Yetman, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Yetman is a very small town in the New England
region of northern New South Wales
, Australia
. At the 2006 census
, Yetman and the surrounding area had a population of 178.
Yetman is located on the Macintyre River
about 30 kilometres (19 mi) south of the Queensland
border and 701 kilometres (436 mi) north of Sydney. It is located at the intersection of the roads south to Tamworth
, east to Tenterfield
and north-west to Boggabilla
.
, a sub-group of the Murri Aboriginal
people who used to fish along the Macintyre River
. The Yetman Station
was established in 1837 by the Dights who followed Allan Cunningham's
trail to the north.
The first hotel
license was issued in 1866 at about same time as the first store was built. The first public school was established in 1867 and Yetman Post Office opened on 1 September 1867.. In applying for a post office the applicants claimed that the population was then about 100 but this was considered a considerable exaggeration. The first police station was built in 1874. St Andrews Church was built in the 1870s for use by both Presbyterian and Anglican congregations.
The town has always been associated with beef cattle and horses, with the sheep, wool and timber industries developing only slightly later. The thick rabbit and prickly-pear
-ridden scrub of the brigalow
and belah country was reclaimed from expiring leases in the 1920s and the back-breaking work of rendering it fit for agriculture did not bear fruit until the 1950s when wheat-growing became and remains a highly successful enterprise. Some crops are also grown on the fecund black soils of the river flats.
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 of northern 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...
. 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,...
, Yetman and the surrounding area had a population of 178.
Yetman is located on the Macintyre River
MacIntyre River
The Macintyre River is a river in northern New South Wales, Australia, part of which forms the border with Queensland.The headwaters of the Macintyre River rise west of Guyra and south of Glen Innes on the Northern Tablelands...
about 30 kilometres (19 mi) south of the Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
border and 701 kilometres (436 mi) north of Sydney. It is located at the intersection of the roads south to Tamworth
Tamworth, New South Wales
Tamworth is a city in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Peel River, Tamworth, which contains an estimated population of 47,595 people, is the major regional centre for southern New England and in the local government area of Tamworth Regional Council. The city...
, east to Tenterfield
Tenterfield, New South Wales
Tenterfield is a town in New South Wales, Australia. It is located in the New England region at the intersection of the New England and Bruxner Highways. Tenterfield is a three-hour drive from Brisbane, 2.5 hours from Byron Bay, two hours from Armidale, New South Wales and 10 hours from Sydney....
and north-west to Boggabilla
Boggabilla, New South Wales
Boggabilla is a small town in the far north of inland New South Wales, Australia in Moree Plains Shire. In 2006, the town had a population of 647 people....
.
History
The area was once occupied by the BigambulBigambul
The Bigambul are an Indigenous Australian tribe living in the border region of Queensland and New South Wales. The name of this tribe is derived from the Bigambul word biga or pika which translates in English to yes....
, a sub-group of the Murri Aboriginal
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
people who used to fish along the Macintyre River
MacIntyre River
The Macintyre River is a river in northern New South Wales, Australia, part of which forms the border with Queensland.The headwaters of the Macintyre River rise west of Guyra and south of Glen Innes on the Northern Tablelands...
. The Yetman Station
Station (Australian agriculture)
Station is the term for a large Australian landholding used for livestock production. It corresponds to the North American term ranch or South American estancia...
was established in 1837 by the Dights who followed Allan Cunningham's
Allan Cunningham (botanist)
Allan Cunningham was an English botanist and explorer, primarily known for his travels in New South Wales to collect plants.- Early life :...
trail to the north.
The first hotel
Australian pubs
A public house in Australia is an establishment performing many functions, often serving alcoholic beverages, meals, and providing basic accommodation.-Origin:...
license was issued in 1866 at about same time as the first store was built. The first public school was established in 1867 and Yetman Post Office opened on 1 September 1867.. In applying for a post office the applicants claimed that the population was then about 100 but this was considered a considerable exaggeration. The first police station was built in 1874. St Andrews Church was built in the 1870s for use by both Presbyterian and Anglican congregations.
The town has always been associated with beef cattle and horses, with the sheep, wool and timber industries developing only slightly later. The thick rabbit and prickly-pear
Opuntia
Opuntia, also known as nopales or paddle cactus , is a genus in the cactus family, Cactaceae.Currently, only prickly pears are included in this genus of about 200 species distributed throughout most of the Americas. Chollas are now separated into the genus Cylindropuntia, which some still consider...
-ridden scrub of the brigalow
Acacia harpophylla
Acacia harpophylla, commonly known as the Brigalow , Brigalow Spearwood or Orkor is an endemic tree of Australia. It is found in central and coastal Queensland to northern New South Wales. It can reach up to 25 meters tall and forms extensive open-forest communities on clay soils.Two species,...
and belah country was reclaimed from expiring leases in the 1920s and the back-breaking work of rendering it fit for agriculture did not bear fruit until the 1950s when wheat-growing became and remains a highly successful enterprise. Some crops are also grown on the fecund black soils of the river flats.