Murrurundi

Murrurundi is a small country town in the Upper Hunter Valley of New South Wales. Murrurundi is 193 km (120 mi) by road from Newcastle and 309 km (192 mi) km from Sydney. In 2006 there were 2162 people (ABS 2006) living in Murrurundi. The town is circled by mountains of the Liverpool Range. It is on the Pages River, which flows into the Hunter River. The name Murrurundi is from an Aboriginal word meaning "Five fingers". This is the name given to a group of rocks at the north end of the town.

History

The first people to live in the Murrurundi area were the Australian aboriginal people, the Wanaruah and the Kamilaroi. European settlement of the area began in the 1820s. Benjamin Hall, the father of bushranger Ben Hall started a cattle farm in the area in 1839. The town was started by the New South Wales government in 1840. In the same year, a local land owner - Thomas Haydon - started his own town called Haydonton. Benjamin Hall opened a butcher's shop in Haydonton in 1842. Ben Hall lived here until the age of 13. In 1913, the two towns were joined together to make the modern-day town of Murrurundi.

Mining

Kerosene shale was first mined at Mount Temi, 11 km (7 mi) north of Murrurundi in 1886. The mine was reopened in 1910. The shale was moved 10 km (6 mi) from the mine on a rope system known as an aerial ropeway. It was then loaded onto trains at a railway built at Temple Court, just west of Murrurundi. The mine closed in the First World War.

Sport

Every year there is a rodeo and the King of the Ranges stockman (cowboy) contest. Other sports played in the town include rugby, touch football, swimming, and cricket.

Railway station

Murrurundi railway station is on the Main North railway line, 352 km (219 mi) from Sydney. The station opened in 1872. There is a large brick station-house, a passing loop and goods yard. There is a train to and from Sydney and Armidale/Moree every day.