Michelago, New South Wales
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Michelago is a small settlement in the Monaro region of New South Wales, Australia, in the Cooma-Monaro Shire, approximately 54 km south of Canberra on the Monaro Highway. It was founded in the 1820s, on the main route from Sydney to the Snowy Mountains. Its population currently stands at approximately 400, including nearby farms. The railway to the town opened in 1887 and closed in 1989 - along with the rest of the line from Queanbeyan to Cooma. Since 1993 the line has operated as a heritage railway - however passenger trains have not been south of Royalla (approx 23km north) since 1997 - it is planned that heritage trains will soon return to Michelago. Today the railway is disused between Michelago and Chakola and a 1990s resurfacing of the Monaro Highway north of Bredbo cut the railway which crossed the highway.
Michelago is situated in a valley between two mountain ranges, the Tinderry Range to the East and the Clear Range to the west. A road crosses the Tinderrys from Michelago, leading ultimately to the 1950s silver mining settlement Captains Flat. The highest peaks in the picturesque Tinderry Range reach approximately 1600m above sea level, while Michelago itself has an elevation of around 800m. The Murrumbidgee River separates the village from the Clear Range. The Michelago Creek passes through the village, and is a source of water for the residents. Its catchment area is in the Tinderry Range, and after passing the town the creek flows into the Murrumbidgee.
The 1999 film Passion, about the life of Percy Grainger was partly filmed in Michelago. In January 2003, bushfires ravaged the Canberra region and devastated much of the flora and bush landscape around Michelago. While the village itself was not affected by the fires, mountains of the Clear Range were left blackened and barren, destroying the farms and houses of several Michelago residents.
[edit] References
- Walkabout Australian travel guide, retrieved July 19, 2005.
- Australian Railway Historical Society, retrieved July 19, 2005.
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