Adelong is a small town in the Riverina region of New South Wales,

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 and is a part of the Snowy Valleys Council. At the , Adelong had an urban population of 943.

Etymology

Adelong's name is said to be derived from the local

Aboriginal Aborigine, aborigine or aboriginal may refer to: *Aborigines (mythology), in Roman mythology * Indigenous peoples, general term for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area *One of several groups of indigenous peoples, see ...

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 people. In 1852 during the

Australian Gold Rush During the Australian gold rushes, starting in 1851, significant numbers of workers moved from elsewhere in Australia and overseas to where gold had been discovered. Gold had been found several times before, but the colonial government of Ne ...

, gold was discovered at Upper Adelong. Records around the time indicated a yield of 198 kg of precious metals. 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 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 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 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, 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