Inverell

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Template:About Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use Australian English Template:Infobox Australian place

Inverell is a large town in northern New South Wales, Australia, situated on the Macintyre River, close to the Queensland border. It is also the centre of Inverell Shire. Inverell is located on the Gwydir Highway on the western slopes of the Northern Tablelands. It has a temperate climate. In the Template:CensusAU, the population of Inverell was 12,057 and the Inverell Shire population was 17,853.<ref name="ABS Census 2021">Template:Cite web</ref>

History

Prior to British colonisation, the Jukambal and Weraerai Aboriginal peoples lived in and occupied this region.<ref name="sward">Template:Cite book</ref> Around 1838, colonist Peter MacIntyre directed his employee, Alexander Campbell, to take up land in the area for his sheep and cattle. Campbell subsequently laid claim to a large section of pastureland along the Macintyre River, which he called 'Byron Plains' after Peter Byron, one of MacIntyre's stockmen. Campbell later staked out 50,000 acres for himself on the southern side of Byron Plains. He named his run 'Inverell', the word being of Gaelic origin, and signifies "meeting place of the swans"; from Inbhir, a confluence, and eala, a swan.<ref>Template:NSW GNR</ref><ref name="sward" /> In the initial years, the local Aboriginal people resisted this occupation by spearing MacIntyre's shepherds and taking his livestock.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news </ref>

Inverell is at the junction of the MacIntyre River and Swanbrook Creek and was also known as "Green Swamp" in the 1850s. Wheat growers, Colin and Rosanna Ross established a store there in 1853,<ref>Reader's Digest Guide to Australian Places, Reader's Digest, Sydney</ref> and it was proposed that a town be surveyed. In 1858, this was done and in the following years the plan was approved and the first land sale was held. Byron Post Office (open since 1855) was replaced by the Inverell Post Office on 15 September 1859.<ref name = "Post Office">Template:Cite web</ref> The municipality was proclaimed in March 1872.<ref name=Inverellhist1>Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead link</ref> The last section of the Inverell branchline, from Delungra to Inverell, was opened on 10 March 1902.<ref name=NSWrail1>Template:Cite web</ref> The last train ran to Inverell on 22 June 1987,<ref name=NSWrail1 /> and the Delungra to Inverell section of the line was closed on 2 December 1987.<ref name=NSWrail1 />

In 1871, the population of Inverell was 509, this increased to 1,212 in 1881.<ref name=NSW1881census1>Template:Cite web</ref> After Federation, the population of Inverell was 1,230 in 1911, and grew to 6,530 (1947) and 8,209 (1961 census).<ref name=InverellPop1911>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=InverellPop1947>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=InverellPop1961>Template:Cite web</ref>

Myall Creek Massacre

The massacre of at least 28 Wirrayaraay people by European convicts and settlers took place at Myall Creek near Inverell on 10 June 1838 was notable in that it was one of the very rare cases in colonial Australia for which white people were subsequently executed for the murder of Indigenous people.<ref name="corporateName=National Museum of Australia; address=Lawson Crescent">Template:Cite web</ref> The crime became known as the Myall Creek Massacre. On 18 December 1838, seven men were publicly hanged at the Sydney Gaol for the atrocity.

Every year on the Sunday of the June long weekend, hundreds of people, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, gather at the Myall Creek Massacre and Memorial Site to attend an annual memorial service.<ref name="corporateName=National Museum of Australia; address=Lawson Crescent"/>

Mining

Diamonds were discovered at Copes Creek in 1875 and were mined at Copeton from 1883 to 1922. Commercial sapphire mining was commenced in 1919 at Frazers Creek near Inverell. Rich alluvial deposits in streams were worked initially by hand miners, but this ceased in the 1930s due to the economic effects of the Great Depression. There was little recorded production up until approximately 1960, when commercial sapphire mining resumed due to a worldwide sapphire shortage. During the 1970s there were over 100 active mining operations in the New England region, however this number declined significantly in the 1980s due to weakening demand and exhaustion of the previously rich alluvial sources. Currently there are only a small number of commercially active mines in the area.<ref name=autogenerated1>New England Holiday, New England Regional Tourist Zone Association, n.d.</ref><ref name="Mininglink">Template:Cite web</ref>

Heritage listings

Inverell has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

Population

Template:Historical populations According to the 2016 census of Population, there were 11,660 people in Inverell.

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 9.5% of the population.
  • 86.0% of people were born in Australia. The most common other countries of birth were Philippines 1.4% and England 1.2%.
  • 89.8% of people spoke only English at home.
  • The most common responses for religion were Anglican 28.8%, Catholic 22.9% and No Religion 20.2%.<ref name=Census2016/>

Industry

The Inverell district is in a fertile agricultural region which produces a wide range of crops, including wheat, barley, oats, sorghum, wine grapes and maize. Inverell is also home to one of Australia's largest meat processors, Bindaree Beef, a family owned business which employs more than 600 people in the area.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> There are many agricultural groups who have purchased significant land in the Inverell area, including Paraway Group<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and S. Kidman & Co owned by Gina Rinehart<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

There are also some mining activities with tin, sapphires, zircons and diamonds (mainly industrial) being found.<ref name=autogenerated1 /> Inverell is known as the "Sapphire City" because of the sapphires that have been found throughout the local district, which contributed a significant amount of Australia's sapphire production in the 1970s.<ref name="Totaltravel">Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead link</ref><ref name="Mininglink" />

Copeton Dam, the region's main water supply, was completed in 1976.<ref name=CopetonDam>Template:Cite web</ref> While being smaller than Sydney Harbour, it can hold nearly 2 times the capacity of Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour).<ref name="CopetonDam"/> The Inland Fishing Festival is held there every year.

Culture and tourism

The Grafton to Inverell Cycle Classic is an annual one day cycling race.<ref name="Grafton to Inverell">"Grafton to Inverell Bike Race 232km", Under Armour, Inc., Baltimore, Maryland, USA (mapmyride.com). Retrieved 11 November 2016 </ref> Beginning in Grafton, passing through Glen Innes and finishing in Inverell, the Classic is a 230 km ride over the demanding Gibraltar Range. The race starts at 23 metres above sea level and climbs to 1260 metres, before finishing in Inverell at 630 metres. The race is six to seven hours long, depending on weather conditions.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Inverell is home to the Bruderhof, an Anabaptist community who share all their possessions.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> They run multiple businesses in the area including, a publishing business,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> signmaking,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and dental & doctor's clinic.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Education

There are two primary schools in Inverell; Ross Hill School and Inverell Public School. The two local high schools are Inverell High School and Macintyre High School. Holy Trinity School is a Roman Catholic School in Inverell which caters for students from Kindergarten to Year 10.

Transport

Inverell is served by Inverell Airport.

Inverell lies on the Gwydir Highway, one of the primary east–west routes through New South Wales. Thunderbolts Way terminates at Copes Creek, 16 km south of the Gwydir Highway intersection at Inverell.<ref>1:100000 topographic maps 9138 Inverell, 9137 Bundarra, 9136 Bendemeer, 9236 Armidale, 9235 Yarrowitch, 9234 Upper Manning and 9233 Gloucester. Retrieved 19 April 2010</ref><ref name=DoL>Template:DoL suburb image</ref>

Bus services in Inverell are provided by Inverell Bus Service, which operates two town loops, to the east and west. Interurban bus service is provided by Symes Coaches to Glen Innes.

NSW TrainLink operates three Coach services in and out of Inverell: between Moree and Grafton, between Inverell and Tamworth via Manilla and between Inverell and Armidale via Tingha.<ref>North Western Timetable NSW TrainLink</ref><ref>NSW TrainLink Symes Coaches</ref>

Sports

The most popular sport in Inverell is Rugby league. The local team are the Inverell RSM Hawks, who compete in the Group 19, playing out of Varley Oval. The club has won six first grade titles in the competition and its predecessor, Group 5, with the last coming in 2016. The club has produced numerous National Rugby League players, including Owen Craigie and Phil and Chris Bailey.

Other sports teams include the Inverell Highlanders RUFC competing in the Central Northern Rugby Union, Inverell Saints AFC competing in AFL North West NSW and Inverell FC competing in the Northern Inland Football.

Climate

Inverell, like most of the North West Slopes features a textbook subtropical climate with a marked summer peak in rainfall. The town is located on the boundary region between the cool, wet Northern Tablelands of the Great Dividing Range and the hot, dry plains of western New South Wales, having climate characteristics of both regions. The town is considerably sunny with an average of 2,930 sun hours annually.

The highest temperature recorded at Inverell was Template:Convert on 4 January 1903 at the Inverell Comparison site, while the highest minimum temperature was Template:Convert on 29 December 1880.<ref name="BOM Inverell Comp" /> The lowest temperature was Template:Convert on 30 July 1882 at Inverell Comparison, while the lowest maximum temperature was Template:Convert on 3 July 1984 at the Inverell Research Centre.<ref name="BOM Inverell RS" /> In September 1892, the town had its biggest snowfall, with Template:Convert falling.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 5 August 1923, snow fell in parts of the Inverell district.<ref name=SMHsnowInverell>Template:Cite news</ref>

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Template:Weather box

Byron Street, Inverell. Undated

Over the years, Inverell has had three weather stations run by government astronomers (prior to 1908) or the Bureau of Meteorology (after 1908), or both.<ref name=BOM100yrs>Template:Cite web</ref> These stations are:

  • Inverell Comparison (began observations in 1874, ceased observations in November 1997)<ref name="BOM Inverell Comp">Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Inverell Research Centre (began observations in 1949, still operational; converted to an Automatic Weather Station in recent years)<ref name="BOM Inverell RS">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=BOMInverellRS2>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Inverell (Raglan Street) (began observations in March 1995, still operational; observations done by human observer)<ref name=BOMInvRaglan1>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=BOMInvRaglan2>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Flepper Deyah weather station (began observations in 1981 and was burnt down in 1981)

Notable people

Notable people from or who have lived in Inverell include:

Uniting Church, Inverell

References

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