Wingham, New South Wales

Wingham (coord|31|51|S|152|22|E|region:AU-NSW_type:city) is a town of 4,600 people on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia in the City of Greater Taree; about 4 hours drive north of Sydney; about 335km north of Sydney. This town was named after a village in England also called Wingham and was proclaimed a village in 1844, making it the oldest settlement in the district. Its location was chosen because supply boats could not proceed any further up the Manning River.

Town

Wingham's main street, Isabella Street runs east west and fronts the typically English town square, Central Park. Around the eastern end Central Park are the Wingham Brush Public School, Old School of Arts (now a council building with Library at the rear), and a telephone exchange. Along the southern side of the park runs Farquhar Street which has a private residence, the old Court house, the police station, Catholic Presbytery, St. Joseph's Catholic School, Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Catholic Church, the Manning Valley Historical Society rooms and Museum and a dental surgery. On the corner of Bent and Farquhar Streets stands the old Gibson and Skinner Butchery at the back of which has been built a hospitality school and cafe. Bent Street runs along the western side of Central Park and is home to the Australian Hotel (the Top pub to the locals), the Returned Services League Social Club and various shops. Shops also dominate the northern side of the park, with the Northeast corner occupied by the Wingham hotel or Bottom pub.

Central Park itself is home to "The Log," a massive log felled in the surrounding countryside which serves to remind the townsfolk of the timber (and dairy) driven history of the area, a Vampire fighter plane from the second World War (opposite the RSL Club), a cricket pitch (Sir Donald Bradman played an exhibition match in Wingham in which he was bowled for a duck in the first innings, by Glenn Levine, but made a good fist of it in the second), some children’s play equipment, a drinking fountain commemorating the installation of mains water in the town, a small ornamental waterfall, and two flag poles at opposite ends of the northern side of the park.

Education

There are four schools in Wingham. Wingham Public School is located in Murray Road, and is known to the locals as Murray Road Public School. St Joseph's Catholic School is located between the Catholic Church and Prebytery on the southern side of Central Park, and Wingham Brush Public School is around the corner between the eastern side of Central Park and Wingham Brush.Wingham High School is located three blocks north-east of Central Park, and has an extensive agricultural science department, owning 3 properties and a feedlot. The WHS Agricultural Show Team breeds all their own cattle through both natural mating and artificial insemination. They specialize in commercial beef animals, and have won first ribbons for hoof and hook, steer competitions, as well as junior judging and parading, in such prestigious shows as the Royal Sydney Show, Royal Brisbane Show and Tamworth Show. The agricultural science department also has ducks,pigs, sheep, orchards, horticultre (both hydroponic and natural) and engineering sections.

Tourism

Along the Manning River is Wingham Brush, an area of native bush including some spectacular Moreton Bay Fig trees and home to a colony of flying foxes. For many years the bats were considered pests and various initiatives were taken to remove them, including offering free ammunition to those willing to shoot them. These efforts proved ineffective and, in more recent years, moves have been taken to protect the Brush and the town has come to embrace the fruit bats and they have become quite a tourist attraction. Wingham Brush is also home to a large number of Moreton Bay Fig trees.

Wingham enjoys continuing success from the food services industry with tourism boosted through the variety of award winning cafes and other eateries located in the main street. This has attracted many tourists to the area, and in particular, Wingham itself.

Wingham is the gateway to the Barrington Tops, and also to the Ellenborough Falls on the Bulga Plateau, the second longest single drop waterfall in the Southern Hemisphere. The Bank Hotel, formerly the local branch of the Westpac Bank, featured on the Seven Network's Sydney Weekender with Mike Whitney in 1999.

About 10 km south along the Wingham-Tinonee road, is the small village of Tinonee, which was proclaimed in 1854. It has the John Knox Presbyterian church, a congregation of the Presbyterian Church of Eastern Australia, where services were held in Gaelic until the turn of the 19th century. There are some craft shops, and also a llama visitors centre, where visitors can feed and pat the llamas.

Jimmy Governor

Wingham is where the infamous murderer and fugitive Jimmy Governor was incarcerated immediately after his capture. This was quite a coup for Wingham, so much so that the neighbouring town of Taree requested that he be transferred there, annoyed that it, as the larger town, did not feature in his capture. The cell in which he was imprisoned is on display at the [http://www.manninghistorical.org| Manning Historical Society] Museum. A memorial to him is located at the site of his capture a 30 minute drive west along the Wingham-Elands road, outside the small town of Bobin.

Communications

Wingham is also home to the [http://wingham.yourguide.com.au/home.asp| Wingham Chronicle] and the Rhema FM Manning Great Lakes radio station.

The Nine Network's Afternoon News Presenter and Television presenter Mike Munro was educated in Wingham at St Joseph's Catholic School.

James and Ben Law from popular band Love Parade were also schooled here.

Transport

Wingham is served by the Grafton, Casino and Brisbane XPT service on the North Coast Railway Line linking Sydney with Grafton, Casino, and Brisbane with complimenting bus services which travel to Newcastle and Broadmeadow with Cityrail, rail connections to Sydney. Daytime Countrylink XPT services stop at Wingham, however night time Countrylink XPT services proceed past Wingham to Taree or Gloucester depending on whether it is northbound or southbound respectively. Night time services stopping in Wingham ended in the early 1990s when the station became unattended. The station opened on 5 February 1913 and features single platform and a 780 metre crossing loop which is predominantly used for freight cargo travelling along the North Coast Railway Line.

Annual Events

January

"First week"
Wingham Summertime Rodeo. Events include rodeo, bucking horses, saddlebronc, rodeo clowns, and bucking bulls.

Australia Day Festivities

March

"First week"

Wingham Show at Wingham Showgrounds. All amenities available including food, bar & refreshments.
"Saturday" events include Ring events, Riding & Hack classes, Show jumping, Dairy, Cattle, Sheep, Goats, Poultry, Wood Chopping, Art, Handcrafts, and Machinery.
"Saturday Evening" 6pm, 7.30pm, 9pm: International Wrestling Australia
"Sunday": Dog show – sheep judging, campdraft, horse & harness program. Demolition Derby at 4pm.
Admission both days: $10 adults, $5 children & aged Pensioners. Family tickets $20. Prices correct as at September 2005.

April

"Fourth week"

Wingham Beef Week is a series of beef orientated activities held in Wingham and surrounding areas. The program includes Field Days, Working Cattle Dog Trials, Replacement Heifer Competition, Hide and Offal Evaluation Hoof and Hook Competition, All Breeds Beef Cattle Judging, School Beef Appreciation Competition, Grand Parade, Arts Craft and Photographic Exhibitions, Industry Dinner, Young Ambassador Competition, and Shop Window Displays and Competition.

May

"First week"

Wingham Beef Week: The Beef Barons Ball concludes an entertaining 10 days of activities.

July

Celtic Festival

November

"First Week"
Wingham Campdraft at Wingham Showgrounds

December

Carols by Candlelight

Wingham Chanber of Commerce Christmas Carnival

See also

* Jimmy Governor
* Mike Munro
* Philip Lucock
* St Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Wingham
* Rhema FM Manning Great Lakes

External links

* http://www.manningvalley.info/
* http://www.manninghistorical.org/
* http://www.holidaycoast.net.au/30.html
* http://www.walkabout.com.au/locations/NSWWingham.shtml

References