Yetman is a hamlet 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 northern

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 ...

. At the , Yetman and the surrounding area had a population of 178. It is located on the Macintyre River about south of the

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

border and north of Sydney. It is located at the intersection of the roads south to Tamworth, east to

Tenterfield Tenterfield is a regional town in New South Wales, Australia. At the , Tenterfield had a population of 4,066. Tenterfield's proximity to many regional centres and its position on the route between Sydney and Brisbane led to its development as a ...

and north-west to

Boggabilla Boggabilla is a small town in the far north of inland New South Wales, Australia in Moree Plains Shire. At the , the town had a population of 551, of which 63% identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. The name Boggabilla c ...

History

The area was once occupied by the

Bigambul The Bigambul people are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Northern Tablelands and Border Rivers regions of New South Wales and Queensland. Name In the traditional language, the name of this group is derived from the Bigambul word ''biga'' o ...

, a sub-group of the Murri

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 who used to fish along the Macintyre River. Yetman

Station Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle statio ...

was established in 1837 by the Dights, who followed Allan Cunningham's trail to the north. The first two

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...

licences were issued in 1866 at about same time as the first store was built - the Yetman Hotel first and then the Macintyre Hotel. The Macintyre Hotel was built and first operated by William Watson Rainbow. Country hotels were often the social hub of the town and the Macintyre Hotel was no exception. Its verandah served as a stand for the racing stewards at the Easter Races of 1870. New Year and Easter Races saw the "squatters and gentry" mix with the selectors and station labourers - master and man united in their enthusiasm for racing, betting and celebratory dinners. The latter were often hosted by the publican, who often put up a prize or two for the winners. The Macintyre Hotel is no more, while the Yetman Hotel became what is now the Codfish Hotel. The first public school was established in 1867, following a letter from local people - William Watson Rainbow, Sidonia Hensler, William Playle, Jacob Miller, William Sleuk and George Kobs - to the Council of Education. The Yetman Post Office opened on 1 September 1867. In applying for a post office the applicants claimed that the population was then about 100 but this was considered a considerable exaggeration. The publican of the Yetman Hotel, Richard Holmes, became the first Postmaster.'The Maitland Mercury & Hunter River General Advertiser', 24 October 1867, p.3 The first police station was built in 1874. St Andrews Church was built in the 1870s for use by both

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

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 ...

congregations. The town has always been associated with beef cattle and horses, with the sheep, wool and timber industries developing only slightly later. The thick rabbit and prickly-pear-ridden scrub of the

brigalow ''Acacia harpophylla'', commonly known as brigalow, brigalow spearwood or orkor, is an endemic tree of Australia. The Aboriginal Australian group the Gamilaraay peoples know the tree as Barranbaa or Burrii. It is found in central and coasta ...

and belah country was reclaimed from expiring leases in the 1920s and the back-breaking work of rendering it fit for agriculture did not bear fruit until the 1950s when wheat-growing became and remains a highly successful enterprise. Some crops are also grown on the fecund black soils of the river flats.

References

{{authority control Towns in New England (New South Wales) Inverell Shire