Murrurundi( ), is a rural town located in the

Upper Hunter Shire The Upper Hunter Shire is a local government area in the Upper Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire was formed in May 2004 from the Scone Shire and parts of Murrurundi and Merriwa shires. The Mayor of the Upper Hunter Sh ...

, in the

Upper Hunter The Upper Hunter Shire is a local government area in the Upper Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire was formed in May 2004 from the Scone Shire and parts of Murrurundi and Merriwa shires. The Mayor of the Upper Hunter Shire ...

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. Murrurundi is situated northwest by road from Newcastle and north from Sydney. At the the town had a population of 847 people. The town is almost completely surrounded by mountains of the Liverpool Range, and is located on the Pages River, a

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainag ...

of the Hunter River.

History and overview

Prior to European settlement, the Murrurundi district was home to the

Wanaruah The Wonnarua people, otherwise written Wanarruwa, are a group of Aboriginal Australian people united by strong ties of kinship, and who survived in family groups or clans scattered along the inland area of what is now known as the Upper Hunter ...

and possibly the Kamilaroi

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 ...

people. The name "Murrurundi" is often erroneously thought to come from an Aboriginal word meaning "nestling in the valley". It does in fact mean "five fingers", a representation of the rock formation visible at the northern end of the township. European settlement of the area began in the 1820s, and the town itself was established by the New South Wales government in 1840. In the same year, a local landholder, Thomas Haydon, established an adjacent private township called Haydonton. In the 1846 census, Murrurundi had a population of 52, while Haydonton had a total of 117. In 1913, the two neighbouring settlements were merged to create the modern-day town of Murrurundi. Benjamin Hall, father of

bushranger Bushrangers were originally escaped convicts in Australia, convicts in the early years of the History of Australia (1788–1850), British settlement of Australia who used The bush#Australia, the bush as a refuge to hide from the authorities. B ...

Ben Hall had a small farm in a valley near Murrurundi in 1839. He opened a butcher's shop at Haydonton in 1842. Ben Hall lived at Murrurundi with his family until the age of 13.

Oil shale Oil shale is an organic-rich fine-grained sedimentary rock containing kerogen (a solid mixture of organic chemical compounds) from which liquid hydrocarbons can be produced. In addition to kerogen, general composition of oil shales constitu ...

(kerosene shale) was mined at Mount Temi, some to the north of Murrurundi from 1886, but lay dormant for many years. The mine was revived in 1910, by British Australian Oil Company, and a railway was constructed from Temple Court, west of Murrurundi, to the terminal of an aerial ropeway bringing shale from the mine. Operations ceased during the First World War. Murrurundi is the nearest major town to the site of the Murulla rail accident, which occurred on 13 September 1926. 27 people were killed when runaway wagons smashed into a mail train. Annual events include the rodeo and the King of the Ranges stockman challenge. There are only a few sporting facilities due to the low population. These sports are senior rugby league, touch football, swimming club and cricket. Murrurundi was the main town of the former Murrurundi Shire local government area, which was abolished and its territory divided between two new, larger, shires. The town of Murrurundi is now part of Upper Hunter Shire. In January 2019, Murrurundi ran out of water making it necessary for trucks to begin daily delivery of potable water. In October 2019 it was announced that the Wilson Memorial Community Hospital would be demolished to make away for a new hospital.

Heritage listings

Murrurundi has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * Main Northern railway: Murrurundi railway station * Mount Street: Rosedale Cottage

Transport

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, ...

runs through the town, and it is served by a rail service. Murrurundi railway station is located on the Main North railway line, from Sydney. The station opened in 1872 and consists of a substantial brick station-house with a passing loop and goods yard.Murrurundi railway Station
Accessed 1 April 2008. There was also a locomotive depot for

bank engine A bank engine (United Kingdom/Australia) (colloquially a banker), banking engine, helper engine or pusher engine (North America) is a railway locomotive that temporarily assists a train that requires additional power or traction to climb a gradi ...

s which lasted until the end of steam. It continues to be served by a daily rail service operated by a NSW TrainLink Xplorer train to and from Sydney and Armidale/ Moree, trains will only stop at this station on request.

Climate

References

External links

Murrurundi Community Website
{{authority control Suburbs of Upper Hunter Shire Towns in the Hunter Region Shale oil towns in New South Wales