Willow Tree, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Willow Tree is a village
composed of about 169 people, located in New South Wales
, Australia
. It is situated in the Liverpool Plains
, 14 kilometers south of Quirindi
near the junction of the Kamilaroi
and New England Highway
s. The town itself is small but the farms extend southwest out to the township of Warrah. It is a service centre to the rural areas of Warrah and Mount Parry.
The village was surveyed when part of the Warrah grant was subdivided and sold in 1908.
One cemetery, located on the main road, is the resting place of five generations of Barwicks, a major family in the area between Willow Tree and Quirindi. Almost all of the old families in the area have either had members marry into the Barwicks, or have been entirely absorbed by the Barwicks.
census held on 8 August 2006, the village comprises exactly 169 people, excluding impermanent residents. 84, or 49.7% of them are male, while 85, or 50.3% of them are female. 15.4% of the population were children aged between 0–14 years, while 42.6% of the population were aged 55 years or older. The median age was 50 years, which is higher than the median for all of Australia, 37. 97% of the residents were Australian citizens (88.2% were born in Australia), and 3.6% were born overseas. Other birthplaces for the residents of Willow Tree are England
(2.4%), Indonesia
(2.4%), and Germany
(1.8%).
English
is the only language spoken at home by 94.1% of the residents of Willow Tree. The only other languages spoken in the village are Indonesian
and Dutch
. 39.1% of the residents identify themselves as Anglican, 33.7% identify themselves as Catholic
, 9.5% identify themselves as Uniting Church, 3.0% identify themselves as Baptist
, and 4.7% have no religion. 58.5% of the residents over fifteen years old were married, 21.1% never married, 12.0% separated or divorced, and 7.7% widowed.
, 375 km from Sydney. The station opened in 1877 as Warrah, and was renamed Willow Tree in 1879.
It continues to be served by a daily rail service operated by a Countrylink
Xplorer train to and from Sydney
and Armidale
/Moree
. The train to Armidale/Moree stops at 3:02pm and the train to Sydney stops at 12:03pm. They only stop on request.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
composed of about 169 people, located in 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 is situated in the Liverpool Plains
Liverpool Plains
The Liverpool Plains is a geographical area and Local Government Area in the North West Slopes, New South Wales.The Shire was formed on 17 March 2004 by the amalgamation of Quirindi Shire with parts of three other shires: Parry, Murrurundi and Gunnedah.- Main towns :* Quirindi* Ardglen*...
, 14 kilometers south of Quirindi
Quirindi, New South Wales
Quirindi is a small town on the North West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia, in Liverpool Plains Shire Local Government Area ....
near the junction of the Kamilaroi
Kamilaroi
The Kamilaroi or Gamilaraay are an Indigenous Australian people who are from the area between Tamworth and Goondiwindi, and west to Narrabri, Walgett and Lightning Ridge, in northern New South Wales...
and 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...
s. The town itself is small but the farms extend southwest out to the township of Warrah. It is a service centre to the rural areas of Warrah and Mount Parry.
History
Willow Tree is located at the north-eastern corner of the enormous Warrah grant which was made out to the Australian Agricultural Company in 1833. An inn was established on the future townsite, at the junction of the roads north to Quirindi and north-east to Wallabadah in the mid-19th century. It was, however, the arrival of the railway in the 1870s that led to settlement. Willow Tree Post Office opened on 1 August 1872 (though known as Warrah for a few weeks in 1877).The village was surveyed when part of the Warrah grant was subdivided and sold in 1908.
One cemetery, located on the main road, is the resting place of five generations of Barwicks, a major family in the area between Willow Tree and Quirindi. Almost all of the old families in the area have either had members marry into the Barwicks, or have been entirely absorbed by the Barwicks.
Demographics
According to the 2006 Australian Bureau of StatisticsAustralian Bureau of Statistics
The Australian Bureau of Statistics is Australia's national statistical agency. It was created as the Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics on 8 December 1905, when the Census and Statistics Act 1905 was given Royal assent. It had its beginnings in section 51 of the Constitution of Australia...
census held on 8 August 2006, the village comprises exactly 169 people, excluding impermanent residents. 84, or 49.7% of them are male, while 85, or 50.3% of them are female. 15.4% of the population were children aged between 0–14 years, while 42.6% of the population were aged 55 years or older. The median age was 50 years, which is higher than the median for all of Australia, 37. 97% of the residents were Australian citizens (88.2% were born in Australia), and 3.6% were born overseas. Other birthplaces for the residents of Willow Tree are England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
(2.4%), Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
(2.4%), and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
(1.8%).
English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
is the only language spoken at home by 94.1% of the residents of Willow Tree. The only other languages spoken in the village are Indonesian
Indonesian language
Indonesian is the official language of Indonesia. Indonesian is a normative form of the Riau Islands dialect of Malay, an Austronesian language which has been used as a lingua franca in the Indonesian archipelago for centuries....
and Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
. 39.1% of the residents identify themselves as Anglican, 33.7% identify themselves as Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
, 9.5% identify themselves as Uniting Church, 3.0% identify themselves as Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
, and 4.7% have no religion. 58.5% of the residents over fifteen years old were married, 21.1% never married, 12.0% separated or divorced, and 7.7% widowed.
Education
Education is provided by a public preschool and a public primary school, Willow Tree Public School.Transportation
Willow Tree is on the Main North railway lineMain 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...
, 375 km from Sydney. The station opened in 1877 as Warrah, and was renamed Willow Tree in 1879.
It continues to be served by a daily rail service operated by a Countrylink
CountryLink
CountryLink is the operator of passenger rail services in country New South Wales, Australia and into Queensland and Victoria. It is an operating brand of the Rail Corporation New South Wales, a government-owned entity...
Xplorer train to and 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...
and 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...
/Moree
Moree, New South Wales
Moree is a large town in Moree Plains Shire in northern New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the banks of the Mehi River in the centre of the rich black-soil plains....
. The train to Armidale/Moree stops at 3:02pm and the train to Sydney stops at 12:03pm. They only stop on request.