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 Shir ...

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 ...

. Murrurundi is situated northwest by road 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 ...

and north from

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 the town had a population of 847 people. The town is almost completely surrounded by mountains of the

Liverpool Range The Liverpool Range is a mountain range and a lava-field province in New South Wales, Australia. The eastern peaks of the range were the traditional territory of the Wonnarua people. Geography The Liverpool Range starts from the volcanic plate ...

, and is located on the

Pages River Pages River, a perennial river of the Hunter River catchment, is located in the Hunter region of New South Wales, Australia. Course and features The Pages River rises on the eastern slopes of the Great Dividing Range below Mount Gregson, so ...

, 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 drainage ...

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 ...

History and overview

Prior to

European European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...

settlement, the Murrurundi district was home to the Wanaruah and possibly the

Kamilaroi The Gamilaraay, also known as Gomeroi, Kamilaroi, Kamillaroi and other variations, are an Aboriginal Australian people whose lands extend from New South Wales to southern Queensland. They form one of the four largest Indigenous nations in Aust ...

Aboriginal 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 the early years of the British settlement of Australia who used the bush as a refuge to hide from the authorities. By the 1820s, the term had evolved to refer to those who took up "robbery under ...

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 constitute ...

(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 The British Australian Oil Company Limited was a British-owned company—incorporated in 1910—that mined oil shale and produced shale oil and refined oil products, in New South Wales, Australia, during the years from 1911 to 1915. Origins Th ...

, and a railway was constructed from Temple Court, west of Murrurundi, to the terminal of an aerial

ropeway Ropeway may refer to: Cable transport * Cableway, or cable transport, a broad class of transport modes that have cables * Aerial lift, a means of cable transport in which cabins, cars, gondolas, or open chairs are hauled above the ground by mean ...

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 The Murulla rail accident involved the collision of the Sydney-bound ''Northern Mail'' with runaway goods wagons near Murrurundi, New South Wales, in the Upper Hunter Valley on 13 September 1926; 26 persons died. A goods train had become divide ...

, which occurred on 13 September 1926. 27 people were killed when runaway wagons smashed into a mail train. Annual events include the

rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working va ...

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 Murrurundi Shire is a former local government area, centred on the town of Murrurundi, New South Wales, Australia. It was abolished by amalgamation in 2004, with the parts of the shire north of the Liverpool Range being incorporated into the ...

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 Wilson Memorial Community Hospital located in Murrurundi, New South Wales, was designed by architect George McRae and completed in 1919 . It is now proposed to be demolished to make way for a new hospital. Community groups have been fighting to ge ...

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 Murrurundi railway station is a heritage-listed railway station located on the Main Northern line in Murrurundi in the Upper Hunter Shire local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was built between 1872 and 1917. It is also known ...

* Mount Street:

Rosedale Cottage The Rosedale Cottage is a heritage-listed residence at Mount Street, Murrurundi, Upper Hunter Shire, New South Wales, Australia. It was built from 1845 to 1850. The property is privately owned. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage ...

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, an ...

runs through the town, and it is served by a rail service.

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 engines which lasted until the end of steam. It continues to be served by a daily rail service operated by a

NSW TrainLink NSW TrainLink is a train and coach operator in Australia, providing services throughout New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, along with limited interstate services into Victoria, Queensland and South Australia. Its primary interc ...

Xplorer train to and from

and

Armidale Armidale is a city in the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. Armidale had a population of 24,504 as of June 2018. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. It is the administrative centre for the Northern Tablelands region. It ...

/ 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