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Ilford is a village in
''Australian Town and Country Journal'', 27 June 1874, page 28. In June 1853 a thirty-acre portion of Crown Land was proclaimed to be set aside at Kean's Swamp (in Roxburgh county) as a potential town lot. In December 1860 a public meeting of electors of the Hartley electorate was held in the “School-house” at Kean's Swamp. The meeting was one of a number held for the purpose of nomination and election of one member to serve in the Legislative Assembly of New South Wales”. In January 1863 tenders were called for the conveyance of mails by horseback “to and from Kean’s Swamp and Sofala, twice a week". The successful contractor was Michael Moore of Kean's Swamp. In April 1863 the Sydney mail coach between Bowenfels and Cudgegong was held up and robbed by two bushrangers at Cherrytree Hill, two and a half miles from Kean's Swamp. The robbers were pursued by constables Wright and Cleary, who were stationed at Kean's Swamp. The policemen finally captured one of the men near Capertee Camp (now Capertee). In March 1868 it was officially notified that the post-office previously known as Kean's Swamp would henceforth “bear the designation of ‘Ilford’”. In June 1874 a visitor to Ilford described the township as being “in a most picturesque situation, at the foot of a mountain”. There were four stores in the settlement (of which Mrs. Phelps’ store incorporated the Post Office) and an inn called The Plough. The only place of worship was a stone-built Wesleyan church. The public school was described as a “miserable slab building”. By November 1875 there were two places of worship in Ilford, Episcopalian and Wesleyan, and the township had “a population of 100”. The buildings in the village were “neat and substantial”, the businesses consisting of “two stores, a public-house, a carpenter’s shop, a bakery, a butchery, and a post-office”. The original school-house was replaced in late 1877 or early 1878, after the foundation stone for the new building was laid in September 1877. In November 1880 the following were granted publican's licenses at Ilford: Mrs. Elizabeth Donovan for the Carriers' Arms and Robert Moore for The Plough Inn. At the 1881 census Ilford village had 162 inhabitants. In November 1883 the publican's license held by John Farry for The Plough Inn at Ilford was cancelled by the Rylstone Licensing Court for the reason that Farry had “abandoned the said premises as his usual place of abode”. In 1884 John Guthrie held the publican's license for the Carriers' Arms.
In June 1884 the railway branch line connecting Capertee to Wallerawang was extended through to Rylstone. The railway extension by-passed Ilford village to the east, but did, however, include a station named Ilford, even though it was located eight miles north-east of the village. The Ilford station had been completed by February 1884 when a correspondent made the observation that “the Ilford station house… seems too pretentious for the likely public requirements there”. The physical distance between the settlement of Ilford on the Sydney Road and the Ilford railway station was a significant factor in the steady decline of Ilford village from the mid-1880s. The railway station was named Ilford until 1900, when it was renamed Mornington. Three years later it was briefly renamed Carwell and then renamed Clandulla in 1905. The railway station (now closed) is the location of the modern village of Clandulla.
At the 1891 census Ilford village had 92 inhabitants. In April 1898 it was reported that “almost all the children” of the Ilford locality were “suffering from scarlet fever, and the epidemic shows no sign of abating”. At the 1901 census Ilford village had 71 inhabitants.
In 1909 Harriet Guthrie held the publican's license for the Carriers' Arms at Ilford.
A visitor to Ilford in July 1922 described the settlement as “a place of the past, one of the towns of the old carrying days... like all roadside towns that were built up with team traffic the railway has killed it”. Many of the houses in the village had “gone to decay, their roofs of shingles dropping off in patches” and a “deserted” police station. Still remaining was “an up-to-date store kept by Mr. Olliver” and a "rabbit works, the product of which goes to Sydney via Capertee”. Ilford “evidently boasted three or four little hotels, now there is none”. The local school-house was described as “a fine public building with a sadly depleted attendance roll of children”.
A “new co-operative sawmill” commenced work at Ilford in July 1926, run by the Ilford Co-operative Sawmilling Society Ltd. The local Co-operative Society was declared bankrupt in 1931 and was dissolved in May 1932.
New South Wales
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, 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 ...
, beside the Crudine River
Crudine River, a watercourse that is part of the Macquarie catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, is located in the central western district of New South Wales, Australia.
The Crudine River rises on the western slopes of the Great Divi ...
within the Mid-Western Regional Council
The Mid-Western Regional Council is a local government area in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. The area is located adjacent to the Castlereagh Highway that passes through the middle of the area in an approximate southeast ...
. It is located on the Castlereagh Highway
Castlereagh Highway is a state highway located in New South Wales and Queensland, Australia. The highway's northern terminus is at a junction with Carnarvon Highway, south of , Queensland. Its southern terminus is at a junction with Great West ...
(locally referred to as the 'Sydney Road'), about 220 kilometres north-west of Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
. At the 2016 census Ilford and the surrounding rural district had a population of 187, living in 65 private dwellings. The district also included 43 unoccupied private dwellings. Ilford was named after the English township of Ilford (in Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
, now a part of Greater London
Greater may refer to:
*Greatness, the state of being great
*Greater than, in inequality (mathematics), inequality
*Greater (film), ''Greater'' (film), a 2016 American film
*Greater (flamingo), the oldest flamingo on record
*Greater (song), "Greate ...
), from where early residents of the locality originated.
Unremarkable in appearance, Ilford appears to the traveller as no more than a cluster of buildings around a T-junction on the 'Sydney Road', where the Bathurst-Ilford Road
Bathurst-Ilford Road (known as Sofala Road south of the Turon River and Ilford-Sofala Road north of the Turon River) is a New South Wales country road linking Ilford, New South Wales, Ilford to the regional hub of Bathurst, New South Wales, Bath ...
joins the Castlereagh Highway. The focus of the community is Ilford Public School on the outskirts of the road-side settlement. An information bay with toilet facilities is located on the northern edge of the village.
History
An early name for the locality was Kean's Swamp.A Tour to the North-Western Interior: Wallerawang to Mudgee''Australian Town and Country Journal'', 27 June 1874, page 28. In June 1853 a thirty-acre portion of Crown Land was proclaimed to be set aside at Kean's Swamp (in Roxburgh county) as a potential town lot. In December 1860 a public meeting of electors of the Hartley electorate was held in the “School-house” at Kean's Swamp. The meeting was one of a number held for the purpose of nomination and election of one member to serve in the Legislative Assembly of New South Wales”. In January 1863 tenders were called for the conveyance of mails by horseback “to and from Kean’s Swamp and Sofala, twice a week". The successful contractor was Michael Moore of Kean's Swamp. In April 1863 the Sydney mail coach between Bowenfels and Cudgegong was held up and robbed by two bushrangers at Cherrytree Hill, two and a half miles from Kean's Swamp. The robbers were pursued by constables Wright and Cleary, who were stationed at Kean's Swamp. The policemen finally captured one of the men near Capertee Camp (now Capertee). In March 1868 it was officially notified that the post-office previously known as Kean's Swamp would henceforth “bear the designation of ‘Ilford’”. In June 1874 a visitor to Ilford described the township as being “in a most picturesque situation, at the foot of a mountain”. There were four stores in the settlement (of which Mrs. Phelps’ store incorporated the Post Office) and an inn called The Plough. The only place of worship was a stone-built Wesleyan church. The public school was described as a “miserable slab building”. By November 1875 there were two places of worship in Ilford, Episcopalian and Wesleyan, and the township had “a population of 100”. The buildings in the village were “neat and substantial”, the businesses consisting of “two stores, a public-house, a carpenter’s shop, a bakery, a butchery, and a post-office”. The original school-house was replaced in late 1877 or early 1878, after the foundation stone for the new building was laid in September 1877. In November 1880 the following were granted publican's licenses at Ilford: Mrs. Elizabeth Donovan for the Carriers' Arms and Robert Moore for The Plough Inn. At the 1881 census Ilford village had 162 inhabitants. In November 1883 the publican's license held by John Farry for The Plough Inn at Ilford was cancelled by the Rylstone Licensing Court for the reason that Farry had “abandoned the said premises as his usual place of abode”. In 1884 John Guthrie held the publican's license for the Carriers' Arms.
In June 1884 the railway branch line connecting Capertee to Wallerawang was extended through to Rylstone. The railway extension by-passed Ilford village to the east, but did, however, include a station named Ilford, even though it was located eight miles north-east of the village. The Ilford station had been completed by February 1884 when a correspondent made the observation that “the Ilford station house… seems too pretentious for the likely public requirements there”. The physical distance between the settlement of Ilford on the Sydney Road and the Ilford railway station was a significant factor in the steady decline of Ilford village from the mid-1880s. The railway station was named Ilford until 1900, when it was renamed Mornington. Three years later it was briefly renamed Carwell and then renamed Clandulla in 1905. The railway station (now closed) is the location of the modern village of Clandulla.
At the 1891 census Ilford village had 92 inhabitants. In April 1898 it was reported that “almost all the children” of the Ilford locality were “suffering from scarlet fever, and the epidemic shows no sign of abating”. At the 1901 census Ilford village had 71 inhabitants.
In 1909 Harriet Guthrie held the publican's license for the Carriers' Arms at Ilford.
A visitor to Ilford in July 1922 described the settlement as “a place of the past, one of the towns of the old carrying days... like all roadside towns that were built up with team traffic the railway has killed it”. Many of the houses in the village had “gone to decay, their roofs of shingles dropping off in patches” and a “deserted” police station. Still remaining was “an up-to-date store kept by Mr. Olliver” and a "rabbit works, the product of which goes to Sydney via Capertee”. Ilford “evidently boasted three or four little hotels, now there is none”. The local school-house was described as “a fine public building with a sadly depleted attendance roll of children”.
A “new co-operative sawmill” commenced work at Ilford in July 1926, run by the Ilford Co-operative Sawmilling Society Ltd. The local Co-operative Society was declared bankrupt in 1931 and was dissolved in May 1932.
Farmhouse rental program
Ilford was one of several rural New South Wales townships to initiate afarmhouse rental Farmhouse rental programs are a common method used by many rural Australian towns to attract new residents to live in their communities. The programs generally involve offering abandoned and often semi-derelict farmhouses for rent at a nominal price ...
program, offering farmhouses for rent for one dollar per week to attract new residents to the area. The program is not currently operating.
Astronomy
TheAstronomical Society of New South Wales
The Astronomical Society of New South Wales (ASNSW) is an amateur astronomy club in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It was founded in 1954 and it has over 400 members.
The society's objectives are stated in its constitution as follo ...
runs a property 'Wiruna' just outside Ilford, which is one of the country's premier dark-sky observing sites, used by the society's members and guests. Each year since 1993, the Society has hosted the " South Pacific Star Party" there. This event attracts between 200 and 400 amateur star-gazers from Australia and abroad, effectively doubling the population of the region for the weekend. It is also used as a fund-raising opportunity for the local Scouts
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...
who provide hot food.
Access
* From Capertee travel alongCastlereagh Highway
Castlereagh Highway is a state highway located in New South Wales and Queensland, Australia. The highway's northern terminus is at a junction with Carnarvon Highway, south of , Queensland. Its southern terminus is at a junction with Great West ...
(Sydney Road).
* From Mudgee
Mudgee is a town in the Central West (New South Wales), Central West of New South Wales, Australia. It is in the broad fertile Cudgegong River valley north-west of Sydney and is the largest town in the Mid-Western Regional Council Local gover ...
travel along Castlereagh Highway (Sydney Road).
* From Sofala
Sofala, at present known as Nova Sofala, used to be the chief seaport of the Mwenemutapa Kingdom, whose capital was at Mount Fura. It is located on the Sofala Bank in Sofala Province of Mozambique. It was founded by Somali merchants. This name wa ...
travel along Bathurst-Ilford Road
Bathurst-Ilford Road (known as Sofala Road south of the Turon River and Ilford-Sofala Road north of the Turon River) is a New South Wales country road linking Ilford, New South Wales, Ilford to the regional hub of Bathurst, New South Wales, Bath ...
(MR 54).
* From Kandos
Kandos is a small town in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia, within Mid-Western Regional Council. The area is the traditional home of the Dabee tribe, of the Wiradjuri people. The town sits beneath Cumber Melon Mountain (fro ...
travel along Bylong Valley Way
Bylong Valley Way is a New South Wales country road linking the Golden Highway near Sandy Hollow to the Castlereagh Highway near Ilford. It is named after the Bylong Valley, through which the road passes.
Route
In conjunction with the Bathurst ...
to get to Castlereagh Highway (Sydney Road).
See also
* Clandulla *Sofala
Sofala, at present known as Nova Sofala, used to be the chief seaport of the Mwenemutapa Kingdom, whose capital was at Mount Fura. It is located on the Sofala Bank in Sofala Province of Mozambique. It was founded by Somali merchants. This name wa ...
* Mudgee
Mudgee is a town in the Central West (New South Wales), Central West of New South Wales, Australia. It is in the broad fertile Cudgegong River valley north-west of Sydney and is the largest town in the Mid-Western Regional Council Local gover ...
* Bathurst
References
External links
Towns in New South Wales {{NewSouthWales-geo-stub