Bendemeer, New South Wales

Infobox Australian Place | type = town
name = Bendemeer
state = nsw


caption = The two bridges across the Macdonald R., Bendemeer, NSW
lga = Tamworth Regional Council
county = Inglis
postcode = 2355
est =
pop = 485Census 2006 AUS | id=SSC16227 | name = Bendemeer (State Suburb) | quick = on | accessdate=2007-11-10]
pop_footnotes=
elevation= 815
elevation_footnotes=
maxtemp =
mintemp =
rainfall =
stategov = Tamworth & Northern Tablelands
fedgov = New England
dist1 = 40
dir1 = north
location1= Tamworth
dist2 = 452
dir2 = north
location2= Sydney

Bendemeer (coord|30|53|S|151|09|E|region:AU-NSW) is a village of about 221 people (2006) on the Macdonald River on the Northern Tablelands in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. It is situated at the junction of the New England and Oxley Highways.

History

The original inhabitants of the land were Aborigines of the Kamilaroi clan. The first European settlement was in 1834, with the establishment of a sheep station at a river crossing on what would become the McDonald River.cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/New-South-Wales/Bendemeer/2005/02/17/1108500192710.html| work=Sydney Morning Herald| date=2007-08-15| title=Travel:Bendemeer| accessdate=2007-11-10] By 1851 a small village had grown around the station, which was known as "McDonald River".

In 1854 the village was renamed "Bendemeer" after a line in the 1817 poem Lalla-Rookh by Thomas Moore:

There's a bower of roses by Bendemeer's stream; And the nightingale sings round it all day long."cite web| title=Geographical Names Register:Bendemeer| publisher=Geographical Names Board of New South Wales| month=October| year=1995| url=http://www.gnb.nsw.gov.au/name_search/extract?id=ujjLBKsy| accessdate=2007-11-10]

Moore was referring to a stream that ran through the ruined city of Persepolis in modern-day Iran. [cite book| title=A Journal of Two Years' Travel in Persia, Ceylon, Etc, Volume One| first=Robert B. M.| last=Binning| year=2001| publisher=Spottiswoode & Co.| url=http://books.google.com/books?id=WUi9fw-UcnoC&pg=RA1-PA431&lpg=RA1-PA431&dq=bendemeer+river+persia&source=web&ots=2o7WB7lLxJ&sig=Jof8YGwoCT4VScZmlCxXqwSTZEw#PRA1-PA430,M1| isbn=9781402196508] The word "bendemeer" is a loose translation of the Persian "bund" (embankment) and "amir" (a local ruler). It was proposed as the village name by Thomas Perry, a local farmer whose grandfather had maintained a friendship with both Moore and the first New South Wales Surveyor General, Thomas Mitchell.

In 1864 the bushranger Captain Thunderbolt carried out one of his first armed robberies by holding up the northern mail as it passed through Bendemeer. Some locals claim Captain Thunderbolt was killed in nearby Uralla six years later, however many locals claim it was his uncle William (Harry) Ward and that the real "Thunderbolt" left for California a short time later.

The first bridge over the McDonald River was constructed in 1874, and the steel and timber truss bridge was opened on 29 September 1905. A historic engineering marker was erected near this bridge in 2005. The bridge now in use through the village is a low level concrete structure.

The Macdonald River Road Bridge and Bendemeer Public Cemetery, Bendemeer Watsons Creek Rd, have been placed on the Register of the National Estate. [ [http://www.aussieheritage.com.au/listings/nsw/Bendemeer/ Aussie Heritage] ]

Demographics

The population of Bendemeer is overwhelmingly Christian (83%) and Australian-born (90%). The average age of 41 years is slightly older than the Australian average of 37. A third of Bendemeer residents are over the age of 55, compared to a national average of 24%.

Industries and Services

Bendemeer is principally a business hub for local sheep and cattle graziers. The town also hosts a range of arts festivals and craft markets, as well as a triennial Tractor Muster. [cite web| title=Bendemeer NSW:The Grey Fergie Capital of Australia| publisher=Roger Noakes| year=2005| url=http://www.fergietractormuster.org.au/fergie/index.html| accessdate=2007-11-11] Town services include a general shopping strip, a hotel and restaurant, caravan park and camping ground, and Catholic and Presbyterian churches.cite web| title=Bendemeer| publisher=Walkabout Australian Travel Guide| month=November| year=2007| url=http://walkabout.com.au/locations/NSWBendemeer.shtml| accessdate=2007-11-11]

The Bendemeer Public School caters for 33 students and is a recipient of annual funding via the Disadvantaged Schools Program administered by the New South Wales Department of Education and Training. [cite web| title=Bendemeer Public School| publisher=New South Wales Department of Education and Training| month=February| year=2007| url=http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/schoolfind/locator/?section=showRecord&code=1191| accessdate=2007-11-11]

References

External links

* [http://users.tpg.com.au/users/barrymor/thunderbolt.html Captain Thunderbolt]