Nundle is a village in the

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

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 ...

. It was formerly the centre of Nundle Shire, but most of this area, including the village of Nundle, was absorbed into

Tamworth Regional Council Tamworth Regional Council is a local government area in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. The area under administration is located adjacent to the New England Highway and the Main North railway line. It was established in Ma ...

in 2004. The village is 400 km north of Sydney and about 56 km south east of Tamworth past Chaffey Dam via a good sealed road. In the Nundle had a population of 289. Nundle is located at the southern end of

Fossickers Way Fossickers Way is a series of country roads located in the Northern Tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia that form a scenic and tourist drive. The road's southern terminus is located in Nundle with its northwest terminus in Wariald ...

History

Nundle was established at the foot 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 ...

when gold was discovered at "The

Hanging Rock Hanging Rock may refer to: Australia * Hanging Rock, New South Wales, a mining village on the Northern Tablelands * Hanging Rock, Victoria, a rock formation **''Picnic at Hanging Rock (novel)'', a 1967 novel by Australian author Joan Lindsay ** ...

" and nearby Swamp Creek in 1852. By June 1852 there were 300 diggers on the fields at Oakenville Creek. Prospectors from California, Europe and China were also digging along the Peel River and up the mountain slopes. By 1865 the population was around 500 with about 50 businesses in operation. A public school was completed during December, 1871 and lessons commenced there in 1872. Nundle was declared a town in 1885. In 1924 the Peel River Bridge was constructed and in 1941 electricity was connected to the town. During 1966 the swimming pool was opened by the Rt Hon. Ian Sinclair. The population of Nundle Shire was 1350 in 1969. In 1979 Premier

Neville Wran Neville Kenneth Wran, (11 October 1926 – 20 April 2014) was an Australian politician who was the Premier of New South Wales from 1976 to 1986. He was the national president of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1980 to 1986 and chairman of ...

opened the newly completed Chaffey Dam. Sheep, cattle and timber are the economic mainstays of this village nowadays. This is a scenic village, with historic buildings, the Nundle Woollen Mill, old Court House, Peel Inn and Primitive Methodist Church which are a few examples of existing 19th century architecture there. Nundle Courthouse (former) and Police Station have been placed on the

Register of the National Estate The Register of the National Estate was a heritage register that listed natural and cultural heritage places in Australia that was closed in 2007. Phasing out began in 2003, when the Australian National Heritage List and the Commonwealth Heritag ...

. Nundle is noted as one of the best areas in the State for crystals. Some gold and other precious stones to be found include

zircon Zircon () is a mineral belonging to the group of nesosilicates and is a source of the metal zirconium. Its chemical name is zirconium(IV) silicate, and its corresponding chemical formula is Zr SiO4. An empirical formula showing some of the r ...

s, green jasper,

sapphire Sapphire is a precious gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum, consisting of aluminium oxide () with trace amounts of elements such as iron, titanium, chromium, vanadium, or magnesium. The name sapphire is derived via the Latin "sapphir ...

s and serpentine minerals. Nundle is a popular tourist destination for both casual travellers and motorcycle enthusiasts. Nearby is the interesting

mining village with good views of the Nundle valley. In 1948, the Douglas DC-3 ''Lutana'' crashed into Square Peak, west-south-west of Nundle during a flight between Brisbane and Sydney. All 13 occupants of the ''Lutana'' were killed. The plane was found two days after the accident, 60 miles off course. One of the propellers from the plane was recovered and is now a memorial in the town. A new bridge across the Peel River at Nundle was completed in early 2008, with the funding of $683,000 provided by the NSW State Government.Northern Daily Leader, 5 April 2008, p.32 In July 2008 the rare ''

Euphrasia arguta ''Euphrasia arguta'' is a plant from the genus '' Euphrasia'' (eyebrights) within the family Orobanchaceae. The species was last recorded in June 1904 near Tamworth, New South Wales, Australia, and was presumed extinct until rediscovered in 2008 ...

'' was rediscovered in a State Forest near Nundle. This plant was last recorded in 1904 and is believed to have been regenerated after fire control activities the previous summer.Northern Daily Leader, Foresters Rediscover Rare plant, 9 Jul 2008, p.7 c.1

Facilities

* Caravan and cabin park * Peel Inn Hotel (pub/bar) *. Methodist Church * Nundle Memorial Town Hall * Bus service to Tamworth secondary schools * General Store * Nundle Pre-School * Nundle Public School * Rural Health Service * Post office * Pony Club * Golf and Bowling Club * Tennis Club with synthetic surface tennis courts * Nundle Branch Library ( Part of Central Northern Regional Library )

Events

The annual Go for Gold Festival is held each Easter long-weekend, attracting around 15,000 visitors. Independent State Member for Tamworth told Parliament "that visitors had come to Nundle from all points of the compass during the

Easter Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...

weekend to enjoy the relaxed atmosphere and the beautiful setting." The Great Nundle Dog Race, only open to working dogs, is run on the first Sunday in May and attracts many visitors. This event helped to raise money for sporting equipment, computers, books and excursions for students at the Nundle Public School. The first Sunday in November sees the running of both the Le Tour do Rocque (cycle race) & King of the Rock fun run, raising money for the Westpac Helicopter Service

References

External links

Nundle Tourism
*Tamworth Information, Tamworth City Council *Explore Australia, 20th edition, 2002, Viking {{authority control Towns in New South Wales Towns in New England (New South Wales) Tamworth Regional Council Mining towns in New South Wales