Tahmoor is a small town in the
Macarthur Region
Macarthur is a region in the south-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The region includes the local government areas of the City of Campbelltown, Camden Council, and Wollondilly Shire. It covers an area of 3,067 s ...
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 ...
, in
Wollondilly Shire
Wollondilly Shire is a periurban local government area adjacent to the south-western fringe 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 Aus ...
.
History
Originally named Myrtle Creek, it was a farming area on the Great Southern Road, later named the
Hume Highway
Hume Highway, inclusive of the sections now known as Hume Freeway and Hume Motorway, is one of Australia's major inter-city national highways, running for between Melbourne in the southwest and Sydney in the northeast. Upgrading of the route ...
.
When the new
Main Southern railway line
The Main Southern Railway is a major railway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs from Sydney to Albury, near the Victorian border. The line passes through the Southern Highlands, Southern Tablelands, South West Slopes and Riverina regions. ...
opened in 1919, it included a
railway station named Tahmoor. This name was contested by a local businessman, who wished to establish a town called Bronzewing Park, but his claim was rejected. The town had recently been named "Tahmoor", a local Aboriginal word for the
common bronzewing
The common bronzewing (''Phaps chalcoptera'') is a species of medium-sized, heavily built pigeon. Native to Australia and one of the country's most common pigeons, the common bronzewing is able to live in almost any habitat, with the possible exc ...
, (''Phaps chalcoptera'') a native pigeon often seen in the area.
The
Bargo River
The Bargo River, a watercourse of the Hawkesbury-Nepean catchment, is located in the Southern Highlands and Macarthur districts of New South Wales, Australia.
Course
The Bargo River rises in the southern slopes of Southern Highlands, north of ...
passes just south of the town; the Bargo River Crossing on the Great South Road was so notoriously difficult for travellers, causing many delays and accidents,
[19th century ]graffiti
Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...
cut into the stone bed of the river, perhaps by waiting travellers, can still be seen at this location. that it has even passed into Australian folklore, in the form of the song ''Stringybark and Greenhide''
'If you travel on the road, and chance to stick in Bargo,
To avoid a bad capsize, you must unload your cargo;
For to pull a dray about, I do not see the force on,
Take a bit of green hide, and hook another horse on.'
The uncleared scrub ('brush') on the opposite bank was known as the Bargo Brush, and was much feared as the haunt of escaped convicts turned
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 ...
. The road through the Bargo Brush was often all but impassible, as this letter of 1861 attests:
I have just travelled through the Bargo Brush, on the Great Southern Road, but such a road, I unhesitatingly say, never existed in any other civilised or uncivilised part of the world. Dr. Leichhardt met with nothing like it on his overland journey to Port Essington ; nor did Bruce
The English language name Bruce arrived in Scotland with the Normans, from the place name Brix, Manche in Normandy, France, meaning "the willowlands". Initially promulgated via the descendants of king Robert the Bruce (1274−1329), it has been a ...
, in his travels in Abyssinia ; nor did Mungo Park, or Dr. Livingstone, in their travels in the interior of Africa.
To give any thing like a graphic description of the state of the road would be impossible. For about twenty miles it is a succession of pits and bogs, and holes of every kind, and in order to prevent the escape of any of the unfortunate travellers into the bush, a ditch has been cut on both sides of the road, so that they are as well secured (although not so safe) as they would be on a treadmill
A treadmill is a device generally used for walking, running, or climbing while staying in the same place. Treadmills were introduced before the development of powered machines to harness the power of animals or humans to do work, often a type of ...
. Every thing that nature and art could do to render a road impassable and dangerous, has been done on the Great Southern Road. Although I have had two days rest since I returned home, I still feel appalled at the dangers I have encountered, and most grateful to Providence for my preservation of both life and limb. My friend and I, who travelled together in a gig determined that we would spare no time or pains in exploring - so as to perform (what appeared to be a miracle) - the getting through this slough of pits and bogs, without breaking a bone of man or beast, or the shafts or springs of our gig. For this purpose one led the horse and the other walked ' before, to explore and take soundings of the pits, bogs, &c.
At times we were fairly brought to a stand-still, on account of the almost unfathomable holes, and the great number of drays, &c, deeply embedded in the slough. The poor carriers appeared to be at their wits' end. I have never seen such a fine set of strong, healthy fellows so dead beat as were the carriers on this road. And I shall never forget their kindness in assisting us in our difficulties. But for I them our horse and gig would have become a wreck on the Great Southern Road, and, probably, little more than the whip would have been visible to act as a beacon to warn travellers not to approach it. On, one occasion, when we had got deeply bogged, I asked a man, who was at the time hard at work with a spade digging his dray out of a bog, to come and as assist us. He immediately came, and also another man, with whose help we saved the life of our horse. Twice our horse got bogged up to the belly, notwithstanding the utmost precautions we could use, and on one occasion broke a shaft, which we had to splice in the best we could with the reins, some straps, and saplings. One of the mail-driven told us that one of his wheelers had sunk to the hips, and was I with difficulty drawn out by the remainder of the team. He said he had been twenty-two hours in coming thirty-two miles, and that nothing should induce him to continue driving by night on such a dangerous road.
Is not this a case for Government interference…? Thomas Holt, Camden Villa, Newtown.
In time, increasing numbers of orchardists and dairy farmers needed to send their produce more safely to local
railhead
In the UK, railheading refers to the practice of travelling further than necessary to reach a rail service, typically by car. The phenomenon is common among commuters seeking a more convenient journey. Reasons for railheading include, but are ...
s. These factors all hastened the construction of a road bridge (1898) and diversion of the
Main South Line
The Main South Line, sometimes referred to as part of the South Island Main Trunk Railway, is a railway line that runs north and south from Lyttelton in New Zealand through Christchurch and along the east coast of the South Island to Inverca ...
from further westwards (1919), to pass through this area.
Heritage listings
Tahmoor has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
* Main Southern railway:
Tahmoor railway station
Tahmoor railway station is a heritage-listed railway station located on the Main South line in the town of Tahmoor, part of the Wollondilly Shire local government area of New South Wales, Australia. The property was added to the New South Wale ...
The town today
At the , Tahmoor had a population of 5,067, including 227 (4.5%) indigenous persons and 4,074 (80.8%) Australian-born persons.
Commerce
As part of its town and community planning strategies, determined to make Tahmoor-Picton precincts the shopping 'hubs' and service centre for the Wollondilly Shire.
The present town has three major supermarkets, two of which are located in separate shopping centres, one being the older original Tahmoor Shopping Village and the other in the newer Tahmoor Town Centre. In addition to these there are a variety of small businesses, an expanding medical and dental centre, along with two prominent fast-food outlets, some take-aways and restaurants. Tahmoor like Picton has a Chamber of Commerce which supports community based projects.
Education
Schools include Tahmoor Public School, catering for Kindergarten to year 6, with a special needs department for local children, and
Wollondilly Anglican College
Wollondilly Anglican College is a Pre-Kindergarten to Year 12 co-educational private school operated by The Anglican Schools Corporation. Located in the Wollondilly Shire, the College services families and communities from areas such as the ...
, an independent school serving students from Kindergarten to Year 12. Secondary students also attend the nearby Picton High School and other schools in the region.
Industry, employment and transport
The
Tahmoor Colliery
Tahmoor Colliery is an underground coal mine at Tahmoor in the Southern Highlands region of New South Wales, Australia. It operates in the Bulli coal seam. Most of the mine product is hard coking coal used for steel making. A small quantity o ...
, located to the south in North Bargo, is an important employer in the town and surrounding area, as is Ingham's Enterprises, who operate a poultry processing plant. The supermarkets and small retail businesses also provide considerable employment, especially for part-time and casual staff.
Tahmoor railway station
Tahmoor railway station is a heritage-listed railway station located on the Main South line in the town of Tahmoor, part of the Wollondilly Shire local government area of New South Wales, Australia. The property was added to the New South Wale ...
is serviced by the
Southern Highlands Line
The Southern Highlands Line is an Intercity rail service operated by NSW TrainLink that services the Macarthur, Southern Highlands and Southern Tablelands regions of New South Wales. First operating in 1869, the service runs from across the ...
. Bus services are operated by a local coach line.
Community organisations
Tahmoor has sporting fields, a skate and BMX park, a community function centre owned by the
Country Women's Association
The Country Women's Association (CWA) is the largest regional and rural advocacy group in Australia. It comprises seven independent State and Territory Associations, who are passionate advocates for country women and their families, working ...
, and a Rural Fire Service. The original location of the Bushfire Brigade (as it was then known) was an old hay shed, which was donated to the brigade. Donations have helped the Brigade to upgrade its facilities to the present standard.
The official soccer team of Tahmoor is the Tahmoor Taipans which competes in the Macarthur District Soccer Football Association League. The team's home ground is Tahmoor Oval.
Religious organisations
Tahmoor has
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
,
Uniting,
Seventh-day Adventist
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is an Adventism, Adventist Protestantism, Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the Names of the days of the week#Numbered days of the week, seventh day of the ...
and
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
churches. To the south of the town is the Kiah Ridge Conference Centre, operated by the Baptist Church.
Bushwalking
![Potholes reserve - Tahmoor](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Potholes_reserve_-_Tahmoor.jpg)
There are bushwalking opportunities in the area with tracks that start from the Potholes Reserve. These lead to Potholes Reserve, Mermaid Pools, See Through Pools, Bargo Falls, Rapids on the Bargo River and Tahmoor Gorge.
It is also possible to trek downstream to the
Nepean River
Nepean River (Darug: Yandhai), is a major perennial river, located in the south-west and west of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The Nepean River and its associated mouth, the Hawkesbury River, almost encircles the metropolitan region of ...
.
Tahmoor gallery
File:Tahmoor CWA Centre.jpg,
File:Tahmoor Emmett Park.jpg,
File:Tahmoor Oval Sportsground.jpg,
File:Tahmoor Anglican Church.jpg,
File:Tahmoor Seventh Day Adventist.jpg,
File:Tahmoor St Anthonys Catholic Church.jpg,
File:Tahmoor Uniting Church.jpg,
File:Tahmoor Colliery Entrance.jpg,
File:Tahmoor Inghams Turkey.jpg,
File:Tahmoor Fire Shed.jpg,
File:Rock-cut Graffiti at Bargo River Crossing Place, Tahmoor NSW.jpg,
Notes
References
External links
Historical picture of collieryStrike by miners in Feb 2010 Tahmoor Chamber of CommerceSouthern Highlands Heritage Drives : R.T.A pamphlet
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Towns in New South Wales
Towns in the Macarthur (New South Wales)
Wollondilly Shire