Uralla, New South Wales
Uralla New South Wales | |||||||||
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Coordinates | 30°38′S151°29′E/ 30.633°S 151.483°E | ||||||||
Population | 2,728 (2021 census)[1] | ||||||||
Established | 1855 | ||||||||
Postcode(s) | 2358 | ||||||||
Elevation | 1,012 m (3,320 ft) | ||||||||
Location | |||||||||
LGA(s) | Uralla Shire | ||||||||
County | Sandon County | ||||||||
State electorate(s) | Northern Tablelands | ||||||||
Federal division(s) | New England | ||||||||
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Urallais a town on theNorthern Tablelands, New South Wales,Australia. It is located at the intersection of theNew England HighwayandThunderbolts Way,465 kilometres (289 mi) north ofSydneyand about 23 kilometres (14 mi) south-west of the city ofArmidale.At the2016 census,the township of Uralla had a population of 2,388.[1]According to the2021 census,the population of Uralla had increased to 2,728.[2]
At more than 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) above sea level, Uralla's high altitude makes for cool to cold winters and mild summers.
Uralla has maintained significant heritage characteristics, with more than 50 buildings and sites of heritage significance.[3]
During the 1980s and 1990s, the community bought and restored McCrossins Mill, and the complex now operates as a museum, gallery and function centre, run by volunteers.[4]It is also the starting point for a heritage walk.
History
[edit]BeforeEuropeancolonisation, the area including Uralla had been occupied for 35,000 years by theindigenousAnēwanpeople. The name "Uralla" was adopted from the language of the Anēwan by thesquatterswho first occupied the area. It refers to a ceremonial meeting place or camp.[5]
During the early 1960s, children at the Uralla Public School were taught that the name Uralla was an indigenous word which meant "chain of waterholes",[citation needed]which is an accurate description of the waterway which runs through the town. However, it is not known whether that has been verified by Indigenous linguistic studies.
Samuel McCrossin, an Irishman, his wife, and seven children, first arrived in the Uralla area in 1839 and camped on the creek. They went back toMorpethbut returned to Uralla in 1841, to finally settle there. In the 1830s and 40s, the land began to be occupied by squatters who had moved north, beyond thelimit of locationset by the government. The squatters were attracted by the prime sheep grazing land of the New England Tableland. Some of the squatting runs wereKentucky,Gostwyck, Balala,Yarrowyck,Mihi Creek, Terrible Vale and Salisbury Court.[6]Some of the station buildings, including Balala and the Gostwyck Chapel, have now been placed on the Register of the National Estate.[7]Some of the land occupied by the squatters was made available to farmers after the passing of theRobertson Land Actsin 1861.
Uralla achieved town status in 1855, spurred by agold rushin theRocky Riverarea three years earlier, swelling the town's population to over 5,000. In 1856, another, more considerable gold rush took place, but did not lead to any lasting development. By 1859, Uralla had three hotels, stores, a post office, a flour mill and a school.[8]The Uralla Municipality was incorporated in 1882. In 1948, it became the administrative centre of theUralla Shireafter the municipality was merged with the former Gostwyck Shire. More gold was discovered and mined at Melrose in the Enmore area in about 1887. This discovery led to the erection of the Melrose public school and village, which was about 32 km east of Uralla. In 1927 this area was subdivided for soldier settlement, and ballots were held to determine the new settlers. In about 1889, gold was discovered at Groses Creek, which is 6 km south-west of Enmore, near the Mihi Falls on the eastern side of Uralla.[9]
The infamousbushrangerCaptain Thunderbolt(Frederick Ward) is buried in the old Uralla Cemetery (John Street). There are many references to Thunderbolt throughout the town, and the locals are quite fond of the legend. In addition to an initially controversial statue in the main street, Uralla is host to a pub, motel, rock (from where Thunderbolt ambushed passing travellers) and roads, all bearing his name. On 25 May 1870, Thunderbolt was shot and killed near Uralla by Constable Alexander Walker during a highway robbery. However, a few Uralla locals claimed that it was his uncle, William (Harry) Ward - posing as Thunderbolt, who was killed at this time and not Fred Ward. The legend of Thunderbolt is exhibited at McCrossin's Mill Museum in Uralla and includes the series of 9 paintings by Phillip Pomroy of the events that led to Fred Ward's death.
During 2008 Uralla recorded the state's highest rise in property values at 35 per cent over the last 12 months, according to a report from Australian Property Monitors.[10]
Climate
[edit]Uralla has anoceanic climate(Köppen:Cfb,Trewartha:Dobk/Cfbk), with warm summers and cool winters.
Climate data for Uralla (Dumaresq St), New South Wales, Australia (1938-1967 temperatures, precipitation 1901-present); 1,012 metres or 3,320 feet AMSL | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 26.4 (79.5) |
25.7 (78.3) |
24.0 (75.2) |
20.0 (68.0) |
15.8 (60.4) |
12.8 (55.0) |
11.8 (53.2) |
13.3 (55.9) |
17.0 (62.6) |
20.0 (68.0) |
23.6 (74.5) |
25.9 (78.6) |
19.7 (67.4) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 19.5 (67.1) |
19.2 (66.6) |
17.6 (63.7) |
13.4 (56.1) |
9.4 (48.9) |
6.9 (44.4) |
5.7 (42.3) |
6.9 (44.4) |
9.9 (49.8) |
13.1 (55.6) |
16.2 (61.2) |
18.5 (65.3) |
13.0 (55.5) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 12.5 (54.5) |
12.7 (54.9) |
11.1 (52.0) |
6.8 (44.2) |
3.0 (37.4) |
0.9 (33.6) |
−0.4 (31.3) |
0.4 (32.7) |
2.8 (37.0) |
6.2 (43.2) |
8.7 (47.7) |
11.1 (52.0) |
6.3 (43.4) |
Averageprecipitationmm (inches) | 102.7 (4.04) |
83.9 (3.30) |
60.5 (2.38) |
39.4 (1.55) |
44.2 (1.74) |
53.2 (2.09) |
55.9 (2.20) |
54.1 (2.13) |
52.6 (2.07) |
71.9 (2.83) |
84.7 (3.33) |
88.2 (3.47) |
791.3 (31.13) |
Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 7.6 | 7.0 | 5.8 | 4.5 | 5.0 | 6.3 | 6.7 | 6.2 | 5.9 | 7.1 | 7.8 | 7.8 | 77.7 |
Source:Australian Bureau of Meteorology(1938-1967 temperatures, precipitation 1901–present)[11] |
Population
[edit]Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1921 | 972 | — |
1933 | 1,054 | +8.4% |
1947 | 1,186 | +12.5% |
1954 | 1,121 | −5.5% |
1961 | 1,658 | +47.9% |
1966 | 1,614 | −2.7% |
1971 | 1,754 | +8.7% |
1976 | 1,940 | +10.6% |
1981 | 2,090 | +7.7% |
1986 | 2,250 | +7.7% |
1991 | 2,324 | +3.3% |
1996 | — | |
2001 | 2,304 | — |
2006 | 2,267 | −1.6% |
2011 | 2,388 | +5.3% |
2016 | 2,421 | +1.4% |
2021 | 2,385 | −1.5% |
Source:Australian Bureau of Statisticsdata.[12][13] |
According to the2016 census,the population of Uralla was 2,421:
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 11.7% of the population.
- 86.7% of people were born in Australia and 93.3% of people spoke only English at home.
- The most common responses for religion were Anglican 28.8%, No Religion 22.8% and Catholic 22.3%.[1]
Heritage listings
[edit]Uralla has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
- 6 East Street:New England Brass and Iron Lace Foundry[14]
- Main Northern railway:Uralla railway station[15]
- Salisbury Street:McCrossins Mill[16]
- Uralla Square:Captain Thunderbolt's Grave[17]
- New England Highway:Blanch's Royal Oak Inn[18]
- New England Highway:Captain Thunderbolt's Rock[19]
Industries
[edit]Threefoundriesaccount for a large amount of employment in the town, as do othermetalmanufacturing businesses. As Uralla is situated about halfway between Sydney and Brisbane, tourism contributes significantly to its economy, with a thriving village atmosphere and 20National Parkswithin a two-hour drive. Due to Uralla's proximity to Armidale, larger shopping chains have avoided the small town and independent retailers remain. Examples include an antiquarian book store, numerous galleries, antique stores and cafes.
It is still possible to pan for gold in the rivers around the town, including theRocky River.Today, the area is used for raisingMerinosheepand is renowned for its super-fine and ultra-finewoolfor use in the fashion industry. A number ofvineyardshave also been established and produce a variety of cool-climatewines.It is also a good area for growingapplesand other fruit which require colder weather.
Lockheed Martin has erected anAustralian satellite tracking stationat Uralla.
Uralla is also host to a thriving community of artists and potters, stimulated by proximity to theUniversity of New Englandin nearbyArmidale.
The2011 censusfound that the most common industries of all the employed people in the locality were:
- School Education - 6.7%
- Sheep, Beef Cattle and Grain Farming - 5.8%
- Local Government Administration - 5.0%
- Tertiary Education - 4.6%
- Cafes, Restaurants and Takeaway Food Services - 2.9%.[20]
There are a number of environmental problems in the area, mainly caused by poor land management. Soil erosion, due to extensive logging and intensive farm practices is a major issue. Local government and community environmental bodies are now working to halt the problem.[21]
Uralla Railway Station
[edit]Uralla stationis served by the dailyNSW TrainLinkXplorerservice betweenArmidaleandSydney.The station is 16 minutes by train, from Armidale.[22]
Gallery
[edit]-
Entry sign
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Court House
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Uralla Central School
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Thunderbolts Rock
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^abcAustralian Bureau of Statistics(28 June 2022)."Uralla (Urban Centre/Locality)".2021 Census QuickStats.Retrieved13 January2023.Material was copied from this source, which is available under aCreative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
- ^Australian, Bureau of Statistics."2021 Uralla, Census All persons QuickStats | Australian Bureau of Statistics".
- ^"Heritage Sites".urallaheritage.livinginuralla.org.Retrieved20 September2016.
- ^"McCrossin's Mill Museum".
- ^"There's Something About Uralla".Uralla Visitor Information Centre.Retrieved23 January2024.
- ^New England Holiday, NE Regional Tourist Zone Association
- ^Aussie HeritageArchived10 February 2012 at theWayback Machine
- ^Reader's Digest Guide to Australian Places,Reader's Digest, Sydney
- ^Uralla and Walcha Times, 10 April 1889
- ^Walcha News,Walcha Property Amongst the Best in NSW, 15 May 2008
- ^"Uralla (Dumaresq St), NSW Climate (1938-1967 temperatures, precipitation 1901-present)".Australian Bureau of Meteorology.Retrieved8 May2022.
- ^"Statistics by Catalogue Number".Australian Bureau of Statistics.Retrieved18 January2024.
- ^"Search Census data".Australian Bureau of Statistics.Retrieved18 January2024.
- ^"New England Brass and Iron Lace Foundry".New South Wales State Heritage Register.Department of Planning & Environment.H01455.Retrieved18 May2018.Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) underCC-BY 4.0licence.
- ^"Uralla Railway Station group".New South Wales State Heritage Register.Department of Planning & Environment.H01275.Retrieved18 May2018.Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) underCC-BY 4.0licence.
- ^"McCrossins Mill".New South Wales State Heritage Register.Department of Planning & Environment.H00161.Retrieved18 May2018.Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) underCC-BY 4.0licence.
- ^"The Captain Thunderbolt Sites - Thunderbolt's Grave".New South Wales State Heritage Register.Department of Planning & Environment.H01889.Retrieved18 May2018.Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) underCC-BY 4.0licence.
- ^"The Captain Thunderbolt Sites - Blanch's Royal Oak Inn".New South Wales State Heritage Register.Department of Planning & Environment.H01889.Retrieved18 May2018.Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) underCC-BY 4.0licence.
- ^"The Captain Thunderbolt Sites - Thunderbolt's Rock".New South Wales State Heritage Register.Department of Planning & Environment.H01889.Retrieved18 May2018.Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) underCC-BY 4.0licence.
- ^Australian Bureau of Statistics(31 October 2012)."Uralla (Gazetted Locality)".2011 Census QuickStats.Retrieved22 January2015.
- ^"Border Rivers-Gwydir CMA - News Highlights".Archived fromthe originalon 12 July 2009.Retrieved23 December2009.
- ^"North West timetable".NSW TrainLink. 7 September 2019.
External links
[edit]Urallatravel guide from Wikivoyage