Tenterfield, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
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. It is located in 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 at the intersection of the New England
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...
and Bruxner Highway
Bruxner Highway
The Bruxner Highway is one of the more obscure State highways in New South Wales, Australia. It forms an east-west link from the Northern Rivers coast, across the Northern Tablelands in northern New South Wales, close to the border with Queensland...
s. Tenterfield is a three-hour drive from Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, 2.5 hours from Byron Bay
Byron Bay, New South Wales
Byron Bay is a beachside town located in the far-northeastern corner of the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located north of Sydney and south of Brisbane. Cape Byron, a headland adjacent to the town, is the easternmost point of mainland Australia. At the 2006 Census, the town had a...
, two hours from Armidale, New South Wales
Armidale, New South Wales
Armidale is a city in the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. Armidale Dumaresq Shire had a population of 19,485 people according to the 2006 census. It is the administrative centre for the Northern Tablelands region...
and 10 hours from Sydney. The town sits in a valley astride the Great Dividing Range
Great Dividing Range
The Great Dividing Range, or the Eastern Highlands, is Australia's most substantial mountain range and the third longest in the world. The range stretches more than 3,500 km from Dauan Island off the northeastern tip of Queensland, running the entire length of the eastern coastline through...
. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Tenterfield had a population of 3,130 people.
Tenterfield's proximity to many regional centres and its position on the route between Sydney and Brisbane led to its development as a centre for the promotion of the federation
Federation of Australia
The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia formed one nation...
of the Australian colonies.
Local geography
The local geography is dominated by prominent graniteGranite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
inselbergs and mountains, the most famous being that of Bald Rock, which sits within the Bald Rock National Park
Bald Rock National Park
Bald Rock National Park is a national park in northern New South Wales, Australia, just north of Tenterfield on the Queensland border. On the other side of the border the national park continues as the Girraween National Park....
.
History
Tenterfield’s first inhabitants were the Jukembal people who travelled the area from near Glen Innes to Stanthorpe, QueenslandStanthorpe, Queensland
Stanthorpe is a town situated in south east Queensland, Australia. The town lies on the New England Highway near the New South Wales border 223 km from Brisbane via Warwick, 56 km north of Tenterfield and 811 m above sea level. The area surrounding the town is known as the Granite Belt...
.
In 1841 Sir Stuart Donaldson
Stuart Donaldson
Sir Stuart Alexander Donaldson was the first Premier of the Colony of New South Wales.-Early life:Donaldson was born in London, England. He entered his father's firm at the age of 15 and was sent first to Mexico , for business training, and then to Sydney, where he arrived in 1835...
was running 18,000 sheep on a property that he named Tenterfield Station, after a family home in Scotland. Donaldson was the first premier of NSW and made biannual trips to Tenterfield to inspect his holdings there, which covered 100000 acres (404.7 km²) of unfenced land. Tenterfield Post Office opened on 1 January 1849 and the township was gazetted in 1851 with allotments being sold in 1854. In 1858 gold was discovered at Drake
Drake, New South Wales
Drake is a parish and small rural community on the Bruxner Highway approximately 44 km east of Tenterfield, New South Wales and about 800 km north of Sydney, New South Wales. It is in the Tenterfield Shire Local Government Area, which is part of the New England region...
(Fairfield) and shortly afterwards at Timbarra
Timbarra Gold Mine
The Timbarra Gold Mine was a highly controversial gold mine located on the Timbarra Plateau, at the head waters of the Clarence River, near Tenterfield, New South Wales, Australia. The gold ore body consisted of a greisen type granite...
and Boonoo Boonoo. During 1859 an AJS Bank opened and an Anglican Church was built the following year. In the 1860s The Tenterfield Chronicle was published, the district court was established; the building of a hospital commenced and a public school was opened. In 1870 the population was less than 900, but the town had five hotels, a school of arts and three churches. The existing Tenterfield Post Office was constructed in 1881.
Railway
The railway opened to Tenterfield on 28 October 1884 and in 1886 to nearby WallangarraWallangarra, Queensland
Wallangarra is a village on the border between Queensland and New South Wales in Australia. It is the third most southerly town in Queensland, 258 km south west of Brisbane. Wallangarra is on the Queensland side of the border and Jennings is on the New South Wales side...
on the Queensland border, connecting Sydney and Brisbane, with a break-of-gauge
Break-of-gauge
With railways, a break-of-gauge occurs where a line of one gauge meets a line of a different gauge. Trains and rolling stock cannot run through without some form of conversion between gauges, and freight and passengers must otherwise be transloaded...
at Wallangarra. When the rail link to the Queensland border was completed, Sydney and Brisbane were linked by rail for the first time. The railway was subsequently bypassed by the fully standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
North Coast line
North Coast railway line, New South Wales
The North Coast Line is the primary rail route in the Mid North Coast and Northern Rivers regions of New South Wales, and forms a major part of the Sydney-Brisbane rail corridor....
between Sydney and Brisbane, completed in 1932. The Main North line is now closed north of Armidale
Armidale, New South Wales
Armidale is a city in the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. Armidale Dumaresq Shire had a population of 19,485 people according to the 2006 census. It is the administrative centre for the Northern Tablelands region...
and the Tenterfield railway station is now a museum.
Break of Gauge
There was considerable debate about whether the break of gauge should take place at the existing town of Tenterfield, or at a whole new town at the border at Wallangarra.Federation Speech
Sir Henry ParkesHenry Parkes
Sir Henry Parkes, GCMG was an Australian statesman, the "Father of Federation." As the earliest advocate of a Federal Council of the colonies of Australia, a precursor to the Federation of Australia, he was the most prominent of the Australian Founding Fathers.Parkes was described during his...
delivered his Federation Speech
Tenterfield Oration
The Tenterfield Oration was a speech given by Sir Henry Parkes at the Tenterfield School of Arts, New South Wales, Australia on 24 October 1889 asking for the Federation of the six Australian colonies, which were at the time self-governed but under the distant central authority of the British...
here in the Tenterfield School of Arts
Tenterfield School of Arts
The Tenterfield School of Arts is a hall in the town of Tenterfield in New South Wales, Australia. It is notable as the place where Sir Henry Parkes delivered the Tenterfield Oration, a speech proposing that the six separate British colonies in Australia should unite into a single federation.The...
on 24 October 1889. He was travelling from Brisbane to Sydney, via the new Main North railway
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...
. The speech is credited with re-igniting the debate that ultimately leading to Federation on 1 January 1901.
During World War II Tenterfield was earmarked as a key battleground if the Japanese should invade Australia. During 1942 thousands of soldiers were set up in emergency camps, unbeknown to the locals, to cope with such an event. Overgrown tanks traps and gun emplacements can still be seen on the Travelling Stock Route near the New England Highway. The highway was until the early 1950s the only all-weather road from Sydney to Brisbane.
Sporting records
- The first campdraftCampdraftingCampdrafting is a unique and very popular Australian sport involving a horse and rider working cattle. The riding style is like that of Western riding and the event is somewhat related to the American events such as cutting, working cow horse, team penning, and ranch sorting.In the competition, a...
ever held (to rules) was held in Tenterfield in c.1885. - The Australian showjumping record was broken at Tenterfield in 1926 Mrs AA Laidlaw’s “Lookout”, ridden by A McPhee jumped 7’10¼”.
- The world showjumping record was broken at Tenterfield in 1936 by CH Perry’s “Lookout”, ridden by W Marton when he jumped 8’3½”.
Heritage
The following buildings and sites are listed on the Register of the National EstateRegister of the National Estate
The Register of the National Estate is a listing of natural and cultural heritage places in Australia. The listing was initially compiled between 1976 and 2003 by the Australian Heritage Commission. The register is now maintained by the Australian Heritage Council...
.
- Ayrdrie, Casino Road, country house built circa 1860
- Tentertfield Post Office, built 1881
- Court House, Gaol and Police Buildings, Molesworth Street, 1874–1882
- Tenterfield School of ArtsTenterfield School of ArtsThe Tenterfield School of Arts is a hall in the town of Tenterfield in New South Wales, Australia. It is notable as the place where Sir Henry Parkes delivered the Tenterfield Oration, a speech proposing that the six separate British colonies in Australia should unite into a single federation.The...
, 203 Rouse Street, 1876 - Bald Rock National Park, 25 km north of Tenterfield
- Toolooom Falls AreaTooloom National ParkTooloom is a national park in New South Wales, Australia, 616 km north of Sydney. The name Tooloom is derived from Bundjalung Duluhm....
, south-west of UrbenvilleUrbenville, New South WalesUrbenville is a rural village in northern New South Wales, Australia. The village is located in the Tenterfield Shire Local Government Area, north of the state capital, Sydney, and south west of Brisbane. At the 2006 census, Urbenville had a population of 245.The bank in the small town is... - Wellington Rock Aboriginal Site, Tenterfield area
Industries
The main industries in the Tenterfield district are beef cattle breeding and superfine woolWool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
production through the breeding of Merino
Merino
The Merino is an economically influential breed of sheep prized for its wool. Merinos are regarded as having some of the finest and softest wool of any sheep...
sheep. There are ten State Forests in the Tenterfield district covering 7540ha.
Media
Rebel FM 93.7 MHz has a new & classic rock music format. The Breeze broadcasts on 102.5 MHz with an easy adult contemporary & classics hits format. They are the only commercial radio stations serving Tenterfield and are part of the Rebel Media group.The Tenterfield area is served by a community radio station Ten FM
Ten FM
Ten FM is a local community radio station that broadcasts on 89.7 and 98.7 MHz. This community station, which is possibly one of the largest community radio stations in Australia in terms of broadcasting area, was opened in the early 1980s and has since changed its name & frequency from 2TEN...
. The station has a local focus, derived in part from the stringent rules controlling community radio stations. The station uses Station playlist pro software for studio automation, and runs a strict controlled format.
Tenterfield's local newspaper is the Tenterfield Star.
Notable residents
- Henry George ChauvelHenry George ChauvelGeneral Sir Harry Chauvel GCMG, KCB was a senior officer of the Australian Imperial Force who fought at Gallipoli and in the Middle Eastern theatre during the First World War. He was the first Australian to attain the rank of lieutenant general and later general, and the first to lead a corps...
. Sir Harry (born at nearby Tabulam) was the first Australian to command a military Corps. - Major J.F. Thomas, a solicitor known for his vigorous defense of Harry "Breaker" MorantBreaker MorantHarry 'Breaker' Harbord Morant was an Anglo-Australian drover, horseman, poet, soldier and convicted war criminal whose skill with horses earned him the nickname "The Breaker"...
once owned and operated the “Tenterfield Star” newspaper. Jack ThompsonJack Thompson (actor)Jack Thompson, AM is an Australian actor and one of the major figures of Australian cinema. He was educated at University of Queensland, before embarking on his acting career. In 2002, he was made an honorary member of the Australian Cinematographers Society...
portrayed Major Thomas in the 1980 film Breaker MorantBreaker Morant (film)Breaker Morant is a 1980 Australian film about the court martial of Breaker Morant, directed by Bruce Beresford and starring British actor Edward Woodward as Harry "Breaker" Morant...
. - A.B. "Banjo" PatersonBanjo PatersonAndrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson, OBE was an Australian bush poet, journalist and author. He wrote many ballads and poems about Australian life, focusing particularly on the rural and outback areas, including the district around Binalong, New South Wales where he spent much of his childhood...
. - The entertainer Peter AllenPeter AllenPeter Allen was an Australian songwriter and entertainer. His songs were made popular by many recording artists, including Elkie Brooks, Melissa Manchester and Olivia Newton-John, with one, Arthur's Theme, winning an Academy Award in 1981...
, who was born in and spent much of his childhood in Tenterfield, where he lived with his grandfather George Woolnough (see below). - George WoolnoughGeorge WoolnoughGeorge Woolnough was a saddler in Tenterfield, New South Wales from 1908 until his retirement in 1960.Woolnough's grandson was Peter Allen, a flamboyant cabaret singer who immortalised Woolnough with the song Tenterfield Saddler. Woolnough's son Dick Woolnough become a violent alcoholic upon...
, Allen's grandfather, a saddlerSaddlerSaddler is both a skilled trade and a surname. As a trade, it refers to the occupation of making saddles.Saddler may refer to* Osmund Saddler* Sandy SaddlerAlso* Saddler, reporting name for the R-16 missile...
, the third person to own the saddlery and the subject of Allen's song "Tenterfield Saddler". - Bronwyn BancroftBronwyn BancroftBronwyn Bancroft is an Aboriginal Australian artist, notable for being the first Australian fashion designer invited to show her work in Paris...
, Indigenous Australian artist. - William BlakelyWilliam BlakelyWilliam F. Blakely was an Australian botanist and collector. He worked with Joseph Maiden. Maiden named a red gum in his honour, Eucalyptus blakelyi.- External links :*http://www.anbg.gov.au/biography/blakely-william.html...
, born in Tenterfield in 1875. Botanist and plant collector