Main | Births etc |
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Blayney | |||||||
Town Entry Sign on Mid Western Highway | |||||||
Population: | 3,355 (2011 census)[1] | ||||||
Postcode: | 2799 | ||||||
Coordinates: | Coordinates: | ||||||
Elevation: | 863.0 m (2,831 ft) | ||||||
Location: | |||||||
LGA: | Blayney Shire | ||||||
State District: | Orange | ||||||
Federal Division: | Calare | ||||||
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Blayney is a farming town and administrative centre with a population of 3,355 in 2011,[2] in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. Situated on the Mid-Western Highway about 240 km west of Sydney, 35 km west of Bathurst and 863 m above sea-level, Blayney is the seat of Blayney Shire Council.
History[]
Prior to European settlement the area was probably occupied by the Wiradjuri or Gundungara Aborigines.
The first European to travel through area was surveyor George Evans, in 1815 and unofficial occupation of the district began in 1821. The first land grant in the general area known as Coombing Park was issued to Thomas Icely in 1829.
The area that would become the town also boasted a mill, an inn and several houses by 1837, and then Governor Gipps proposed the creation of a village to be named Blayney in 1842. His proposed site however was about 9 km north-east of the present site in an area known as Kings Plains but once that spot proved unsuitable the Blayney village location was established on its present site in 1843.[3]
Industry[]
The arrival of the railway in 1874 boosted development and Blayney replaced Carcoar as the major service centre to local farmlands. Blayney then became a municipality in 1882 and by 1900 a butter factory and freezing works employed many within the town. An abattoir opened in 1957 and this industry was later supplemented with tanneries and a pet food plant. The abbatoirs closed in 1999.[4]
In 1989, Nestlé built a new pet food plant, Nestle Purina, and purchased adjoining land including Blayney Foods. The Nestlé factory exports pet food to Asia and the Pacific.
The Cadia-Ridgeway Mine is a major employer in the area.
In 1994, Blayney became home to Australia's largest inland container terminal, which is situated beside the railway station.[5]
The Blayney Wind Farm, launched in 2000, is the largest of its type in Australia. It consists of 15 wind turbine generators on elevated ridges between Carcoar Dam and Mount Macquarie. Capacity is 10 megawatts, sufficient energy to supply 3,500 Australian homes.
Transportation[]
The town's railway station is served by the daily NSW TrainLink XPT service between Sydney and Dubbo, as well as several NSW TrainLink Coach and private company bus services connecting with Bathurst and Orange. The weekly Broken Hill NSW TrainLink Outback Xplorer also services the station.
Notable citizens[]
- Nathan Burns: professional football player with Greek league AEK Athens, previously played for Adelaide United in the Australian Hyundai A-League.
- Frank Cooper: Premier of Queensland from 1942 to 1946.
- Peter Toohey, Australian Test cricketer of the late 1970s\]
- Caroline Holdreth, 2000 Olympic Swimmer
Gallery[]
References[]
Bibliography[]
- St. Paul's Church, Blayney, 1862-1937 : an historical sketch. Alan Dougan. [Blayney, N.S.W.? : Presbyterian Church of Australia, 1937]
- The Anglican Church of Australia, the Diocese of Bathurst : a history of the development of the Parish of Blayney, 1833-1991. [compiled and edited by J.T. Clarkson, C.H.R. Dent] Blayney, N.S.W. : Christ Church Anglican Church, 1991. ISBN 0646073656 :
- The kings colonials. Garry Reynolds ; illustrated by Christine Reynolds. [Millthorpe, N.S.W. : G. Reynolds], 1982. ISBN 0959305904 :
- Together travel on : commemorating 150 years of Christian worship, service and mission through the Blayney [Uniting] Church, 1843 to 1993 : Wesleyan Methodist (1843-1902), Methodist (1902-1977), Uniting (1977-1993) Blayney, [N.S.W.] : Uniting Church in Australia, 1993.
- Dear Mother : a nominal roll of the men and women from Blayney and surrounding districts who served "Queen and country" in the South African (Boer) War 1899-1902. Blayney, N.S.W. : Blayney Shire Local & Family History Group Inc., 2002. ISBN 095815130X
- Notes on the geology of the Blayney area. G.A.M. Henderson. [Canberra] : BMR Geology and Geophysics, Australia, c1991. ISBN 0642166978
- Blayney, list of interments : from Blayney Shire records and headstones found in cemetery. compiled by Helen Jeuken and Alan Nesbitt. Bathurst, N.S.W. : Bathurst Family History Research, 1989. ISBN 0958841950
- The Blayney advocate and Carcoar herald. Originally published weekly: Blayney, N.S.W. : John Mellor. National Library of Australia Microform
- Blayney Shire pioneer register St. Joseph's Central School Blayney. Blayney, N.S.W. : St Joseph's Central School, Blayney, P. & F. Association, [1993] ISBN 0646153730
- Blayney District Hospital, 1910-1960 : a brief history to commemorate its 50th anniversary. compiled [i.e. written] by A.A. Cheney [Blayney, N.S.W. : Blayney Newspaper Co., 1960]
- Blayney Public School : established 1858 [Sandra Retallack] Blayney, N.S.W., : Blayney Public School, 2008. ISBN 9780959167719
External links[]
- Biography of Thomas Icley at ADB online
- Blayney Wind Farm
- Blayney Shire Website
- Parish of St James The Great, Blayney
- Blayney High School
- Blayney Public School
- Large Gold Find Near Blayney
- Blayney Chronicle
- Blayney St Joseph's Catholic School
- History of Christ Church, Blayney
- Blayney Local Library
- Tourism info.
This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Blayney, New South Wales. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License. |