Werris Creek, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Werris Creek is a small town in New South Wales
, Australia
, near Tamworth
, in Liverpool Plains
Shire. It is north of Quirindi
and is at the junction of the Main North railway line
to Armidale
and Moree
. At the 2006 census
, Werris Creek had a population of 1,490.
The first European settlers came to the area in the 1830s and the Weia Weia Creek Station was established by the Reverend Francis Vidal around 1841. By the 1870s, there were 20 pastoral families occupying the valley and on the eastern side of the present townsite was Summer Hill station, belonging to John Single, after whom the main street is named.
Werris Creek Post Office opened on 1 January 1878 and a railway station was built there in 1879, designed by the NSW railway engineer John Whitton
. It is 411 km (255 mi) from Sydney by rail and was termed 'the first railway town
in Australia'.
The town has a swimming pool (opened in 1968), tennis courts, bowling green and golf club. There is a rugby league
team, the Magpies, which is part of the NSW Country Rugby League, Group 4 competition. In 1996 the Werris Creek Magpies won the Clayton Cup for being the best performed, premiership-winning first grade team, in country New South Wales.
The town has a large grain silo and a recently opened (2005) coal mine. The main employer in the town is Pacific National
rail company. A high percentage of the working population are also employed in nearby Tamworth.
Werris Creek is a four hour drive from Sydney and is situated midway between the famous wine growing area of the Hunter Valley
and the cooler climate vineyards of the Northern Tablelands. Werris Creek is also located within three hours of beaches in Newcastle and four hours of Australia's coastal resorts of Forster
, Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour."
building, built in the late 1880s, was designed by the famed NSW railway engineer John Whitton. The Australian Railway Monument was recently opened near the station and part of the station building has been opened as a railway museum. A historic display depicts the past history of Werris Creek as the first railway town in Australia from the age of steam through to the modern day diesel. It is still served by the daily Countrylink
Xplorer service to and from Sydney
which amalgamates/divides at the station, half the train to and from Armidale, the other half to and from Moree. The train to Armidale/Moree divides at 3:34pm and the train to Sydney amalgamates at 11:29am.
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...
, near Tamworth
Tamworth, New South Wales
Tamworth is a city in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Peel River, Tamworth, which contains an estimated population of 47,595 people, is the major regional centre for southern New England and in the local government area of Tamworth Regional Council. The city...
, in Liverpool Plains
Liverpool Plains
The Liverpool Plains is a geographical area and Local Government Area in the North West Slopes, New South Wales.The Shire was formed on 17 March 2004 by the amalgamation of Quirindi Shire with parts of three other shires: Parry, Murrurundi and Gunnedah.- Main towns :* Quirindi* Ardglen*...
Shire. It is north of Quirindi
Quirindi, New South Wales
Quirindi is a small town on the North West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia, in Liverpool Plains Shire Local Government Area ....
and is at the junction of 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...
to Armidale
Armidale, New South Wales
Armidale is a city in the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. Armidale Dumaresq Shire had a population of 19,485 people according to the 2006 census. It is the administrative centre for the Northern Tablelands region...
and Moree
Moree, New South Wales
Moree is a large town in Moree Plains Shire in northern New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the banks of the Mehi River in the centre of the rich black-soil plains....
. 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,...
, Werris Creek had a population of 1,490.
History
The area is thought to have been once occupied by the Kamilaroi Aborigines. 'Werris' appears to derive from an Aboriginal word first written as 'Weia Weia', though no meaning is known. There is a similar aboriginal word pronounced "Werai" which means "look out" and this may be related because of the prominent hills in the area. In earlier years Werris was written in a variety of ways, including Werres, Werries and Weery's.The first European settlers came to the area in the 1830s and the Weia Weia Creek Station was established by the Reverend Francis Vidal around 1841. By the 1870s, there were 20 pastoral families occupying the valley and on the eastern side of the present townsite was Summer Hill station, belonging to John Single, after whom the main street is named.
Werris Creek Post Office opened on 1 January 1878 and a railway station was built there in 1879, designed by the NSW railway engineer John Whitton
John Whitton
John Whitton was appointed Engineer-in-Charge for the New South Wales Railways, Australia, in January 1867. Over the next 32 years he completed 2811 miles of railway around NSW and Victoria...
. It is 411 km (255 mi) from Sydney by rail and was termed 'the first railway town
Railway town
A railway town is a settlement that originated or was greatly developed because of a railway station or junction at its site.In Victorian Britain, the spread of railways greatly affected the fate of many small towns...
in Australia'.
Geography
Werris Creek is overlooked by Mount Terrible, known to the locals as 'Terrible Billy'. It is 380m or 1246 feet above sea level. It has an average annual rainfall of 685 mm or 27 inches. On 18 July 1965, for the first and only time in recorded history, Werris Creek was blanketed by three inches of snow.Facilities
Werris Creek has one school, Werris Creek Public, which was established in the 1880s, The town previously had two schools, with St Joseph's Catholic school having been established in 1915 but it closed on 9 April 2009.The town has a swimming pool (opened in 1968), tennis courts, bowling green and golf club. There is a rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
team, the Magpies, which is part of the NSW Country Rugby League, Group 4 competition. In 1996 the Werris Creek Magpies won the Clayton Cup for being the best performed, premiership-winning first grade team, in country New South Wales.
The town has a large grain silo and a recently opened (2005) coal mine. The main employer in the town is Pacific National
Pacific National
Pacific National is one of Australia's largest private rail freight businesses. Originally a joint venture between Patrick Corporation and Toll Holdings; it is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Asciano Limited following the restructure of Toll Holdings....
rail company. A high percentage of the working population are also employed in nearby Tamworth.
Werris Creek is a four hour drive from Sydney and is situated midway between the famous wine growing area of the 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...
and the cooler climate vineyards of the Northern Tablelands. Werris Creek is also located within three hours of beaches in Newcastle and four hours of Australia's coastal resorts of Forster
Forster, New South Wales
Forster is a large coastal town in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia, in the Great Lakes Council LGA, about north-north-east of Sydney. It is immediately adjacent to its twin, Tuncurry, which is the smaller of the two towns...
, Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour."
Railway station
A railway station opened at Werris Creek in 1878, and was moved to its present location in 1880. The heritage listed Werris Creek StationWerris Creek railway station, New South Wales
Werris Creek Railway Station opened at Werris Creek, New South Wales in 1878, and was moved to its present location in 1880. The heritage listed Werris Creek railway station building, built in the late 1880s, was designed by the famed NSW railway engineer John Whitton...
building, built in the late 1880s, was designed by the famed NSW railway engineer John Whitton. The Australian Railway Monument was recently opened near the station and part of the station building has been opened as a railway museum. A historic display depicts the past history of Werris Creek as the first railway town in Australia from the age of steam through to the modern day diesel. It is still served by the daily 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...
Xplorer service to and from 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...
which amalgamates/divides at the station, half the train to and from Armidale, the other half to and from Moree. The train to Armidale/Moree divides at 3:34pm and the train to Sydney amalgamates at 11:29am.