Singleton, New South Wales

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Location of Singleton in New South Wales (red)

Singleton is a town and Local Government Area (see Singleton Shire Council) on the banks of the Hunter River in New South Wales, Australia. Singleton lies approximately 2.5 hours (183 km) northwest of Sydney, and around an hour (79 km) northwest of Newcastle. Estimated district population in 2005 is 22,270. [1]

Singleton's main districts include the town centre, Singleton Heights, Dunolly, Darlington, The Retreat and Hunterview. Surrounding villages include Broke, Camberwell, Jerry's Plains and Belford.

The town is located at the junction of the New England Highway and Putty Road. The Golden Highway bypasses the town to the south. Singleton is also served by Cityrail and Countrylink rail services. Singleton station is located at the southern end of the town centre. There are also bus services, both intercity and local.

1 History
2 Industry & Commerce
3 Tourism
4 Education
5 Notable locals
6 Sister city
7 External links

[edit] History

Singleton was established in the 1820s by Benjamin Singleton. In its early years it was also called St Patricks' Plains. The Main North Railway line reached Singleton in 1863 and was the end of the line until 1869. The town retains many historic buildings, including the original courthouse built in 1841, various large churches and many traditional Australian pubs. The countryside surrounding Singleton contains an unusual number of fine old mansions, reflecting the aristocratic nature of land grants when the area was settled. They include 'Neotsfield' (1828), the elaborate 'Baroona' (1829), 'Abbey Green' (1865) and stunning 'Minimbah' (1877).

Singleton was subject to the major flooding of the Hunter River in 1955, causing excessive damage to the town. When the area was being settled, the government originally attempted to create a town at Whittingham in a flood-free area, but the town grew by the river none the less. An embankment was constructed following the 1955 floods to help protect the town against any future flooding.

In 1999, the towns army barracks became a temporary home to a large number of Kosovar refugees. Some locals raised concerns about crime, and some of the refugees complained about the accommodation. Despite these concerns and complaints, the refugees were successfully accomodated.

[edit] Industry & Commerce

Major industries near Singleton include coal mining, energy generation, light industry, vineyards, horse breeding and cattle production. Dairying was once a mainstay in the area, but has declined.

There is a large army barracks to the south of the town at Whittingham. The barracks has its own airfield.

Being the largest town in the Upper Hunter, Singleton is an important commercial centre. The town centre boasts three small shopping centres, a cinema complex, homemaker centre as well as a traditional 'main street'. Major stores include Woolworths, Big W, Franklins, IGA and most conventional high street stores. Coles currently plans to constuct a fourth shopping facing John Street and adjacent to Gowrie Street Mall. There has also been speculation about German retailer Aldi building a store on the former site of the gas works for some years. Two proposals for the construction of a shopping centre at Singleton Heights are currently being considered by council. One of these proposals has been submitted by Bridgeman Ridge Holding is for a location between the Hunterview Estate and the area called The Retreat. The other proposal, submitted by ROI Industries, is for a location adjoining the New England Highway and Bridgeman Road. People also will often travel to nearby Maitland and Newcastle for large regional shopping centres. Singleton once had its own department store ("The Store" and later "Valley Department Store") which was a co-operative society, but a bad investment sealed its fate and it was closed in 1994 after serving the community for over 100 years. It was converted into the Singleton Plaza shopping centre soon after closure.

Singleton is one of the wealthiest towns per capita in Australia due to the nearby coal mines. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics [2], the average income in the Singleton area during 2002 was a healthy $47K per year, which was $5K above the state average.

[edit] Tourism

One of the world's largest sundials in Singleton

Sundial. Singleton is home to one of the world's largest sundials, presented by a local coal mine for the 1988 Bicentennial Celebrations.
Wineries. The town is close to the famous Pokolbin wine region (southeast). There are also many wineries in the shire, especially around Broke.
Boating. Lake St Clair is an artificial lake located to the north of the town, with facilities for boating and camping.
National Parks. Wollemi and Yengo National Parks are located south of the town via the Putty Road. Barrington Tops National Park borders the north of the shire.
Town Walk. In the older parts of Singleton, there is a posted walk that passes by many of the towns historic buildings.
Museums. Singleton has three main museums, the Singleton Historic Society Museum in Burdekin Park, the Royal Australian Infantry Corps Museum at the nearby barracks and the Mercy Convent Museum 'Sacred Spaces' within the grounds of St Catherines College.

[edit] Education

Singleton is home at a number of educational facilities. These include public and denominational schools at both primary and secondary levels, as well as a TAFE campus and a number of pre-schools.

Primary schools within the shire include the Broke Public School, Jerrys Plains Public School, King Street Public School, Milbrodale Public School, Mount Pleasant Public School, Singleton Heights Public School, Singleton Public School and the denominational St Catherine's Catholic College. All primary schools in the area teach from kindergarten to year 6.

Secondary schools in the area include the public Singleton High School and the denominational St Catherine's Catholic College. Both schools teach from year 7 to year 12.

Hunter Institute of TAFE maintains a campus in Singleton. It provides training and further education as well as collaborating with secondary schools for students completing senior years.

[edit] Notable locals

While obviously not born in Singleton, the township's founder Benjamin Singleton is buried in a local graveyard.

Some famous sportspeople include rugby league players Steve Simpson, Lee McWilliams, and Rugby Union player Steve Merrick.

Former New South Wales Premier, Sir Charles Wade was born in Singleton, serving as premier from 1907-1910.

Though not born in Singleton, Joe Governor (an infamous bushranger) is buried outside the local Anglican cemetery. The book and film 'The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith' is based on the activities of him and his brother.

The technology journalist David M. Williams, writer for Australian Personal Computer magazine and other publications, was born in Singleton.