Indigenous Australian men who committed a series of murders in the Central West region of New South Wales around the turn of the twentieth century....
(an infamous bushranger) is buried outside the local Anglican cemetery. The book and film 'The Chant of Jimmie BlacksmithThe Chant of Jimmie BlacksmithThe Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith is a 1972 Booker Prize-nominated novel by Thomas Keneally, and a 1978 Australian film of the same name directed by Fred Schepisi. The novel is based on the life of bushranger Jimmy Governor....
' is based on the activities of he and his brother. - Two-times Australian off-road motorcycle racing champion Toby PriceToby PriceToby Price is an Australian motocross racer. He lives in Singleton, New South Wales and rides for the Motorex KTM Shift Off-Road Racing Team.- Amateur career :...
lives in Singleton.