The Liverpool Range is a
mountain range
A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...
and a
lava
Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or un ...
-field province in
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 ...
.
The eastern peaks of the range were the traditional territory of the
Wonnarua people.
Geography
The Liverpool Range starts from the
volcanic plateau
A volcanic plateau is a plateau produced by volcanic activity. There are two main types: lava plateaus and pyroclastic plateaus.
Lava plateau
Lava plateaus are formed by highly fluid basaltic lava during numerous successive eruptions throu ...
known as the
Barrington Tops
Barrington Tops is part of the Great Dividing Range in New South Wales, Australia, between Gloucester and Scone.
In 1934, the area was difficult to access and was described as being "not traceable to any man-made feature".
Part of the area has ...
and runs for about westwards, forming the northern boundary of the
Hunter Region
The Hunter Region, also commonly known as the Hunter Valley, is a region of New South Wales, Australia, extending from approximately to north of Sydney. It contains the Hunter River and its tributaries with highland areas to the north and so ...
. Parts of the Liverpool Range form the watershed between the coastal and inland drainage of New South Wales and thus form a component of the
Great Dividing Range
The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills, that runs rough ...
. The western end of the Liverpool Range merges into the
Warrumbungle Range
The Warrumbungles is a mountain range in the Orana region of New South Wales, Australia. The nearest town is Coonabarabran. The area is easiest accessed from the Newell Highway which is the major road link directly between Melbourne, Victoria ...
.
The Liverpool Range has a reputation as a breeding ground for severe summer thunderstorms. The peaks of the range generally experience several snowfalls each winter.
History
The Liverpool Range was named after
Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool
Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, (7 June 1770 – 4 December 1828) was a British Tory statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1812 to 1827. He held many important cabinet offices such as Foreign Secre ...
, who was the
prime minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
of the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
at the time of its exploration by Europeans. The higher parts of the Liverpool Range reach approximately above sea level, and the range formed a significant barrier to the expansion of settlement in the early period of British settlement in New South Wales.
The first route across the range was
Pandora's Pass discovered by
Allan Cunningham. This is located near the western end of the range, north from the town of
Coolah and within
Coolah Tops National Park
Coolah Tops is a national park located in New South Wales, Australia, northwest of Sydney, established on 5 July 1996. It is managed by the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service. Its World Conservation Union category is II. I ...
. The crossing used by the
New England Highway
New England Highway is an long highway in Australia running from Yarraman, north of Toowoomba, Queensland at its northern end to Hexham at Newcastle, New South Wales at its southern end. It is part of Australia's National Highway system, an ...
is
Nowlands Gap (otherwise known as Murrurundi Gap), which crosses the range near its east end. The railway from
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to:
*Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England
*Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England
*Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...
to
Werris Creek
Werris Creek is a small town in New South Wales, Australia, near Tamworth, New South Wales, Tamworth, in Liverpool Plains Shire. It is north of Quirindi, New South Wales, Quirindi and is at the junction of the Main North railway line, New South ...
crosses under this pass via
Ardglen Tunnel
The Ardglen Tunnel, also called the Liverpool Range tunnel, is a heritage-listed summit rail tunnel located on the Main North railway between Ardglen in the Liverpool Plains Shire and Murrurundi in the Upper Hunter Shire local government area ...
.
The southern slopes of the Liverpool Range are drained by the headwaters of the
Hunter River Hunter River may refer to:
*Hunter River (New South Wales), Australia
*Hunter River (Western Australia)
*Hunter River, New Zealand
*Hunter River (Prince Edward Island), Canada
**Hunter River, Prince Edward Island, community on Hunter River, Canada
...
and its tributaries, such as the Pages River, which flows through the town of
Murrurundi
Murrurundi( ), is a rural town located in the Upper Hunter Shire, in the Upper Hunter region of New South Wales, Australia.
Murrurundi is situated northwest by road from Newcastle and north from Sydney. At the the town had a population of ...
. The northern slopes are drained by the headwaters of the
Peel River and the
Mooki River
Mooki River, a perennial stream that is part of the Namoi catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, is located in the Northern Tablelands district of New South Wales, Australia.
The river starts at the junction of Omaleah Creek and Phillips ...
. The
Talbragar River
Talbragar River, a perennial stream that is part of the Macquarie catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, is located in the Orana district of New South Wales, Australia.
The river rises on the western side of the Liverpool Range on south ...
and the
Coolaburragundy River
Coolaburragundy River, a perennial stream that is part of the Talbragar catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, is located in the Orana district of New South Wales, Australia.
The river rises on the south-western slopes of the Liverpool ...
also rise on the range and flow south-west, joining near the town of
Dunedoo
Dunedoo ( ) is a village of 1,021 inhabitants situated within the Warrumbungle Shire of central western New South Wales, Australia. Dunedoo is well known to Australian travellers due to its distinctive name (''Dunny'' is a colloquial Australian ...
.
See also
*
List of mountains in Australia
This is a list of mountains in Australia.
Highest points by state and territory
List of mountains in Australia by topographic prominence
This is a list of the top 50 mountains in Australia ranked by topographic prominence. Most of these ...
*
List of volcanoes in Australia
This is a list of active, dormant and extinct volcanoes in Australia and its island territories. Note that the term volcano is used loosely as it can include groups of related volcanoes and vents that erupted at similar times with lava of rel ...
References
{{Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA), state=collapsed
Volcanoes of New South Wales
Extinct volcanoes
Biogeography of New South Wales
IBRA subregions
Great Dividing Range
Hunter River (New South Wales)