- Glen Innes, New South Wales
Infobox Australian Place | type = town
name = Glen Innes
state = nsw
caption = Grey Street, Glen Innes NSW
lga =Glen Innes Severn Shire Council
county = Gough
postcode = 2370
est = 1852
pop = 5,944
elevation= 1062
maxtemp = 20.2
mintemp = 7.2
rainfall = 857.9
stategov = Northern Tablelands
fedgov = New England
dist1 = 608
dir1 = N
location1=Sydney
dist2 = 367
dir2 = SW
location2=Brisbane
dist3 = 161
dir3 = W
location3= Grafton
dist4 = 100
dir4 = N
location4= ArmidaleGlen Innes is a town on the Northern Tablelands, in the New England region of
New South Wales ,Australia . It is the centre of theGlen Innes Severn Shire Council . The town is located at the intersection of theNew England Highway and theGwydir Highway . At the 2006 census, Glen Innes had a population of 5,944.Census 2006 AUS
id = UCL132800
name = Glen Innes (Urban Centre/Locality)
quick = on
accessdate = 2008-06-01]Climate
Glen Innes is 1062 metres AHD with an average annual rainfall of 857mm. The area has a similar climate to
Blackheath, New South Wales in the Blue Mountains, with mild to warm summer and with cold and windy winters with regular frosts and snowfalls, though many snowfalls don't settle.History
In about 1838 Archibald Boyd registered the first run in the Glen Innes district. Two stockmen known as “the Beardies” because of their long beards took Boyd to this area to establish his run. ‘The Beardies’ later introduced other squatters to the best runs in the area to become known as the Land of the Beardies or Beardie Plains. Readers Digest Guide to Australian Places, Readers Digest, Sydney] Furracabad Station was suggested by John James Galloway as an alternative to Wellingrove for a new town. However Furracabad Station was sold in the 1804s depression and passed to Major
Archibald Clunes Innes , then to the Bank of Australasia, then to John Major, who sold it to Archibald Mosman. The name Glen Innes is believed to be bestowed by Mosman in honour of AC Innes. Glen Innes was gazetted as a town in1852 and the first lots were sold in1854 . The post office was established in1854 and the court in1858 when they replaced the Wellingrove offices. In 1866 the population was about 350, with a telegraph station, lands office, police barracks, courthouse, post office and two hotels.Donald, J. Kay, Exploring the North Coast and New England, Kangaroo Press, Kenthurst, 1987.] There was still no coach service at this time, but in the 1870s a road was constructed to Grafton.Tin was first discovered at Emmaville in 1872 and Glen Innes became the centre of a mining bonanza during the late 1800’s. In 1875 the population had swelled to about 1,500 and the town had a two teacher school, three churches, five hotels, two weekly newspapers, five hotels, seven stores and a variety of societies and associations. On 19 August, 1884 the new Main North railway from Sydney opened. ["The Great Northern Railway - Uralla to Glen Innes" Cameron, Bill Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, July, 2002 pp258-265] The arrival of the rail service and the expansion of mining contributed a new prosperity in the town, which is reflected in some of the beautiful buildings there.
The centre of the town retains some of its federation buildings and the owners have painted these buildings in the traditional colours. Many of these buildings have been placed on the
Register of the National Estate .Other nearby villages are: Deepwater, Torrington, Ben Lomond, Wellingrove, Glencoe and Red Range.
Industries
The Glen Innes district has been a producer of
wool , sheep and beefcattle since it was first settled. The town holds regular stock sales in the local saleyards. There is a concrete pipe works, a timber mill, an engineering firm, a veterinary hospital and brickworks along with other services needed for day to day living..Culture and tourism
Among the many attractions of this area are the extensive Land of the Beardies History Museum with its splendid collection of biographical and historical records, the town parks, fishing, fossicking areas,
Gibraltar Range National Park , several waterfalls, the Australian Standing Stones, which are large monoliths and theWorld Heritage listedWashpool National Park .There are at least three churches, including the Cameron Memorial Uniting Church and St Andrews Presbyterian Church which hail from the town's Scottish roots.
Annual events include: Minerama, a gem and fossicking festival; the Australian Celtic Festival, Land of the Beardies Festival, Pastoral and Agricultural Show and also horse racing, the prestigious Glen Innes Cup.
Notable residents
Glen Innes was the birthplace of writer
D'Arcy Niland and High Court judgeEdward McTiernan .Notable Former Residents: Bishop Thomas McCabe, the 1st bishop of Wollongong. grave site located in St Francis Xavier Cathedral grounds, Wollongong. Other important families in this region have been the Bloxsome, Rodgers and Newsome families.Glen Innes and Scotland
Archibald Clunes Innes , fromThrumster ,Caithness was a captain in the Third Regiment (Buffs), when he arrived in Australia in 1822 on the Eliza in charge of 170 convicts. He held a number of New England properties including Glen Innes Station and Dundee station.Glen Innes has a number of street signs in
Scottish Gaelic (though few residents speak much of the language). There is also a "Crofter"'s cottage.The Australian Standing Stones are based on the
Ring of Brodgar inOrkney (a non-Gaelic speaking area) orCalanais in Lewis.Pitlochry is Glen Innes' twin town in Scotland.Other towns nearby with Scottish names include
Armidale , Ben Lomond and Glencoe.Twin towns
Glen Innes has twin town status with
Pitlochry inScotland , and Mosman inSydney ,Australia .Wind Farm
Glen Innes is known to many as Turbine Territory, referring to the new 27 turbine wind farm planned for the outskirts of the town. The turbines are 135 metres high and will be installed if approved late 2009.
References
ee also
*
Glen Innes Correctional Centre External links
* [http://www.gleninnestourism.com/ Glen Innes events and information]
* [http://www.miningmuseum.emmaville.net/ Emmaville Mining Museum]
* [http://www.australianstandingstones.com/ Australian Standing Stones]
* [http://www.beardieshistoryhouse.info/ Land of the Beardies museum]
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