Tarro, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Tarro is a north-western suburb of the Newcastle City Council
Local Government Area in the Hunter Region of New South Wales
, Australia
. It, and parts of nearby Beresfield
, was originally known as Upper Hexham, 'lower' Hexham being an older settlement located about 5 kilometres (3 mi) to the east on the Hunter River. The name 'Tarro' reportedly means 'stone' in an Aboriginal language.
At the 2006 census, Tarro had a population of 1,558, almost all of which is concentrated in the south-western corner of the suburb.
and Thornton
are situated on low ridges rising out of the surrounding floodplain (and wetlands) of the Hunter River.
Early Tarro compromised a number of scattered farms which made use of the surrounding wetlands. Housing was otherwise strung out along Maitland Road (then the New England Highway
, now Anderson Drive) between the railway station in the east to what was to become Beresfield in the west. After World War II
, Tarro became increasingly suburban. The area bounded by Eastern, Western and Southern Avenues was subdivided. This was followed by land between Christie Road and Maitland Road, then in the late 1960s-1970s land between Western Avenue and Christie Road and then behind the Tarro Hotel. In mid 1980s land between Christie Road and Beresfield was sold off to L.J Hooker, then known as Hooker Homes, where more residential homes were built, all following the same basic design.
Modern Tarro includes a 3.4 km (2.1 mi) section of the Hunter River, located in the eastern and southeastern parts of the suburb. The suburb extends along the Hunter River in the southeast to the Hexham bridges, where it meets the suburb of Kooragang. Despite their name, the Hexham bridges are actually located in Tarro, the southbound bridge forming the border between Tarro and Kooragang. The southern and northern approaches to the bridges, on the Pacific Highway
, are in Hexham
and Tomago
respectively.
A church, named St Stephens, was opened in Tarro around 1849. This rustic structure, was replaced by a more elegant wooden building in 1905. There was also a parsonage. This church was later joined by Sunday school hall in the 1960s. Next door was tennis court, which was later replaced by a youth cetre in the early 1970s. Around 1980 St Stephens was sold and removed. The site of the church is now the site of the Tarro Interchange with the New England Highway.
Tarro's old pioneer cemetery is on Quarter Sessions Road with burials dating from the mid nineteenth century.
The foundation stone for Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church at 42 Anderson Drive was laid on 4 December 1922.
until automatic switching was introduced in 1957. The post office closed on 30 July 1993 and Tarro is now served by Beresfield Post Office.
(opened in 1857 with the Newcastle-Maitland
railway, the first section of the Main North line
from Sydney
to the New England
region) on CityRail
's Hunter line
. The station is one of the oldest in Australia, being the original eastern terminus for the Hunter Valley Railway before it was extended to Newcastle. It was originally known as Hexham when it opened in 1857. In 1871 the name was changed to Hexham Township and then Tarro.
The railway station was once quite large with a timber and glazed station master's office and signal room as well as brick ticket offices and waiting rooms on the Maitland-bound platform and a smaller timber ticket office and waiting room on the Newcastle-bound platform. After suffering vandalism in the 1970s, these buildings were demolished and replaced by simple weathersheds. At one time there were loading ramps to the west of the railway station and roadbridge which were used to load coal in the 1940s from a small mine, Kent Colliery, at Beresfield. Some evidence of these ramps still remains.
A Government operated public school opened in Upper Hexham in 1881. This eventually became Beresfield Public School. The original schoolhouse is now in the grounds of Beresfield Public School at 181 Anderson Drive. The schoolhouse is now heritage listed. A second public primary school was built in Tarro proper, opening in 1961. Tarro also has a Catholic primary school, adjoining Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church.
The nearest public secondary school is Francis Greenway High School at Beresfield. The high school is named after convict architect Francis Greenway who was granted land in the Tarro area around 1820.
, Tarro and the nearby community of Woodberry established a memorial to veterans. The memorial was unveiled by Lieutenant Colonel Charles Nicholson, Member for Maitland
, on behalf of Woodberry and Tarro residents about 1920. The memorial lists 14 veterans, including five killed in action The memorial was relocated & rededicated by D J Shearman in December 1974. The memorial can now be seen at the Fred Harvey Oval, Lawson Avenue, Woodberry.
City of Newcastle
Newcastle City Council is a Local Government Area in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia.-Demographics:According to the Australian Bureau Statistics the City of Newcastle had an estimated resident population of 154,777 as of 30 June 2008...
Local Government Area in the Hunter Region of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It, and parts of nearby Beresfield
Beresfield, New South Wales
Beresfield is a north-western suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, located from Newcastle's central business district. It is part of the City of Newcastle local government area.The suburb of Beresfield had a population of 3,118 in 2006....
, was originally known as Upper Hexham, 'lower' Hexham being an older settlement located about 5 kilometres (3 mi) to the east on the Hunter River. The name 'Tarro' reportedly means 'stone' in an Aboriginal language.
At the 2006 census, Tarro had a population of 1,558, almost all of which is concentrated in the south-western corner of the suburb.
Geography
Tarro and the adjacent suburbs of Beresfield, WoodberryWoodberry, New South Wales
Woodberry is one of the eastern-most suburbs of the City of Maitland in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. Most of the population lives in residential subdivisions while almost 84% of the suburbs land is rural in nature....
and Thornton
Thornton, New South Wales
Thornton is a suburb in the City of Maitland, New South Wales, Australia. It has a station on CityRail's Hunter line. It is about 1 km north of the New England Highway....
are situated on low ridges rising out of the surrounding floodplain (and wetlands) of the Hunter River.
Early Tarro compromised a number of scattered farms which made use of the surrounding wetlands. Housing was otherwise strung out along Maitland Road (then the New England Highway
New England Highway
The New England Highway is a highway in Australia running from Hexham near Newcastle at its southern end to Yarraman near Toowoomba at its northern end. At its southern end it connects to the Pacific Highway and at its northern end it connects to the D'Aguilar Highway. It traverses the Hunter...
, now Anderson Drive) between the railway station in the east to what was to become Beresfield in the west. After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Tarro became increasingly suburban. The area bounded by Eastern, Western and Southern Avenues was subdivided. This was followed by land between Christie Road and Maitland Road, then in the late 1960s-1970s land between Western Avenue and Christie Road and then behind the Tarro Hotel. In mid 1980s land between Christie Road and Beresfield was sold off to L.J Hooker, then known as Hooker Homes, where more residential homes were built, all following the same basic design.
Modern Tarro includes a 3.4 km (2.1 mi) section of the Hunter River, located in the eastern and southeastern parts of the suburb. The suburb extends along the Hunter River in the southeast to the Hexham bridges, where it meets the suburb of Kooragang. Despite their name, the Hexham bridges are actually located in Tarro, the southbound bridge forming the border between Tarro and Kooragang. The southern and northern approaches to the bridges, on the Pacific Highway
Pacific Highway (Australia)
The Pacific Highway is a major transport route along part of the east coast of Australia and is part of Australia's national route 1.It is 960 km long and links Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, to Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, along the coast, via Gosford, Newcastle, Taree, Port...
, are in Hexham
Hexham, New South Wales
Hexham is a suburb of the city of Newcastle, about inland from Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia on the bank of the Hunter River.Settlement occurred at Hexham in the 1820s when the land was granted to Edward Sparke...
and Tomago
Tomago, New South Wales
Tomago is a combined industrial/semi-rural suburb of the Port Stephens Local Government Area in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is located just north of the Hunter River and west of the body of water known as Fullerton Cove...
respectively.
Indigenous past
The area where Tarro is located originally was part of the territory of the Pambalong clan of the Awabakal people. The land of the Pambalong stretched from Newcastle West, extended along the southern bank of the Hunter River, west through Hexham (Tarro) to Buttai and across to the foothills of Keeba-Keeba (Mount Sugarloaf) to the northern tip of Lake Macquarie and back to Newcastle West. The country of the Pambalong was known as Barrahineban.http://weblearn.newcastle.edu.au/school/aboriginal-studies/about/thepambalongorbigswamppeoplebarahineban.htmlChurches
In 1841 Edward Sparke Snr, original settler and owner of "Woodlands" conveyed 2.43 hectares (6 acre) of land on the High Road to the Church of England and the Bishop of Australia. During the same year he donated 0.4 ha (0.988420652061104 acre) to the Lord Bishop of Australia, William Grant Broughton, for a burial ground. In 1842 Sparke and his wife Mary, with the approval of Robert Scott the mortgagee, sold Bishop Broughton 1.6 ha (4 acre) four acres "on which a Parsonage House is now built", commencing at the north east corner of the Township of Upper Hexham, for ₤100, "for erection and completion of Parsonage".A church, named St Stephens, was opened in Tarro around 1849. This rustic structure, was replaced by a more elegant wooden building in 1905. There was also a parsonage. This church was later joined by Sunday school hall in the 1960s. Next door was tennis court, which was later replaced by a youth cetre in the early 1970s. Around 1980 St Stephens was sold and removed. The site of the church is now the site of the Tarro Interchange with the New England Highway.
Tarro's old pioneer cemetery is on Quarter Sessions Road with burials dating from the mid nineteenth century.
The foundation stone for Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church at 42 Anderson Drive was laid on 4 December 1922.
Post office
Tarro's first post office was named Upper Hexham and was located at the railway station. Around 1918 the post office moved to Woodberry Road, and later to 13 Maitland Road (now Anderson Drive). The post office housed the manual telephone switchboardTelephone switchboard
A switchboard was a device used to connect a group of telephones manually to one another or to an outside connection, within and between telephone exchanges or private branch exchanges . The user was typically known as an operator...
until automatic switching was introduced in 1957. The post office closed on 30 July 1993 and Tarro is now served by Beresfield Post Office.
Railway
Tarro has a railway stationTarro railway station, New South Wales
-Neighbouring stations:- References :...
(opened in 1857 with the Newcastle-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...
railway, the first section of the Main North line
Main North railway line, New South Wales
The Main North Line is a major railway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs through the Central Coast, Hunter and the New England regions. The line was the original main line between Sydney and Brisbane, however this required a change of gauge at Wallangarra...
from Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
to the New England
New England (Australia)
New England or New England North West is the name given to a generally undefined region about 60 kilometres inland, that includes the Northern Tablelands and the North West Slopes regions in the north of the state of New South Wales, Australia.-History:The region has been occupied by Indigenous...
region) on CityRail
CityRail
CityRail is an operating brand of RailCorp, a corporation owned by the state government of New South Wales, Australia. It is responsible for providing commuter rail services, and some coach services, in and around Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong, the three largest cities of New South Wales. It is...
's Hunter line
Hunter railway line, New South Wales
The Hunter railway line is a regional railway line which is part of Sydney's CityRail network. The line runs from the central business district of Newcastle, on the coast, northwest to Scone and Dungog in the Hunter Valley area....
. The station is one of the oldest in Australia, being the original eastern terminus for the Hunter Valley Railway before it was extended to Newcastle. It was originally known as Hexham when it opened in 1857. In 1871 the name was changed to Hexham Township and then Tarro.
The railway station was once quite large with a timber and glazed station master's office and signal room as well as brick ticket offices and waiting rooms on the Maitland-bound platform and a smaller timber ticket office and waiting room on the Newcastle-bound platform. After suffering vandalism in the 1970s, these buildings were demolished and replaced by simple weathersheds. At one time there were loading ramps to the west of the railway station and roadbridge which were used to load coal in the 1940s from a small mine, Kent Colliery, at Beresfield. Some evidence of these ramps still remains.
Education
The first school in Tarro was held in the home of the Anglican Reverend Bolton in 1844. Around 1860, a school house was opened, opposite St Stephens' Church, on the northern side of Maitland Road.A Government operated public school opened in Upper Hexham in 1881. This eventually became Beresfield Public School. The original schoolhouse is now in the grounds of Beresfield Public School at 181 Anderson Drive. The schoolhouse is now heritage listed. A second public primary school was built in Tarro proper, opening in 1961. Tarro also has a Catholic primary school, adjoining Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church.
The nearest public secondary school is Francis Greenway High School at Beresfield. The high school is named after convict architect Francis Greenway who was granted land in the Tarro area around 1820.
Other facilities
Tarro has a newsagency-general store, butcher's shop, take-away food store, petrol station, hotel and motel. There is also a fire station, community hall, Telstra telephone exchange, pumping station and depot belonging to the Hunter Valley Water Board, electricity sub-station and a number of small churches. The pumping station is heritage listed. Tarro Park sports ground, largely reclaimed from wetlands, has several soccer and football fields, a playground and bird ponds.Police station
Tarro previously had a police station. This closed in 1976 with Tarro to be served from Beresfield police station which, as of October 2008, is closed.War memorial
Following World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Tarro and the nearby community of Woodberry established a memorial to veterans. The memorial was unveiled by Lieutenant Colonel Charles Nicholson, Member for Maitland
Electoral district of Maitland
Maitland is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Robyn Parker of the Liberal Party of Australia....
, on behalf of Woodberry and Tarro residents about 1920. The memorial lists 14 veterans, including five killed in action The memorial was relocated & rededicated by D J Shearman in December 1974. The memorial can now be seen at the Fred Harvey Oval, Lawson Avenue, Woodberry.