Jennings, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Jennings is a town on the Northern Tablelands region of New South Wales
, Australia
. The town is located in the Tenterfield Shire Local Government Area, 718 kilometres (446 mi) from the state capital, Sydney
and 256 kilometres (159 mi) from Brisbane
. It is separated by the state border from its neighbouring town of Wallangarra
in Queensland
. At the 2006 census
, Jennings had a population of 130. The New England Highway
and the Main North railway line
cross the state border at Jennings. The town was named for Sir Patrick Jennings, the first Roman Catholic Premier of New South Wales
.
station was established on the border with the north platform part of the Queensland rail network and the southern platform maintained by New South Wales. After several changes of name between the two towns, in 1904, the name of the station was confirmed as Wallangarra. A Jennings Railway Station Telegraph Office opened on 16 January 1888. In 1904 it was renamed by a Wallangarra Receiving Office. The Wallangarra Post Office in Queensland was opened in 1885. Passenger rail services to Brisbane ceased in 1972 and the New South Wales line was closed north of Tenterfield
to rail traffic in 1989. The station, refurbished in 2001, is now listed on the Queensland Heritage Register.
The Jennings Public School, still in operation and sited virtually opposite the Wallangarra School in Queensland, was established in 1889 following representations from the Officer in Charge of Customs
for New South Wales at Wallangarra. During World War II
, an ammunition dump
was established at Jennings due to the break-of-gauge at Wallangarra railway station. The dump along with a general army store in Wallangarra still exist today.
A modern survey
of the Queensland/New South Wales border, conducted as a Centenary of Federation
project in 2001, found an error of 200 metres (656.2 ft) in the original border survey, conducted between 1863-66, near Jennings. This indicates that if the border was placed where originally intended, Jennings would be located in Queensland rather than 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...
. The town is located in the Tenterfield Shire Local Government Area, 718 kilometres (446 mi) from the state capital, 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...
and 256 kilometres (159 mi) from Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
. It is separated by the state border from its neighbouring town of Wallangarra
Wallangarra, Queensland
Wallangarra is a village on the border between Queensland and New South Wales in Australia. It is the third most southerly town in Queensland, 258 km south west of Brisbane. Wallangarra is on the Queensland side of the border and Jennings is on the New South Wales side...
in Queensland
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...
. 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,...
, Jennings had a population of 130. 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 Main North railway line
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...
cross the state border at Jennings. The town was named for Sir Patrick Jennings, the first Roman Catholic Premier of New South Wales
Premiers of New South Wales
The Premier of New South Wales is the head of government in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Government of New South Wales follows the Westminster system, with a Parliament of New South Wales acting as the legislature...
.
History
The rail line from Brisbane reached Wallangarra in 1887, a year before the Main North railway line reached Jennings from Sydney in 1888. A break-of-gaugeBreak-of-gauge
With railways, a break-of-gauge occurs where a line of one gauge meets a line of a different gauge. Trains and rolling stock cannot run through without some form of conversion between gauges, and freight and passengers must otherwise be transloaded...
station was established on the border with the north platform part of the Queensland rail network and the southern platform maintained by New South Wales. After several changes of name between the two towns, in 1904, the name of the station was confirmed as Wallangarra. A Jennings Railway Station Telegraph Office opened on 16 January 1888. In 1904 it was renamed by a Wallangarra Receiving Office. The Wallangarra Post Office in Queensland was opened in 1885. Passenger rail services to Brisbane ceased in 1972 and the New South Wales line was closed north of Tenterfield
Tenterfield, New South Wales
Tenterfield is a town in New South Wales, Australia. It is located in the New England region at the intersection of the New England and Bruxner Highways. Tenterfield is a three-hour drive from Brisbane, 2.5 hours from Byron Bay, two hours from Armidale, New South Wales and 10 hours from Sydney....
to rail traffic in 1989. The station, refurbished in 2001, is now listed on the Queensland Heritage Register.
The Jennings Public School, still in operation and sited virtually opposite the Wallangarra School in Queensland, was established in 1889 following representations from the Officer in Charge of Customs
Customs
Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting and safeguarding customs duties and for controlling the flow of goods including animals, transports, personal effects and hazardous items in and out of a country...
for New South Wales at Wallangarra. During 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...
, an ammunition dump
Ammunition dump
An ammunition dump, ammunition compound, ammunition depot, bomb dump, ammunition supply point or ammo dump, is a military storage facility for live ammunition and explosives....
was established at Jennings due to the break-of-gauge at Wallangarra railway station. The dump along with a general army store in Wallangarra still exist today.
A modern survey
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
of the Queensland/New South Wales border, conducted as a Centenary of Federation
Federation of Australia
The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia formed one nation...
project in 2001, found an error of 200 metres (656.2 ft) in the original border survey, conducted between 1863-66, near Jennings. This indicates that if the border was placed where originally intended, Jennings would be located in Queensland rather than New South Wales.