Muswellbrook, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Muswellbrook, a corruption of 'Muscle Brook', is a town and Local Government Area (see Muswellbrook Shire) in New South Wales
, Australia
. The original spelling and etymology of the town's name is a matter of some debate. "Mussel Creek" (now called "Muscle Creek") was first named by a party of surveyors who found mussel
s in the small stream while camping along its banks in the early 19th century. The present spelling of Muswellbrook is said to derive from the Muswell Hill area of London
(England).
The town is located in the Upper Hunter Valley
region, about 243 kilometres (151 mi) north of Sydney
. The first European to discover the area was Chief Constable John Howe in 1819. It was declared a township in 1833. At the 2006 census
, Muswellbrook had a population of 10,707. The current population of the district, including Denman
, is about 15,200. Geologically, Muswellbrook is situated in the northern parts of the Sydney basin
, bordering the New England region.
The area is predominantly known for coal mining
and horse breeding
. Located to the south of the Muswellbrook township are two coal fuelled power station
s, Liddell and Bayswater. They were commissioned in 1973 and mid 1980s respectively and employ approximately 500 people from the area.
and the Merriwa line, part of a cross country rail line to Gulgong
. As such, it formed an important junction, as well as serving the numerous coal mining sidings found within a short distance from the main station building.
The New England Highway
currently passes through the town. A route was selected for a bypass in 2006 but the Australian Government suspended the project in August 2008. Denman Road provides a connection to the Golden Highway
.
Muswellbrook railway station, is serviced by Cityrail
, Countrylink
and Interstate Coaches as well as local bus services.
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 original spelling and etymology of the town's name is a matter of some debate. "Mussel Creek" (now called "Muscle Creek") was first named by a party of surveyors who found mussel
Mussel
The common name mussel is used for members of several families of clams or bivalvia mollusca, from saltwater and freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other edible clams, which are often more or less rounded or oval.The...
s in the small stream while camping along its banks in the early 19th century. The present spelling of Muswellbrook is said to derive from the Muswell Hill area of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
(England).
The town is located in the Upper Hunter Valley
Hunter Valley
The Hunter Region, more commonly known as the Hunter Valley, is a region of New South Wales, Australia, extending from approximately to north of Sydney with an approximate population of 645,395 people. Most of the population of the Hunter Region lives within of the coast, with 55% of the entire...
region, about 243 kilometres (151 mi) north of 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...
. The first European to discover the area was Chief Constable John Howe in 1819. It was declared a township in 1833. 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,...
, Muswellbrook had a population of 10,707. The current population of the district, including Denman
Denman, New South Wales
Denman is a small rural town in New South Wales, Australia, in Muswellbrook Shire. The town is located on the Golden Highway in the Upper Hunter Valley region, about 250 km north of Sydney...
, is about 15,200. Geologically, Muswellbrook is situated in the northern parts of the Sydney basin
Sydney Basin
The Sydney Basin is a sedimentary basin on the east coast of New South Wales, Australia consisting of Permian and Triassic sedimentary rocks...
, bordering the New England region.
The area is predominantly known for coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
and horse breeding
Horse breeding
Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in domesticated horses...
. Located to the south of the Muswellbrook township are two coal fuelled power station
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
s, Liddell and Bayswater. They were commissioned in 1973 and mid 1980s respectively and employ approximately 500 people from the area.
Transport
Muswellbrook lies at the junction of the Main Northern railway lineMain 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...
and the Merriwa line, part of a cross country rail line to Gulgong
Gulgong, New South Wales
Gulgong is a 19th century gold rush town in the Central-West of the Australian state of New South Wales. The town is located about north west of Sydney, and about 30 km north of Mudgee along the Castlereagh Highway. At the 2006 census, Gulgong had a population of 1,907 people...
. As such, it formed an important junction, as well as serving the numerous coal mining sidings found within a short distance from the main station building.
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...
currently passes through the town. A route was selected for a bypass in 2006 but the Australian Government suspended the project in August 2008. Denman Road provides a connection to the Golden Highway
Golden Highway
The Golden Highway is a highway in New South Wales, Australia.Designated as State Highway 84, it runs eastwards from Dubbo towards Newcastle on the coast and enables road transport to avoid travelling over the Blue Mountains to Sydney....
.
Muswellbrook railway station, is serviced by Cityrail
CityRail
CityRail is an operating brand of RailCorp, a corporation owned by the state government of New South Wales, Australia. It is responsible for providing commuter rail services, and some coach services, in and around Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong, the three largest cities of New South Wales. It is...
, Countrylink
CountryLink
CountryLink is the operator of passenger rail services in country New South Wales, Australia and into Queensland and Victoria. It is an operating brand of the Rail Corporation New South Wales, a government-owned entity...
and Interstate Coaches as well as local bus services.
Notable persons
- The journalist Donald HorneDonald HorneProfessor Donald Horne was an Australian journalist, writer, social critic, and academic who became one of Australia's best known public intellectuals....
was raised in Muswellbrook. - The virtuoso guitarist Tommy EmmanuelTommy EmmanuelWilliam Thomas "Tommy" Emmanuel AM is an Australian guitarist, best known for his complex fingerpicking style, energetic performances and the use of percussive effects on the guitar. In the May 2008 and 2010 issues of Guitar Player Magazine, he was named as "Best Acoustic Guitarist" in their...
was born in Muswellbrook in 1955. - NRL Referee Shayne HayneShayne HayneShane Hayne, born Kevin John Hayne in Wellington, NSW in 1967, is an Australian rugby league referee in the National Rugby League . He has officiated in State of Origin since game II in 2007, the 2008 Rugby League World Cup and the 2009 NRL Grand Final....
grew up and spent most of his life in Muswellbrook. - Pro Scooter Rider Adam Ingles was born and raised in Muswellbrook.
- Rugby league player Jamie FeeneyJamie FeeneyJamie Feeney is an Australian rugby league player for the Melbourne Storm in the National Rugby League competition, he previously played for the Canterbury Bulldogs where he won a premiership with them in 2004...
was born in Muswellbrook in 1978. - PGA Golfer Kurt BarnesKurt BarnesKurt Barnes is an Australian professional golfer.Barnes was born in Muswellbrook, New South Wales. He had a successful amateur career which included victories in the 2002 Australian Amateur, the 2003 Riversdale Cup, which he won with a record 22 under par total, and the 2003 New Zealand Amateur...
was born and raised in Muswellbrook in 1981. - Artist James CliffordJames Clifford (artist)James Clifford was an Australian Modernist painter.He was born in Muswellbrook and in the 1960s moved to Sydney where he began exhibiting at Watters Gallery. He worked in various styles and became distinctive early on, combining hard edge abstraction with Art Nouveau and surreal elements, later...
(1936 - 1987) was born and raised in Muswelbrook.
Popular culture
- Muswellbrook is mentioned in the Steely DanSteely DanSteely Dan is an American rock band; its core members are Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. The band's popularity peaked in the late 1970s, with the release of seven albums blending elements of jazz, rock, funk, R&B, and pop...
song Black Friday from the 1975 Katy LiedKaty LiedKaty Lied is the fourth album by Steely Dan, originally released in 1975 by ABC Records. It went gold and peaked at #13 on the US charts. The single "Black Friday" also charted at #37....
album - Muswellbrook is also mentioned in Thomas Keneally's book The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith
- Muswellbrook is also mentioned in the 1980 Australian Film, "Fatty Finn", where one of the characters remarks, "Things are crook, in Muswellbrook".
Schools
- Muswellbrook South Public School
- Muswellbrook Public School
- St James Muswellbrook
- Muswellbrook High School
- Muswellbrook Pre School Kindergarten
- Muswellbrook Christian School
See also
- St Heliers Correctional CentreSt Heliers Correctional CentreSt Heliers Correctional Centre is an Australian prison located in Muswellbrook, New South Wales, Australia. St Heliers is also responsible for the State's first mobile prison.-History:...
- Wollemi National ParkWollemi National ParkWollemi National Park is the second largest national park in New South Wales, and contains most of the largest wilderness area, the Wollemi Wilderness...
- Hunter River (New South Wales)