Orange, New South Wales

Orange is a provincial city and Local Government Area (see City of Orange) of New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the Mitchell Highway, also known as Summer Street, about 250 kilometres west of Sydney at an altitude of 862 metres. The population is approaching 40,000 and the city is a major provincial centre.

Key industries include agriculture, mining, health services and education. A significant landmark nearby is Mount Canobolas at an altitude of 1,395 metres it gives commanding views of the district. Orange is one of the few population centres in Australia to receive relatively frequent snowfalls. Birthplace of poets Banjo Paterson and Kenneth Slessor.

1 Transport
2 History
3 Industries
4 Sister Cities
5 Notable citizens
6 See also
7 External links
8 References

[edit] Transport

Orange is situated on the Mitchell Highway, linking the city to Bathurst, New South Wales to the East, and through Bourke, New South Wales to Cunnamulla, Queensland, Charleville, Queensland, and Augathella, Queensland in Queensland. Orange has two railway stations. The main station, on the old main line to Bourke, is served by the daily Countrylink XPT service between Sydney and Dubbo and the weekly Xplorer service between Sydney and Broken Hill. The twice-weekly Indian Pacific calls at a small platform on the branch line to Broken Hill (known as Orange East Fork). Orange is also serviced by a regional-class airport, ICAO airport code YORG / IATA airport code OAG.

[edit] History

In 1822 Captain Percy Simpson drove into the Wellington District and established a convict settlement which was called "Blackman's Swamp" after John Blackman. Percy had employed John Blackman as a guide because he had already accompanied an earlier explorer into that region.

Blackman's Swamp was proclaimed a village and named Orange by Major Thomas Mitchell in 1846 in honour of Prince William of Orange. At nearby Ophir the first discovery of gold in Australia was made in 1851 which led to the Australian Gold Rush. Subsequent discoveries of gold in nearby areas led to the establishment of Orange as a central trading centre for the gold. This is contrary to the popluar belief that gold was first discovered close to the nearby regional town of Bathurst, New South Wales.

The growth of Orange continued as the conditions were well suited for agriculture, and in 1860 it was proclaimed a municipality. The railway from Sydney reached Orange in 1877.

[edit] Industries

Orange is a well known fruit growing district, and produces apples, pears, and many stone fruits such as cherries, peaches, apricots and plums. Somewhat ironically, oranges are not grown in the area, as the climate is too cool. In recent years, a large number of vineyards have been planted in the area for a rapidly expanding wine production industry.

Other large industries include the Cadia gold mine and an Electrolux white goods factory. Orange is also the location of the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries head office, and a campus of Charles Sturt University (formerly part of University of Sydney).

[edit] Sister Cities

Orange is a sister city to Mt Hagen New Guinea, Timaru New Zealand, Ushiku Japan and Orange California.

[edit] Notable citizens

Sir Charles Cutler (politician)
Sir Neville Howse (military service, physician, politician)
Frederick Hanson (New South Wales Police Commissioner)
Banjo Paterson (poet)
Kenneth Slessor (poet)

[edit] See also

List of cities in Australia

[edit] External links

[edit] References

^ Orange (C) (Local Government Area). 2001 Census QuickStats. Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved on 2006-11-24.
^ Orange Post Office. Climate Averages for Australian Sites. Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved on 2006-11-24.

Countrylink Western
Blayney	↔	Orange	↔	Stuart Town (Dubbo XPT) Parkes (Broken Hill Outback Xplorer)
Indian Pacific
Parkes	↔	Orange (East Fork)	↔	Lithgow

Coordinates: 33°17′S 149°06′E

	Cities of New South Wales
Capital:	Sydney
Cities:	Albury \| Armidale \| Bathurst \| Blue Mountains \| Broken Hill \| Cessnock \| Coffs Harbour \| Dubbo \| Gosford \| Goulburn \| Grafton \| Griffith \| Greater Taree \| Hawkesbury \| Lake Macquarie \| Lismore \| Lithgow \| Maitland \| Newcastle \| Orange \| Queanbeyan \| Shellharbour \| Shoalhaven \| Tamworth \| Wagga Wagga \| Wollongong