Glen Innes, New South Wales
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Northern Tablelands, New South Wales
The Northern Tablelands, also known as the New England Tableland, is a plateau and a region of the Great Dividing Range in northern New South Wales, Australia. It includes the New England Range, the narrow highlands area of the New England region, stretching from the Moonbi Range in the south to...
, in the New England
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 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...
. It is the centre of the Glen Innes Severn Shire Council. The town is located at the intersection of the New England Highway
New England Highway
The New England Highway is a highway in Australia running from Hexham near Newcastle at its southern end to Yarraman near Toowoomba at its northern end. At its southern end it connects to the Pacific Highway and at its northern end it connects to the D'Aguilar Highway. It traverses the Hunter...
and the Gwydir Highway
Gwydir Highway
The Gwydir Highway is a 567 kilometre highway in northern New South Wales, Australia. It was named after the Gwydir River, which in turn was named for a locale in Wales....
. 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,...
, Glen Innes had a population of 5,944.
Climate
Glen Innes is 1,062 metres AHDAustralian Height Datum
The Australian Height Datum is a geodetic datum for altitude measurement in Australia. According to Geoscience Australia, "In 1971 the mean sea level for 1966-1968 was assigned the value of zero on the Australian Height Datum at thirty tide gauges around the coast of the Australian continent...
with an average annual rainfall of 857 mm. The area has a similar climate to Blackheath, New South Wales
Blackheath, New South Wales
Blackheath is a small town located near the top of the Blue Mountains in New South Wales, Australia, 120 kilometres west north west of Sydney and 11 kilometres northwest of Katoomba. In 2006, Blackheath had a population of 4,177 people...
in the Blue Mountains, with mild to warm summer and with cold and windy winters with regular frosts and snowfalls, though many snowfalls don't settle.
History
In about 1838 Archibald Boyd registered the first run in the Glen Innes district. Two stockmen known as “the Beardies” because of their long beards took Boyd to this area to establish his run. ‘The Beardies’ later introduced other squatters to the best runs in the area to become known as the Land of the Beardies or Beardie Plains.Furracabad Station was suggested by John James Galloway as an alternative to Wellingrove
Wellingrove, New South Wales
Wellingrove is a village located on the Wellingrove Road about 20 kilometres north west of Glen Innes, New South Wales on the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. At the 2006 census, Wellingrove had a population of 113....
for a new town. However Furracabad Station was sold in the 1840s depression and passed to Major Archibald Clunes Innes
Archibald Clunes Innes
Archibald Clunes Innes was a soldier and pastoralist from Thrumster, Caithness, Scotland. When he arrived in Australia in 1822 he was a captain in the Third Regiment , on the ship “Eliza”, in charge of 170 convicts....
, then to the Bank of Australasia, then to John Major, who sold it to Archibald Mosman. The name Glen Innes is believed to be bestowed by Mosman in honour of AC Innes. Glen Innes was gazetted as a town in 1852 and the first lots were sold in 1854. The post office was established in 1854 and the court in 1858 when they replaced the Wellingrove
Wellingrove, New South Wales
Wellingrove is a village located on the Wellingrove Road about 20 kilometres north west of Glen Innes, New South Wales on the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. At the 2006 census, Wellingrove had a population of 113....
offices. In 1866 the population was about 350, with a telegraph station, lands office, police barracks, courthouse, post office and two hotels. There was still no coach service at this time, but in the 1870s a road was constructed to Grafton
Grafton, New South Wales
The city of Grafton is the commercial hub of the Clarence River Valley. Established in 1851, Grafton features many historic buildings and tree-lined streets. Located approximately 630 kilometres north of Sydney and 340 km south of Brisbane, Grafton and the Clarence Valley can be reached...
.
Tin
Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
was first discovered at Emmaville
Emmaville, New South Wales
Emmaville is a village on the Northern Tablelands in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. It is in the Glen Innes Severn Council district.Emmaville is at an elevation of 890 metres AHD...
in 1872 and Glen Innes became the centre of a mining bonanza during the late 19th century. In 1875 the population had swelled to about 1,500 and the town had a two teacher school, three churches, five hotels, two weekly newspapers, seven stores and a variety of societies and associations. On 19 August 1884 the new Main North railway
Main North railway line, New South Wales
The Main North Line is a major railway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs through the Central Coast, Hunter and the New England regions. The line was the original main line between Sydney and Brisbane, however this required a change of gauge at Wallangarra...
from Sydney opened. The arrival of the rail service and the expansion of mining contributed a new prosperity in the town, which is reflected in some of the beautiful buildings there.
The centre of the town retains some of its federation
Federation
A federation , also known as a federal state, is a type of sovereign state characterized by a union of partially self-governing states or regions united by a central government...
buildings and the owners have painted these buildings in the traditional colours. Many of these buildings have been placed on the Register of the National Estate
Register of the National Estate
The Register of the National Estate is a listing of natural and cultural heritage places in Australia. The listing was initially compiled between 1976 and 2003 by the Australian Heritage Commission. The register is now maintained by the Australian Heritage Council...
.
Other nearby villages are: Deepwater
Deepwater, New South Wales
Deepwater is a parish and village 40 kilometres north of Glen Innes on the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. At the 2006 census, Deepwater had a population of 323, with 489 people in the area....
, Torrington
Torrington, New South Wales
Torrington is a small village in northern New South Wales in Tenterfield Shire. It is 29 kilometres north west of Deepwater and south west of Tenterfield and 61 kilometres from Glen Innes . It is situated on a plateau known as the Mole Tableland in close proximity to the Queensland...
, Ben Lomond
Ben Lomond, New South Wales
Ben Lomond is a village on the Northern Tablelands in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. The village is situated 6 km off the New England Highway between Armidale and Glen Innes...
, Wellingrove
Wellingrove, New South Wales
Wellingrove is a village located on the Wellingrove Road about 20 kilometres north west of Glen Innes, New South Wales on the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. At the 2006 census, Wellingrove had a population of 113....
, Glencoe
Glencoe, New South Wales
Glencoe is a village on the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. It is part of the Glen Innes Severn Shire Council local government area. It has an elevation of about 1,150 metres. At the 2006 census, Glencoe had a population of 211 people....
and Red Range
Red Range, New South Wales
Red Range is a village on the Northern Tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia in Glen Innes Severn Shire. It is in the Parish of Rusden and Gough County. The village is located on the Red Range Road 23 km south-east of Glen Innes. At the 2006 census, Red Range had a population of 254...
.
The town boasts a railway station that was once part of the Main North Line. These days the line is closed at this point so the station is not in use. The buildings have been reused.
Industries
The Glen Innes district has been a producer of woolWool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
, sheep and beef cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
since it was first settled. Sapphires are mined in the creek valleys immediately west of town, and while tin is no longer commercially mined, mineral exploration is ongoing. The town holds regular livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
sales in the local saleyards. The town contains all of the regular service industries required by the community. Notable individual businesses include a photographic processing
Photographic processing
Photographic processing is the chemical means by which photographic film and paper is treated after photographic exposure to produce a negative or positive image...
facility, an exporter of waste material balers, a large cattle feedlot, and transport depots. Sawmilling was historically a major industry of the district, but is now only conducted on a reasonable scale by the local minimum-security prison. The conversion of State Forests into National Parks has led to tourism becoming an important employer.
Culture and tourism
Among the many attractions of this area are the extensive Land of the Beardies History Museum with its splendid collection of biographical and historical records, the town parks, fishingFishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
, fossicking
Fossicking
Fossicking is a term found in Cornwall, Australia and New Zealand referring to prospecting, especially in more recent times, when carried out as a recreational activity. This can be for gold, precious stones, fossils, etc. by sifting through a prospective area. In Australian English and New...
areas, Gibraltar Range National Park
Gibraltar Range National Park
Gibraltar Range is a national park in north-eastern New South Wales, Australia, 79 km north-east of Glen Innes and 493 km north of Sydney...
, several waterfall
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
s, the Australian Standing Stones, which are large monolith
Monolith
A monolith is a geological feature such as a mountain, consisting of a single massive stone or rock, or a single piece of rock placed as, or within, a monument...
s and the World Heritage listed Washpool National Park
Washpool National Park
The Washpool National Park is a national park in New South Wales, Australia, 516 km north of Sydney. The park is 586.78 km2 in size, has two campgrounds and is managed by the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service...
.
There are several Christian churches, including the Cameron Memorial Uniting Church and St Andrews Presbyterian Church which hail from the town's Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
roots; as well as the Holy Trinity Anglican and St Patrick's Catholic Churches, Baptist, Assembly of God, Seventh Day Adventist and other smaller congregations.
Annual events include: Minerama, a gem and fossicking festival; the Australian Celtic Festival, Land of the Beardies Festival, Pastoral and Agricultural Show and also horse racing, the prestigious Glen Innes Cup.
The local Arts Council produces several dramas and musicals throughout the year, and hosting travelling productions and film screenings. The town also has a thriving arts and crafts community holding regular displays.
The district also has its own community radio station that was initially started in the nearby village of Deepwater in 1998 and now also has a studio in Glen Innes. As well as broadcasting on two local FM frequencies 91.1 Deepwater and 105.9 Glen Innes it has a live 24/7 feed via the internet and can be accessed at the web site www.2cbdonline.com Link to listen The station is run by volunteers and presents local information and a diverse mix of music. A popular method used by many ex-residents and tourists to be informed of current and upcoming district events.
An integral part of any small town's culture is sport, and Glen Innes has annual competitions and representative teams in the following: Golf, Rugby League, Rugby Union, Soccer, Lawn Bowls, Tennis, Netball, Basketball, Cricket, Squash, Touch Football, Tent Pegging, Campdrafting, Shooting and Sheepdog trials.
Notable residents
Glen Innes was the birthplace of writer D'Arcy NilandD'Arcy Niland
D'Arcy Francis Niland was an Australian novelist and short story writer, best known for The Shiralee.-Life and writing career:...
, High Court judge Edward McTiernan
Edward McTiernan
Sir Edward Aloysius McTiernan, KBE , was an Australian jurist, lawyer and politician. He served as an Australian Labor Party member of both the New South Wales Legislative Assembly and federal House of Representatives before being appointed to the High Court of Australia in 1930...
and achitect Colin Madigan
Colin Madigan
Colin Frederick Madigan AO was an Australian architect. He is best known for designing the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra.-Biography:...
.
Notable Former Residents: Bishop Thomas McCabe, the first bishop of Wollongong whose grave is in St Francis Xavier Cathedral grounds, Wollongong, Margaret Fulton
Margaret Fulton
Margaret Isobel Fulton OAM is a British-born Australian food and cooking 'guru', writer, journalist, author, and commentator...
, Australia's first and most famous real-food cookbook author and Garry McDonald
Garry McDonald
Garry George McDonald, AO is an Australian stage and screen actor.-Early life and career:McDonald was born in Sydney and was educated at Cranbrook School and National Institute of Dramatic Art....
of "Norman Gunston" and "Mother and Son" fame. Other prominent families in this district include the Gaden, Rodgers, Williams, Cameron, Donnelly and Newsome families.
The district has produced several sportsmen and women who have represented Australia. These include two Olympians (Debbie Wells and David Cooper), Rugby League players Reg O'Keefe and John Ferguson, pistol shooters Bruce Favell and Robert Landers, and veteran athlete Neville McIntyre.
Like all communities in rural Australia, Glen Innes made a solid contribution to the wars. Two of the more highly decorated armed servicemen that still have family in the district were Peter Turnbull and Charlie Scherf
Glen Innes and Scotland
Archibald Clunes InnesArchibald Clunes Innes
Archibald Clunes Innes was a soldier and pastoralist from Thrumster, Caithness, Scotland. When he arrived in Australia in 1822 he was a captain in the Third Regiment , on the ship “Eliza”, in charge of 170 convicts....
, from Thrumster, Caithness
Caithness
Caithness is a registration county, lieutenancy area and historic local government area of Scotland. The name was used also for the earldom of Caithness and the Caithness constituency of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . Boundaries are not identical in all contexts, but the Caithness area is...
was a captain in the Third Regiment (Buffs), when he arrived in Australia in 1822 on the Eliza in charge of 170 convicts. He held a number of New England properties including Glen Innes Station and Dundee station.
Glen Innes has a number of street signs in Scottish Gaelic (though few residents speak much of the language). There is also a "Crofter
Crofting
Crofting is a form of land tenure and small-scale food production unique to the Scottish Highlands, the Islands of Scotland, and formerly on the Isle of Man....
"'s cottage.
The Australian Standing Stones are based on the Ring of Brodgar
Ring of Brodgar
The Ring of Brodgar is a Neolithic henge and stone circle on the Mainland, the largest island in Orkney, Scotland...
in Orkney (a non-Gaelic speaking area) or Calanais in Lewis.
Pitlochry
Pitlochry
Pitlochry , is a burgh in the council area of Perth and Kinross, Scotland, lying on the River Tummel. Its population according to the 2001 census was 2,564....
is Glen Innes' twin town
Town twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
in Scotland.
Other towns nearby with Scottish names include Armidale, Ben Lomond
Ben Lomond, New South Wales
Ben Lomond is a village on the Northern Tablelands in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. The village is situated 6 km off the New England Highway between Armidale and Glen Innes...
and Glencoe.
Twin towns
Glen Innes has twin townTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
status with Pitlochry
Pitlochry
Pitlochry , is a burgh in the council area of Perth and Kinross, Scotland, lying on the River Tummel. Its population according to the 2001 census was 2,564....
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, and Mosman
Mosman, New South Wales
Mosman is a suburb on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Mosman is located 8 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the Municipality of Mosman.-Localities:In February...
in Sydney
Sydney
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...
, 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...
.