Adelong is a small town in the

Riverina The Riverina is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales, Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, warm to hot climate and an ample supply of water for irrigation ...

region of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, situated on the banks of the Adelong Creek. Adelong sits on the

Snowy Mountains Highway Snowy Mountains Highway is a state highway located in New South Wales, Australia. Its two sections connect the New South Wales South Coast to the Monaro region, and the Monaro to the South West Slopes via the Snowy Mountains. The higher alti ...

and is a part of the

Snowy Valleys Council The Snowy Valleys Council is a local government area located in the South West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia. This area was formed in 2016 from the merger of the Tumut Shire with the neighbouring Tumbarumba Shire. The council area ...

. At the , Adelong had an urban population of 943.

Etymology

Adelong's name is said to be derived from the local Aboriginal language meaning "along the way" or "plain with a river".

History

The area now known as Adelong lies on the traditional lands of the

Wiradjuri The Wiradjuri people (; ) are a group of Aboriginal Australian people from central New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , ...

people. In 1852 during the Australian Gold Rush, gold was discovered at Upper Adelong. Records around the time indicated a yield of 198 kg of

precious metals Precious metals are rare, naturally occurring metallic chemical elements of high economic value. Chemically, the precious metals tend to be less reactive than most elements (see noble metal). They are usually ductile and have a high lustre. ...

. In 1855 Adelong was declared a gold field. The Adelong township, which was first established in 1836, came alive when in 1857 William Willams discovered a gold bearing reef ore on Charcoal Hill.

Alluvial Alluvium (from Latin ''alluvius'', from ''alluere'' 'to wash against') is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluv ...

mining and panning along the

Adelong Creek The Adelong Creek, a perennial river that is part of the Murrumbidgee catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, is located in the South West Slopes, and Riverina regions of New South Wales, Australia. Course and features The Adelong Cree ...

was followed by mines being staked in the surrounding hills and water and steam powered stamper batteries were located along the creek to crush and process the hard pyritic

quartz Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica (silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon-oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical form ...

ore. These included the heritage-listed

Adelong Falls Gold Workings The Adelong Falls Gold Workings is a heritage-listed former gold processing site and now picnic reserve at Adelong, Snowy Valleys Council, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed and built in 1860 by David Wilson and William Ritchie. It i ...

. The gold ran out in the latter part of the 19th century and the pastoral industry became the principal activity. This was mainly

Merino The Merino is a breed or group of breeds of domestic sheep, characterised by very fine soft wool. It was established in Spain near the end of the Middle Ages, and was for several centuries kept as a strict Spanish monopoly; exports of the bree ...

sheep and beef cattle, and continues now. Over the last 20 years a tourist industry has developed because of the pleasant scenery and gold mining history. During the gold rush many Chinese people worked in the mines, a lot of whom died and were buried in a special portion of the Adelong cemetery. One or two elderly Chinese and Indians still lived in Adelong in the 1950s. A community named Cornishtown existed about a mile to the west of Adelong until the 1940s.

Climate

Adelong has a climate that is characteristic of the lower

South West Slopes The South Western Slopes, also known as the South West Slopes, is a region predominantly in New South Wales, Australia. It covers the lower inland slopes of the Great Dividing Range, extending from north of Dunedoo through central NSW and into ...

, though wetter on account of its proximity to the dividing range. Summers are hot and dry; winters cool and rainy, with occasional

snowfall Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout ...

. Cold rain below and sleet are common occurrences in winter. Seasonal range is great about the maximum temperatures, and in the warmer months, diurnal range is also great. Rainfall records began in 1883 at Adelong (Tumut St), but temperature averages not until 1907, and temperature extremes not until 1965. All records ceased in 1994.

Heritage listings

Adelong has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: *

* Hillas Creek:

Hillas Hut Hillas Hut is a heritage-listed historic hut at Hillas Creek, Adelong, Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council, New South Wales, Australia. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999. History Hillas Hut is a ...

Education

There are currently two primary schools, Adelong Public School and St. Joseph's Primary School, servicing the town and surrounding areas.

References

{{Riverina Towns in the Riverina Snowy Valleys Council Adelong Mining towns in New South Wales