The Rock is a town with a population of 1,236, in the

Riverina The Riverina is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales, Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, warm to hot climate and an ample supply of water for irrigation ...

region of southern

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, in

Lockhart Shire Lockhart Shire is a local government area in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire was created in 1906 and is an agricultural and pastoral area. The main towns and villages in the Shire include Lockhart (950 people), ...

. It is south-west of

Wagga Wagga Wagga Wagga (; informally called Wagga) is a major regional city in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, with an urban population of more than 56,000 as of June 2018, Wagga Wagga is the state's la ...

on the

Olympic Highway Olympic Highway is a rural road in the central western and south-eastern Riverina regions of New South Wales, Australia. The highway services rural communities and links Hume Highway with Mid-Western Highway and provides part of an alterna ...

. The town is named after the large rocky hill overlooking the town, now called ''The Rock Hill'' but called ''Yerong'' in the local indigenous language. The reserve that includes The Rock Hill is an attraction in the area for bush-walking, rock-climbing, and observation of wildlife. It is also an Aboriginal sacred site, called ''Kengal''.

History

The Rock Post Office opened on 1 September 1890. Prior to 1919, the town had been known as ''Kingston'', probably named for the King family which had operated the farm property known as "The Rock". The name ''Kingston'' is shown on a 1916 map of the Riverina district. The King name survives with the hotel on the Olympic Highway at the town still named ''The King's Own''.

Heritage listings

The Rock has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * Main Southern railway:

The Rock railway station The Rock railway station is a heritage-listed railway station and antique shop located on the Main South line in The Rock in the Lockhart Shire local government area of New South Wales, Australia. The station is also known as The Rock Statio ...

Sport and Recreation

The Rock Football Club was an

Australian Rules Football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

club that was established in 1900 after a meeting at the King's Own Hotel. The club has played in the following football competitions - * 1900: Wagga United Football Association. * 1901: McLaurin Football Competition: Runners Up * 1902 - 09: Club active, playing friendly matches against local clubs and towns, but no evidence of playing in an official competition. * 1910 - 12: The Rock Football Association: * 1913: Wagga United Football Association: Runners Up: 1913 * 1914: Nathan Cup Competition - Premiers: 1914 * 1915: Wagga Football Association. * 1916: Club active, but no official competition due to

WW1 World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. * 1917: The Culcairn Patriotic Football Association * 1918: Yerong Creek & District Football Association. The Rock played against Mangoplah and Yerong Creek. * 1919 - 1921: Wagga United Football Association. The Rock withdrew form the Wagga United FA in June & joined The Rock & District Football Association. * 1921: The Rock & District Football Association. * 1922: Riverina Main Line Football Association *1923 - 1925: Wagga United Football Association. Runners Up: 1925 * 1926 - 1927: The Rock Football Association. Runners Up: 1927 * 1928 - Wagga & District Football Association. Runners Up: 1928 As the minor premiers, Magoplah were entitled to challenge The Rock to another game and ultimately won the Grand Final replay. * 1929 - 1937: The Rock & District Football League: Premiers: 1932, 1936 Runners Up: 1934, 1937 * 1938 - 1940:

Albury & District Football League The Albury & District Football League was established at a delegates meeting in Culcairn in 1930 from the following Australian Rules Football clubs - Albury Rovers, Culcairn, Henty and Holbrook and folded after the 1957 football season. History Th ...

: 1938 - 1940. * 1941 - 1944: Club in recess due to

WW2 World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. * 1945 - 1947: Milbrulong & District League: Premiers: 1945, 1947 (undefeated) * 1948 - 1957:

: Runners Up: 1948, 1956 & 1957. *1957 - 1961:

Farrer Football League The Farrer Football Netball League (FFNL) is an Australian rules football and netball competition containing nine clubs based in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The league features three grades in the Australian rules footba ...

*1962 -

: The Rock FC & Yerong Creek FC merged in 1962 to form The Rock Yerong Creek FC. The Rock Cricket Club won the 1938/39 Henty & District Cricket Association premiership, defeating Henty. The Rock scored 7/441 in their second innings, with the three Taylor brothers all scoring centuries!

Transport

It is a railway junction town, being the junction point of the Boree Creek line from 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 ...

is served by the twice daily

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 ...

XPT service to

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

and

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 ...

Links

1939 – Mangoplah FC & The Rock FC team photos1948 - Albury & DFL grand final teams: Mangoplah FC & The Rock FC team photos

References

{{authority control Towns in the Riverina Towns in New South Wales