Tallong, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Tallong is a village
of the Southern Tablelands
of New South Wales
, Australia
, in Goulburn-Mulwaree Council. Although officially not a part of the region, it considered geographically and historically part of the Southern Highlands
. The town is 8.5 km from the town of Marulan
and 25 km from the town of Bundanoon
.
The principal industries of the village include stud farm
s, arts and crafts and services for surrounding farms.
Tallong is home to the Tallong Midge Orchid
(Genoplesium plumosum), a tiny flower
found only in the area surrounding the town. This orchid is now a protected species
. It was discovered in 1997.
.
In the late 1820s, that portion of Barber's land that would eventually become the township was sold or reallocated to Sydney entrepreneur and mariner Billy Blue
. Convict labour was used to clear the grazing land and prepare a route for the Southern Highlands railway line
to Goulburn
. Tallong was selected as the location for a railway refuelling point, and the town's initial population consisted of convicts, woodcutters, railway workers and their families.
The opening of the railway in 1869 brought shops, a school, hotel
s and a post office
to the town.
; Tallong's apples and pears took top honours several times throughout the early part of the twentieth century.
The population reached 200 in 1920, and a Memorial Hall was constructed to mark the town's growth and record the servise of local residents in World War I
. The Hall and war memorial are still standing today.
In 1955 the Australian poet and novelist Seaforth Mackenzie
drowned while attempting to swim across Tallong (formerly Barber's) Creek near the town.
Tallong was destroyed in the Chatsbury bushfire
of 1965. Its economy did not fully recover and the award-winning fruit industry folded. Many residents moved and the post office and a number of small businesses closed.
in Australia at Tallong Public School
. Moreoever, it is home to the country campus of Santa Sabina College
.
Furthermore, the village is home to two lookouts on the plateau that makes up the Shoalhaven Gorge (a 1500 feet (457.2 m) which looks over the drop to the Shoalhaven River
) and Morton National Park
. The lookouts are known as Badgerys Lookout and Longpoint Lookout.
There is also an annual Tallong Trail Ride
in support of the Rural Fire Service
.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
of the Southern Tablelands
Southern Tablelands
The Southern Tablelands is a geographic area of the State of New South Wales, Australia. This area is located west of the Great Dividing Range.The area is characterised by flat country which has generally been extensively cleared and used for grazing purposes...
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...
, in Goulburn-Mulwaree Council. Although officially not a part of the region, it considered geographically and historically part of the Southern Highlands
Southern Highlands, New South Wales
The Southern Highlands, also locally referred to as the Highlands, is a geographical region and district in New South Wales, Australia and is 110 km south-west of Sydney. The entire region is under the local government area of the Wingecarribee Shire...
. The town is 8.5 km from the town of Marulan
Marulan, New South Wales
Marulan is a small town in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia in the Goulburn Mulwaree Council Local Government Area. It is located south-west of Sydney on the Hume Highway, although it bypasses the town proper. Marulan lies on the 150th meridian east. It has a railway station...
and 25 km from the town of Bundanoon
Bundanoon, New South Wales
Bundanoon is a town in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, in Wingecarribee Shire. In 2006, Bundanoon had a population of 2,035 people...
.
The principal industries of the village include stud farm
Stud farm
A stud farm or stud in animal husbandry, is an establishment for selective breeding of livestock. The word "stud" comes from the Old English stod meaning "herd of horses, place where horses are kept for breeding" Historically, documentation of the breedings that occur on a stud farm leads to the...
s, arts and crafts and services for surrounding farms.
Tallong is home to the Tallong Midge Orchid
Tallong Midge Orchid
Corunastylis plumosa, commonly known as Tallong Midge-orchid or Plumed Midge-orchid, is a tiny flower that grows only in the village of Tallong in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales. Its discovery brought the village to the attention of botanists and conservationists. This orchid is now a...
(Genoplesium plumosum), a tiny flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
found only in the area surrounding the town. This orchid is now a protected species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
. It was discovered in 1997.
Etymology
The original settlement was named Barber's Creek after the watercourse that runs through the town. In the early twentieth century the town was renamed "Tallong" after an Aboriginal word meaning either "tongue" or "spring of water".Colonial era
The first European settler in the area was George Barber, a cattle farmer. In 1814 Barber established a cattle station along what became known as Barber's Creek. In 1821 he received a grant of 300 acres (1.2 km²) covering the general Tallong-Marulan district, to be converted from cedar brush to farmland. Before his death in a riding accident in 1844, Barber had extended his local landholdings to 4000 acres (16.2 km²), which he named "Glenrock". He is buried in the Old Marulan Cemetery in MarulanMarulan, New South Wales
Marulan is a small town in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia in the Goulburn Mulwaree Council Local Government Area. It is located south-west of Sydney on the Hume Highway, although it bypasses the town proper. Marulan lies on the 150th meridian east. It has a railway station...
.
In the late 1820s, that portion of Barber's land that would eventually become the township was sold or reallocated to Sydney entrepreneur and mariner Billy Blue
Billy Blue
Billy Blue or William Blue was an Australian convict. Although Billy Blue’s place and date of birth are uncertain, convict records suggest he was born in Jamaica around 1767.-Conviction:...
. Convict labour was used to clear the grazing land and prepare a route for the Southern Highlands railway line
Southern Highlands railway line, New South Wales
The Southern Highlands Line is a section of the Main South railway line, and part of the CityRail outer suburban network. Its main service areas are the Southern Highlands Region , the Southern Tablelands Region and the Wollondilly section of the Macarthur Region of New South Wales...
to Goulburn
Goulburn, New South Wales
Goulburn is a provincial city in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia in Goulburn Mulwaree Council Local Government Area. It is located south-west of Sydney on the Hume Highway and above sea-level. On Census night 2006, Goulburn had a population of 20,127 people...
. Tallong was selected as the location for a railway refuelling point, and the town's initial population consisted of convicts, woodcutters, railway workers and their families.
The opening of the railway in 1869 brought shops, a school, hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
s and a post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
to the town.
Post-Federation
By 1900, cattle grazing was slowly giving way to a thriving fruit industry, known particularly for apples and pears. The village sent an annual exhibit of a tall pyramid of fruit to the Sydney Royal Easter ShowSydney Royal Easter Show
The Sydney Royal Easter Show, also known as the Royal Easter Show or simply The Show, is an annual show held in Sydney, Australia over two weeks around Easter.It is run by the Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales and was first held in 1823...
; Tallong's apples and pears took top honours several times throughout the early part of the twentieth century.
The population reached 200 in 1920, and a Memorial Hall was constructed to mark the town's growth and record the servise of local residents in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. The Hall and war memorial are still standing today.
In 1955 the Australian poet and novelist Seaforth Mackenzie
Seaforth Mackenzie (author)
Kenneth Ivo Brownley Langwell Mackenzie , was an Australian poet and novelist....
drowned while attempting to swim across Tallong (formerly Barber's) Creek near the town.
Tallong was destroyed in the Chatsbury bushfire
Chatsbury bushfire
The Chatsbury/Bungonia Bushfire of 1965 was a series of devastating bushfires that raged from 5th through 14 March 1965 and destroyed the Southern Highlands, New South Wales villages of Tallong and Wingello as well as most of the surrounding orchards. Three people were killed.28 homes were...
of 1965. Its economy did not fully recover and the award-winning fruit industry folded. Many residents moved and the post office and a number of small businesses closed.
Attractions
The village is also home to one of the oldest surviving single-teacher schoolhouseSchool
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
in Australia at Tallong Public School
Tallong Public School
Tallong Public School is a co-educational government primary school located in Tallong, New South Wales, Australia. Established in 1865 in what was then Barber’s Creek, it is the oldest surviving single-teacher schoolhouse in Australia...
. Moreoever, it is home to the country campus of Santa Sabina College
Santa Sabina College
Santa Sabina College, is a Roman Catholic, Dominican, day school for girls K-12 and boys K-4, located in Strathfield, an inner-western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
.
Furthermore, the village is home to two lookouts on the plateau that makes up the Shoalhaven Gorge (a 1500 feet (457.2 m) which looks over the drop to the Shoalhaven River
Shoalhaven River
The Shoalhaven River is a river rising from the Southern Tablelands and flowing into the ocean near Nowra on the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia.- History :...
) and Morton National Park
Morton National Park
Morton is a national park in New South Wales , 170 km southwest of Sydney.The most notable attractions are the Fitzroy Falls, just off the main road from the Highlands to Kangaroo Valley and Pigeon House Mountain west of Milton. The park consists mostly of a flat plateau dissected by steep...
. The lookouts are known as Badgerys Lookout and Longpoint Lookout.
There is also an annual Tallong Trail Ride
Trail riding
Trail riding sometimes called horse or pony trekking is riding outdoors on natural trails and roads as opposed to riding in an enclosed area such as a riding arena. The term may encompass those who travel on horses, on mountain bikes, or on motorcycles and other motorized all-terrain vehicles...
in support of the Rural Fire Service
New South Wales Rural Fire Service
The New South Wales Rural Fire Service is a volunteer-based firefighting agency and statutory body of the NSW Government. The NSW RFS is responsible for the general administration of rural fire management affairs including administration of the Rural Fire Fighting Fund, co-ordination with local...
.
See also
- Wingello Parish, CamdenWingello Parish, CamdenThe Parish of Wingello is a parish of the County of Camden in the Southern Highlands region of New South Wales. It includes the area around the village of Wingello, and also includes the village of Tallong. The parish is located at the western end of the County of Camden, with Uringalla Creek the...
- Tallong Public SchoolTallong Public SchoolTallong Public School is a co-educational government primary school located in Tallong, New South Wales, Australia. Established in 1865 in what was then Barber’s Creek, it is the oldest surviving single-teacher schoolhouse in Australia...
- Tallong railway station, New South WalesTallong railway station, New South Wales-Transport links:Berrima Coaches runs one route to and from Wingello railway station:*813 - to Moss Vale-Neighbouring stations:-References:...
Further reading
- The Tallong Public School, Peter Westren, ed., privately published, Tallong: 1990.
- Southern Village View Magazine, Published Quarterly by the Southern Village View Association Inc. Wingello, NSW.