Humula is a small country town between

Tarcutta Tarcutta is a town in south-western New South Wales, Australia. The town is south-west of Sydney, east of the Hume Highway, It was proclaimed as a village on 28 October 1890. As of 2016, the town had a population of 446. It serves a local far ...

and

Tumbarumba Tumbarumba ( ) is a small town in New South Wales, Australia, about southwest of the state capital, Sydney. Tumbarumba is located on the periphery of the Riverina and South West Slopes regions at the western edge of the Snowy Mountains. The s ...

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 country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

. Humula was once named "American Yards" or "American Fields" during the

gold rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, New ...

, where many Chinese came for gold years ago. At the 2016 census, Humula had a population of 124 people. Humula is located at the confluence of Carabost Creek, with Umbango Creek, a tributary of

Tarcutta Creek The Tarcutta Creek, part of the Murray Darling basin, is mostly a perennial stream located in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Course and features The stream rises on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range and Austral ...

, in the Murrumbigee catchment. Humula Station, which is just outside the town, is one of Australia's most historic farming and grazing properties. Although Humula is a small town, it has its own

fire brigade A fire department (American English) or fire brigade (Commonwealth English), also known as a fire authority, fire district, fire and rescue, or fire service in some areas, is an organization that provides fire prevention and fire suppression se ...

, public school,p and a

recreation ground A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are green spaces set aside for recreation inside towns and cities. N ...

. After surviving many

fires Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition point, flames are pr ...

including the latest in February 2006, Humula is still in one piece. Murraguldrie Post Office opened nearby on 20 March 1874 and was replaced by a Humula office in 1888. Humula has been around for well over 100 years. Older buildings include the butcher's shop at the end of Mate Street, the Humula Public School on School Street, and the ruins of the old Humula Hotel. Humula once had a

police station A police station (sometimes called a "station house" or just "house") is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, a ...

at the end of School Street. In the late 1970s and 1980s, Humula's activity and population peaked when

logging Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks or skeleton cars. Logging is the beginning of a supply cha ...

was the main industry in the area. The Humula

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

employed many people; when it closed Humula became almost a

ghost town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * ''Ghost Town'' (1956 film), an American Western film by All ...

. The Sports Club is the only business still operating. Outside the town is Humula's large farming area, most of which has been converted to pine plantations. Humula had its own railway station and siding, on the

Tumbarumba railway line The Tumbarumba railway line is a railway line in New South Wales, Australia. Proposals were commenced back as early as 1881. The length of an initial proposal showed it to be in length. The final built length being . Following heavy ra ...

, but the railway is now disused. The Post Office closed several years ago and the General Store continued in a much smaller role until about 2016.

Climate

Due to being on the boundary between the slopes of the Great Dividing Range and Riverina plain, there is a large seasonal range between maximum temperatures and a pronounced winter rainfall peak.

References

External links

Humula Rail Siding
Mining towns in New South Wales {{Riverina-geo-stub