Wellington, New South Wales
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Wellington is a city in the Central Western Slopes 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 ...
, located at the junction of the Wambuul Macquarie and Bell Rivers. It is within the
local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...
of
Dubbo Regional Council The Dubbo Regional Council is a local government area located in the Central West and Orana regions of New South Wales, Australia. The council was formed on 12 May 2016 through a merger of the City of Dubbo and Wellington Council as part of a ...
. The city is northwest 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 Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
on the
Mitchell Highway Mitchell Highway is an outback state highway located in the central and south western regions of Queensland and the northern and central western regions of New South Wales in Australia. The southern part of the Mitchell Highway forms part ...
and Main Western Railway, and 50 km southeast of Dubbo, the main centre of the Central Western Slopes region. Wellington was the second European settlement west of the Blue Mountains, first established as a convict establishment in 1823.


History


Aboriginal history

The area now known as Wellington lies on the traditional lands of the
Wiradjuri The Wiradjuri people (; ) are a group of Aboriginal Australian people from central New South Wales, united by common descent through kinship and shared traditions. They survived as skilled hunter-fisher-gatherers, in family groups or clans, a ...
people. The 'Wambuul' (Macquarie River) was an important source of sustenance for this widespread Aboriginal group united by kinship and a common language. Surviving evidence in the Wellington area of the occupation by the Wiradjuri people prior to European contact includes rock shelters with archaeological deposits, a carved tree, scarred trees, open camp sites, grinding grooves sites and bora (ceremonial) grounds. The city still has a strong Aboriginal presence, largely as a result of early missionary settlements set up there, other Aboriginal campsites, such as the Wellington Common, and, from 1910, the Nanima Aboriginal Reserve, all of which kept local people residing in the area. In 2007, a group of Wiradjuri people won a
Native Title Aboriginal title is a common law doctrine that the land rights of indigenous peoples to customary tenure persist after the assumption of sovereignty under settler colonialism. The requirements of proof for the recognition of aboriginal title, ...
claim, over the area known as the Wellington Common, where many Wiradjuri lived, and that land was returned to its traditional owners.


European exploration

The European discovery of the Wellington Valley occurred during the return journey of John Oxley’s Lachlan River expedition in 1817. While crossing from the Bogan River to the Macquarie River in August 1817 Oxley and his party happening upon the Wellington Valley with the Bell River running through it. They followed the river to its junction with the Macquarie. Oxley was effusive about the valley, describing it as “beautifully picturesque” and “studded with fine trees upon a soil which may be equalled, but can never be excelled”. The Bell River was named “as a compliment to Brevet Major Bell of the 48th Regiment” and the Wellington Valley was named after the
Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish people, Anglo-Irish soldier and Tories (British political party), Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of Uni ...
.


Convict outpost

In January 1823 Lieutenant Percy Simpson was appointed by the colonial government to establish a settlement at the junction of the Bell and Macquarie rivers in the Wellington Valley. Simpson and a party of soldiers and
convicts A convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison". Convicts are often also known as "prisoners" or "inmates" or by the slang term "con", while a common label for former convict ...
arrived at the locality via Bathurst in February with 12 cows and 40 sheep, as well as a provision of wheat. Simpson chose a site for the settlement on high ground above the Bell River (about three kilometres south of the modern cityship). There were early problems, including desertions and stock theft by convicts, but fields of wheat and other staples were eventually established. A muster roll in 1826 recorded 85 men at Wellington. By that stage a number of pastoral runs had been established in the vicinity of the settlement and along the Macquarie River. The convict outpost at Wellington was discontinued in 1831 and "the settlement was used for a time as a Government stock station". A traveller to the area in 1832 described the settlement as “abandoned” except for “a dozen stockmen and soldiers who remained to protect the buildings from the mischievous spoilation of the natives”.


Missionary settlement

In December 1831 the Secretary of State for the Colonies informed Governor Bourke that an agreement had been entered into with the
Church Missionary Society The Church Mission Society (CMS), formerly known as the Church Missionary Society, is a British mission society working with the Christians around the world. Founded in 1799, CMS has attracted over nine thousand men and women to serve as mission ...
in England “by which the organisation had undertaken to send out and superintend a mission to the natives”. Permission was sought to “establish the Mission at Wellington Valley”, to which the Governor agreed, authorising them to “occupy the Government buildings there and to use for grazing any land they desired to occupy for that purpose”. The missionaries sent to Wellington in 1832 were Rev. William Watson and Rev. James Handt, a Lutheran clergyman. In 1835 Messrs. Backhouse and Walter, both Quakers, visited the Mission. Backhouse reported that ”the blacks at the station were not numerous”, with “about 30” being the usual number living there. The Aborigines were said to be “very capricious” and “by no means desirous to learn”. They were “attracted” to the food supplied by the Mission and “they were not disposed to work”. A mission report in 1836 stated that “the vocabulary of the native language had been revised and enlarged” and that “services were held in the language”. Rev. Handt left Wellington in 1836 “as his wife was ill”. Rev. James Gunther and his wife arrived in August 1837, replacing Handt and his wife.


Wellington cityship

In 1840, a village called Montefiores was established on the north side of the
Macquarie River The Macquarie River - Wambuul is part of the Macquarie– Barwon catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, is one of the main inland rivers in New South Wales, Australia. The river rises in the central highlands of New South Wales near the ...
crossing. The city of Wellington, on the south bank of the Macquarie River opposite Montefiores, was gazetted in 1846, and on 20 March 1885, Wellington was proclaimed a city. The first local government body covering Wellington was the Wellington Municipal District, proclaimed in 1879. In 1950 it was amalgamated with Macquarie Shire and part of Cobbora Shire to form Wellington Shire. There was a number of transfer of areas with adjoining shires, and in 2016 Wellington Shire was amalgamated with the local government area of Dubbo City to form Western Plains Regional Council. Wellington is the second oldest New South Wales settlement west of the Blue Mountains. One of its hotels, the ''Lion of Waterloo'', established by
Nicolas Hyeronimus Nicolas Hyeronimus ( – ) was a pioneering innkeeper, merchant, pastoralist and politician in colonial New South Wales, Australia. Born in Wallonia (a region of modern Belgium), Hyeronimus arrived in New South Wales in about 1840. In 1842, ...
in 1842, is the oldest operating west of the Blue Mountains. Near to The Lion of Waterloo is the location of the last recorded duel fought on Australian soil, in 1854. As a regional centre Wellington benefited by the development of the gold mining industry in the district from the 1850s. Initially this was working alluvial deposits of gold but later focused on the mining of quartz reefs. Among the mining districts was Mitchells Creek located 8 miles to the north east near the locality of Bodangora. In the first decade of the 20th century, there was a revival of gold mining in the area, when
gold dredges Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
operated on the Macquarie River near Wellington. The extension of the Main Western Railway from
Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...
to Wellington opened on 1 June 1880. The line was subsequently extended to Dubbo in February 1881.


Heritage listings

Wellington has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * 9 Amaroo Drive: John Fowler 7nhp Steam Road Locomotive * Curtis Street:
Wellington Convict and Mission Site The Wellington Convict and Mission Site is a heritage-listed former convict agricultural station, Australian Aboriginal mission and cemetery located at Curtis Street, Wellington in the Dubbo Regional Council local government area in New South ...
* 21 Maughan Street:
Wellington Post Office The Wellington Post Office is a heritage-listed post office located at 21 Maughan Street, Wellington in the Dubbo Regional Council local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Colonial Architect’s Office, under t ...
* University Road:
Blacks Camp The Blacks Camp is a heritage-listed former post-contact Aboriginal Australian occupation site and now residence, agricultural land and vacant land located at University Road, Wellington in the Dubbo Regional Council local government area of N ...


Economy

Wellington is the centre of rich agricultural land. While
alfalfa Alfalfa () (''Medicago sativa''), also called lucerne, is a perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world. It is used for grazing, hay, and silage, as w ...
and vegetables are grown on lands on the river, wheat, wool, lambs and beef cattle are grown on surrounding pastures. The city acts as a commercial centre for the surrounding district. In September 2008, the Wellington Correctional Centre was opened. A Probation and Parole Office was also opened in the centre of city. Wellington Council hopes this will stimulate economic growth in the area, due to increasing employment opportunities and the need for non-locals to utilise Wellington facilities. The local newspaper ''The Wellington Times'', a
Rural Press Australian Community Media (ACM) is a media company in Australia responsible for over 160 regional publications. Its mastheads include the ''Canberra Times'', ''Newcastle Herald'', '' The Examiner'', ''The Border Mail'', '' The Courier'' and t ...
title, is published three times a week with a circulation in the region of around 1000. There is a popular Community Radio Station operating on a frequency of 91.5 MHz FM. KFC was built in 2019.


Climate

Wellington has a subtropical climate (''Cfa'') with long, very hot summers and cool winters, and uniform rainfall throughout the year. The city is rather sunny, getting 138.1 clear days annually. In January, the average minimum temperature in the city is 16.9 °C and the average maximum is 32.9 °C, while in July the average minimum is 2.2 °C and the average maximum is 15.2 °C.


Transport links

Welington station is served by a daily NSW TrainLink XPT service which runs between
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 ...
and
Dubbo Dubbo () is a city in the Orana Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre in the Orana region, with a population of 43,516 at June 2021. The city is located at the intersection of the Newell, Mitchell, and Gol ...
. The closest commercial airport is that of Dubbo. QantasLink and Regional Express service the airport three-five times daily from Sydney. A small airport (Bondangora Airport) for private planes exists twelve kilometres east of Wellington. Ogden's Coaches operates return services to Dubbo, with one extending to
Narromine Narromine ( /næroʊmaɪn/) is a rural Australian town located approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) west of Dubbo in the Orana region of New South Wales. The town is at the centre of Narromine Shire. The 2016 census recorded a population o ...
as a through-routed service with the Narromine link.


Nearby attractions

Lake Burrendong Lake Burrendong is a man-made reservoir created by Burrendong Dam. It impounds waters on the Macquarie and Cudgegong rivers, near Wellington, in the central west region of New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales i ...
, a man-made lake, is located 30 kilometres south of the city. Its capacity is three and a half times that of Sydney Harbour and supplies water for irrigation schemes downstream. It is also a popular location for anglers, sailors and water skiers. Burrendong Arboretum is a sanctuary for endangered Australian flora and covers 1.60 km². The nearby Wellington Caves feature the Cathedral Cave with the massive Altar Rock and has a viewable underground river running at the bottom. Immediately to the East of the cityship lies the Catombal Range with magnificent bushwalks in and around Mt Arthur and Mt Wellesley. The Wellington Boot, a country racing festival is held in March and April annually. The Bell River Wine Estate is nearby.


Notable residents

*
Ben Austin Benjamin James Austin, Order of Australia, OAM (born 7 November 1980) is an Australian Disability sports, Elite Athlete with a Disability (EAD) swimmer. His classification is S8 (classification), S8 (above elbow amputee). Early life Austin w ...
Paralympian The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaire ...
, grew up in Wellington *
Millicent Bryant Millicent Maude Bryant (née Harvey, 8 January 1878 – 3 November 1927) was an early Australian aviator. She was the first woman to earn a pilot's licence in Australia, Pilot's Licence No. 71, in 1927. She was also first to receive her pilot's l ...
– first woman in Australia to earn a pilot licence, born at Apsley, Wellington. *
Max Cullen Max Cullen (born 29 April 1940) is an Australian stage and screen actor. He has appeared in many Australian films and television series but is best known for his role in the film '' Spider and Rose'' and the television series '' The Flying Docto ...
– actor * Silvanus Daniel – politician * Terry Fahey – former professional
rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
footballer for
South Sydney Rabbitohs The South Sydney Rabbitohs are a professional Australian rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen pla ...
,
Eastern Suburbs Eastern Suburbs may refer to: Places *Eastern Suburbs (Mumbai), India *Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), Australia **Eastern Suburbs railway line, Sydney, Australia Sports clubs ;Association football *Eastern Suburbs AFC, Auckland, New Zealand * Eastern ...
and
Canberra Raiders The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby ...
* Blake Ferguson – Former NRL player *
Nicolas Hyeronimus Nicolas Hyeronimus ( – ) was a pioneering innkeeper, merchant, pastoralist and politician in colonial New South Wales, Australia. Born in Wallonia (a region of modern Belgium), Hyeronimus arrived in New South Wales in about 1840. In 1842, ...
– pioneering innkeeper, merchant, pastoralist and inaugural MLA for
Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
* Media stars
John Laws Richard John Sinclair Laws CBE (born 8 August 1935) is a Papua New Guinean-born Australian radio announcer. For 50 years, until 2007, he was the host of an Australian morning radio program combining music with interviews, opinion, live advert ...
,
Laurie Oakes Laurie Oakes (born 14 August 1943 in Newcastle, New South Wales) is an Australian retired journalist. He worked in the Canberra Press Gallery from 1969 to 2017, covering the Parliament of Australia and federal elections for print, radio, and ...
and Ray Martin all lived in Wellington *
Colleen McCullough Colleen Margaretta McCullough (; married name Robinson, previously Ion-Robinson; 1 June 193729 January 2015) was an Australian author known for her novels, her most well-known being '' The Thorn Birds'' and ''The Ladies of Missalonghi''. Life ...
– author, born in Wellington *
Brent Naden Brent Naden (born 30 December 1995) is an Indigenous Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a and er for the Wests Tigers in the NRL. Naden previously played for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, and the Penrith Panthe ...
– NRL Player, born in Wellington *
Ian O'Brien Ian Lovett O'Brien (born 3 March 1947) is an Australian breaststroke swimmer of the 1960s who won the 200 metre breaststroke at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo in world record time. He won five Commonwealth Games gold medals and claime ...
– Olympic gold medalist in the 200 m breaststroke at the
1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 ( ja, 東京1964), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this ho ...
, grew up in Wellington *
Tyrone Peachey Tyrone Peachey (born 8 August 1991) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays for the Penrith Panthers in the NRL. He previously played for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, Penrith Panthers and the Gold Coast Titans and ...
NRL The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...
player. * Trent Runciman – Former NRL player * Paul Shaw – former professional rugby league player for
Manly Sea Eagles The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Sydney's Northern Beaches. The team colours are maroon and white, while their namesake and logo is the sea eagle. They compete in Australia's premier rugb ...
and
Gold Coast Seagulls The Gold Coast Chargers were a professional rugby league club which played in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership from New South Wales Rugby League season 1988, 1988 to New South Wales Rugby League season 1994, 1994, the Australian Ru ...
* Kotoni Staggs – NRL player for the
Brisbane Broncos The Brisbane Broncos Rugby League Football Club Ltd., commonly referred to as the Broncos, is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in April 1987, the Broncos play in Australia's elite com ...
*
Tim Storrier Tim Storrier AM (born 13 February 1949, Sydney) is an Australian artist who won the 2012 Doug Moran National Portrait Prize with ''The Lunar Savant'', a portrait of fellow artist McLean Edwards. Tim won the 2012 Archibald Prize for a 'facel ...
– Award winning artist.


References


External links


About Wellington and DistrictVisitNSW.com - Wellington
{{authority control Towns in New South Wales Towns in the Central West (New South Wales) Dubbo Regional Council Mining towns in New South Wales