Bulahdelah
Encyclopedia
Bulahdelah is a locality in the Hunter/Mid North Coast region of New South Wales
, Australia
in the Great Lakes Council Local Government Area
. The main population centre, where 69% of the area's population lives, is the town of Bulahdelah.
along the eastern and northern banks of the Myall River
, approximately 480 metres (1,575 ft) east of the confluence
of the Myall and Crawford rivers. The eastern sector of the township is built on the foot of the Alum Mountain
. Leading into the town from the south is the Bulahdelah Bridge which forms part of the Pacific Highway
.
, a crown surveyor added the word "Mountain" to its original name. The mountain is widely known by its long-term nickname, "the Alum Mountain", but is officially registered as Bulahdelah Mountain.
After the discovery of alunite
on the mountain, the mountain was mined from 1878 to 1927, and was managed by the Department of Mining from 1897 onwards. A refinery "The Alum Works" was created to facilitate the extraction of alum
from the mined alunite. Another period of mining was then again from 1934 to 1952. Decreasing profitability meant mining had ceased by 1952 and in 1979 NSW State Forests took over management of the mountain.
Construction of the timber bridge across the Myall River
was completed in 1892 and the bridge was formally opened on 28 July 1892. A 2-lane concrete bridge
over Myall River was completed in 1969.
In 1970 the Bulahdelah tornado
swept through the nearby forests, just north of Bulahdelah in what was Australia's most destructive tornado on record.
On 3 May 2006 funding was approved (project approval was granted in 11 October 2007) for the relocation of the Bulahdelah section of Pacific Highway, to through the mid-slopes of Bulahdelah (the Alum) Mountain. Major construction of this highway deviation, known as the Bulahdelah Bypass, commenced in August 2010. Completion of the Bulahdelah Bypass is expected to occur in early 2013.
, the locality had a population of 1,593 with 1,093 of the inhabitants living in the township.
passes through the area surrounding Bulahdelah.
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...
in the Great Lakes Council Local Government Area
Local Government Areas of New South Wales
The local government areas of New South Wales, Australia have been subject to periodic bouts of restructuring and rationalisation by the State Government, involving voluntary and involuntary amalgamation of areas...
. The main population centre, where 69% of the area's population lives, is the town of Bulahdelah.
Geography
The town is situated 235 kilometres (146 mi) north of SydneySydney
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...
along the eastern and northern banks of the Myall River
Myall River
The Myall River is a river on the mid-North Coast of the Australian state of New South Wales that empties into Port Stephens, near its mouth with the Tasman Sea.As well as flowing into the Myall Lakes, a number of important settlements exist on the river:...
, approximately 480 metres (1,575 ft) east of the confluence
Confluence (geography)
In geography, a confluence is the meeting of two or more bodies of water. It usually refers to the point where two streams flow together, merging into a single stream...
of the Myall and Crawford rivers. The eastern sector of the township is built on the foot of the Alum Mountain
Alum Mountain
Bulahdelah Mountain, or Alum Mountain, as it is also known, is an imposing set of rocky tors that overlook the township of Bulahdelah and the Myall River Valley....
. Leading into the town from the south is the Bulahdelah Bridge which forms part of the Pacific Highway
Pacific Highway (Australia)
The Pacific Highway is a major transport route along part of the east coast of Australia and is part of Australia's national route 1.It is 960 km long and links Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, to Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, along the coast, via Gosford, Newcastle, Taree, Port...
.
History
The 292 m (958 ft) high mountain on which the south-eastern sector of the township is built was first named by the Aboriginal people of the area, the Worimi. They called their mountain "Boolah Dillah" (meaning: the Great Rock). In 1818 John OxleyJohn Oxley
John Joseph William Molesworth Oxley was an explorer and surveyor of Australia in the early period of English colonisation.October 1802 he was engaged in coastal survey work including an expedition to Western Port in 1804-05...
, a crown surveyor added the word "Mountain" to its original name. The mountain is widely known by its long-term nickname, "the Alum Mountain", but is officially registered as Bulahdelah Mountain.
After the discovery of alunite
Alunite
Alunite is a sulfate mineral that was first observed in the 15th century in Monti della Tolfa, north of Rome, where it was mined for the manufacture of alum. First called aluminilite by J.C. Delamétherie in 1797, this name was contracted by François Beudant in 1824 to alunite.Distinct crystals of...
on the mountain, the mountain was mined from 1878 to 1927, and was managed by the Department of Mining from 1897 onwards. A refinery "The Alum Works" was created to facilitate the extraction of alum
Alum
Alum is both a specific chemical compound and a class of chemical compounds. The specific compound is the hydrated potassium aluminium sulfate with the formula KAl2.12H2O. The wider class of compounds known as alums have the related empirical formula, AB2.12H2O.-Chemical properties:Alums are...
from the mined alunite. Another period of mining was then again from 1934 to 1952. Decreasing profitability meant mining had ceased by 1952 and in 1979 NSW State Forests took over management of the mountain.
Construction of the timber bridge across the Myall River
Myall River
The Myall River is a river on the mid-North Coast of the Australian state of New South Wales that empties into Port Stephens, near its mouth with the Tasman Sea.As well as flowing into the Myall Lakes, a number of important settlements exist on the river:...
was completed in 1892 and the bridge was formally opened on 28 July 1892. A 2-lane concrete bridge
Concrete bridge
Concrete bridges only started to appear widely in the early 20th century. Early examples include:- Finland :* Ylivieska .* The second oldest concrete bridge in Finland, built 1912 and named humorously as Savisilta is located in Ylivieska...
over Myall River was completed in 1969.
In 1970 the Bulahdelah tornado
Bulahdelah tornado
The Bulahdelah Tornado was an intense tornado which occurred near the town of Bulahdelah , New South Wales on 1 January 1970, and is thought to be the most destructive tornado ever documented in Australia...
swept through the nearby forests, just north of Bulahdelah in what was Australia's most destructive tornado on record.
On 3 May 2006 funding was approved (project approval was granted in 11 October 2007) for the relocation of the Bulahdelah section of Pacific Highway, to through the mid-slopes of Bulahdelah (the Alum) Mountain. Major construction of this highway deviation, known as the Bulahdelah Bypass, commenced in August 2010. Completion of the Bulahdelah Bypass is expected to occur in early 2013.
Demographics
At the 2006 censusCensus 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,...
, the locality had a population of 1,593 with 1,093 of the inhabitants living in the township.
The Alum Mountain
Overlooking the town of Bulahdelah, the Alum Mountain provides views of the area from Cabbage Tree Mountain to the coastline. A lookout is accessible via walking trails and car access extends about two thirds of the way up. Abandoned mining equipment from the mining operations up until 1952 is found in parts of the mountain as are blast caves. A disused mining cart trail directly up the mountain (known by the locals as "the trolley track") is part of the heritage mine-site complex.Cabbage Tree Mountain
An area of State forest, open to tourists for camping and hiking this bushland set of ranges is visible from the town of Bulahdelah and Alum Mountain.Tops to Myall Heritage Trail
The Tops to Myall Heritage TrailTops to Myall Heritage Trail
The Tops to Myall Heritage Trail is a 220 km walking track in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia. The track starts on the sub-alpine plateau of the Barrington Tops National Park and gradually descends to the coast through the Myall Lakes National Park and ends at the seaside town...
passes through the area surrounding Bulahdelah.