Woolbrook is a village in the

New England New England is a region consisting of 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 (state), New York to the west and by the ...

region of

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. The nearest town, Walcha is 29 km to the east of Woolbrook. At the , Woolbrook had a population of 248. The village straddles the Macdonald River which is in the headwater of the

Namoi River The Namoi River, a major perennial river that is part of the Barwon catchment of the Murray–Darling basin, is located in the Northern Tablelands and North West Slopes districts of New South Wales, Australia. The Namoi River rises on the west ...

. Woolbrook village is located in

Tamworth Regional Council Tamworth Regional Council is a Local government in Australia, local government area in the New England (Australia), New England region of New South Wales, Australia. The area under administration is located adjacent to the New England Highway an ...

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 federated state, state, province, division (politica ...

, it is close to the

Oxley Highway Oxley Highway is a rural highway in New South Wales, Australia, linking Nevertire, Gilgandra, Coonabarabran, Tamworth, and Walcha to Port Macquarie, on the coast of the Tasman Sea. It was named to commemorate John Oxley, the first European t ...

a few kilometres east of the junction between the Oxley Highway and the

New England Highway New England Highway is an long highway in Australia running from Yarraman, Queensland, Yarraman, north of Toowoomba, Queensland, at its northern end to Hexham, New South Wales, Hexham at Newcastle, New South Wales, Newcastle, New South Wales, ...

. Other parts of the Woolbrook area are within the

Walcha Shire Walcha Shire is a Local government in Australia, local government area located in the New England (Australia), New England region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire is situated adjacent to the junction of the Oxley Highway and Thunderbolts ...

History

In 1836 Robert Rodd settled on the land known as Surveyor's Creek Run an area of that then covered the area of the future villages of Woolbrook and

Walcha Road Walcha Road is a rural village with a population of about 20, located west of Walcha in the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia. The railway line through here from Sydney to Uralla was completed in 1882. Walcha Road Post Office ...

. Amos Brothers erected the MacDonald River Private Hospital in 1879 to tend the men employed during the railway construction. The railway from

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

to Woolbrook and onto

Uralla Uralla is a town on the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. It is located at the intersection of the New England Highway and Thunderbolts Way, north of Sydney and about south-west of the city of Armidale. At the , the township of ...

was completed in 1882. Norm, Don and Geoff Goodwin, started the Goodwin Brothers sawmill there in c.1950. It was sold several times after Don died and finally closed in 2004. ''Macdonald River'' Post Office opened on 1 December 1889 and was renamed ''Woolbrook'' in 1891 and closed in 1990. A bakery was in operation at Woolbrook until around 1998. A Weather Bureau site was opened in 1958 and is now monitored by the Watson family. Remaining is a public school with about 20 pupils, a store, the AIF Memorial Hall and St John's church which was built in 1929. The main industry in the area is sheep and beef cattle breeding. The population is now 220 persons, usually resident in the Woolbrook area. On 28 and 29 November 2008, Woolbrook received torrential rain that caused severe flooding in the Macdonald River and led to the area being declared a natural disaster area. Woolbrook hosts the annual Woolbrook Stampede each Easter. The horse sports include

campdrafting Campdrafting is a unique Australian sport involving a horse and equestrianism, rider working cattle. The riding style is Australian stock saddle, Australian stock, somewhat akin to American Western riding and the event is similar to the Americ ...

, plus other sporting and novelty events. Woolbrook Spring Fair is held in October with draught horse events, goat racing, dog trials and other entertainment. The Macdonald River is a popular swimming and fishing spot and there are picnic facilities.

Climate

Woolbrook has the typical cool to cold winter, mild to warm summer climate of the

Northern Tablelands The Northern Tablelands, also known as the New England Tableland, is a plateau and a region of the Great Dividing Range in northern New South Wales, Australia. It includes the New England Range, the narrow highlands area of the New England regio ...

. Although due to the town's location in a deep valley, it records some of the coldest temperatures in the region, and sometimes even in the whole of Australia during the winter months. Woolbrook is fairly sunny, recording 118 clear days on a yearly basis. On 19 June 1994, a temperature of −14.5 °C (5.9 °F) was recorded in the town, the lowest temperature observed anywhere in Australia outside of the

Australian Alps The Australian Alps are a mountain range in southeast Australia. The range comprises an Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia, interim Australian bioregion,

; along with at Gudgenby in the ACT on 11 July 1971.

Notable people from Woolbrook

Barnaby Joyce Barnaby Thomas Gerard Joyce (born 17 April 1967) is an Australian politician who was the leader of the National Party of Australia from 2016 to 2018 and again from 2021 to 2022. Joyce was the 17th deputy prime minister of Australia during both ...

, an Australian politician, grew up at Woolbrook and attended the school there until he was 11.

Heritage listings

The heritage-listed sites in Woolbrook are: *

Woolbrook rail bridge over Macdonald River The Macdonald River railway bridge is a heritage-listed railway bridge that carries the Main Northern Line across the Macdonald River located in Woolbrook, in the Walcha Shire, New South Wales, Australia. The railway bridge was designed by Jo ...

Woolbrook railway station

Woolbrook station was opened on 2 August 1882 as Macdonald River. On 30 October 1891 it was renamed Woolbrook and closed at an unknown date in the late 1990s/2000s. The nearest current station is Walcha Road. Woolbrook Railway

References

External links

Inscription List for Woolbrook General Cemetery
{{authority control Towns in New South Wales Towns in New England (New South Wales) Walcha Shire Tamworth Regional Council Railway stations in Australia opened in 1882