Angledool, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Angledool is a locality in upper western New South Wales near the southern border of Queensland
, one kilometre east of the Castlereagh Highway
and approximately 45 kilometres north of Lightning Ridge
. At the 2006 census
, Angledool had a population of 84 people.
In 1873 Robert Moore, the manager of the pastoral property, Muggarie Station, later known as Angledool Station, discovered opal
s. A Sydney evaluation, stated that these opals had no commercial value. Charlie Dunstan in 1908 found two large opals the "Fire Queen" and "Queen of the Earth", at the Angledool diggings.
The nearby Narran River
has led to flooding of the Angledool area in 1890, 1956, 1990, 1996 and again in March 2010. The 1956 flood was the biggest one that has been recorded. In March 2010 the Narran River at Angledool flooded the nearby, Angledool Lake, which covers an area of around 1,100 hectares when full.
The lake then spilled into Weetalabah Creek that crosses the Castlereagh Highway
, thus filling the Coocoran Lake, near Lightning Ridge.
Prior to World War II
Angledool had a bakery, several hotels, a post office, court house and a general store. The village now has an old cemetery, a church, a few houses and several buildings that are over 120 years old. The town hall made from locally made mud bricks is a classic example of early local architecture.
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...
, one kilometre east of the Castlereagh Highway
Castlereagh Highway
The Castlereagh Highway is a state highway in New South Wales, Australia, also extending some kilometres into Queensland. It has been given the route number 55. The highway was recently extended past Gilgandra to include state route 86...
and approximately 45 kilometres north of Lightning Ridge
Lightning Ridge, New South Wales
Lightning Ridge is a town in north-western New South Wales, Australia, in Walgett Shire, near the southern border of Queensland. The Lightning Ridge area is a world epicentre of the mining of black opals and other opal gemstones. Lightning Ridge has the largest known deposits of black opals in the...
. 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,...
, Angledool had a population of 84 people.
History
Angledool was previously known as New Angledool when it was established in the 1870s.In 1873 Robert Moore, the manager of the pastoral property, Muggarie Station, later known as Angledool Station, discovered opal
Opal
Opal is an amorphous form of silica related to quartz, a mineraloid form, not a mineral. 3% to 21% of the total weight is water, but the content is usually between 6% to 10%. It is deposited at a relatively low temperature and may occur in the fissures of almost any kind of rock, being most...
s. A Sydney evaluation, stated that these opals had no commercial value. Charlie Dunstan in 1908 found two large opals the "Fire Queen" and "Queen of the Earth", at the Angledool diggings.
The nearby Narran River
Narran River
The Narran River is a river which spans the Queensland-New South Wales border in Australia. It flows into Narran Lake, near Brewarrina. It is the easterly-most of the branches of the Balonne River that flows to the Barwon River...
has led to flooding of the Angledool area in 1890, 1956, 1990, 1996 and again in March 2010. The 1956 flood was the biggest one that has been recorded. In March 2010 the Narran River at Angledool flooded the nearby, Angledool Lake, which covers an area of around 1,100 hectares when full.
The lake then spilled into Weetalabah Creek that crosses the Castlereagh Highway
Castlereagh Highway
The Castlereagh Highway is a state highway in New South Wales, Australia, also extending some kilometres into Queensland. It has been given the route number 55. The highway was recently extended past Gilgandra to include state route 86...
, thus filling the Coocoran Lake, near Lightning Ridge.
Prior to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Angledool had a bakery, several hotels, a post office, court house and a general store. The village now has an old cemetery, a church, a few houses and several buildings that are over 120 years old. The town hall made from locally made mud bricks is a classic example of early local architecture.