Galong, New South Wales

Galong
New South Wales

McMahon Street in Galong
Galong
Coordinates 34°36′S 148°33′E / 34.600°S 148.550°ECoordinates: 34°36′S 148°33′E / 34.600°S 148.550°E
Population 338 (2011 census)[1]
Postcode(s) 2585
LGA(s) Harden Shire
County Harden
State electorate(s) Cootamundra
Federal Division(s) Hume

Galong is a small town in New South Wales, Australia located in Harden Shire. At the 2011 census, Galong had a population of 338 people.[1]

A monument for a child at the cemetery

The town is well known for its cemetery, which has among other monuments, some angels erected by Frank Rusconi, the monumental mason from Gundagai.

A pair of white marble monuments in the cemetery to the Ryan family

St Clement's monastery closed in 1975 and is now a retreat centre run by the Redemptorists and the Sisters of St. Joseph, Goulburn.[2]

The major industry in the town is the limestone open-cut mine. The Galong deposit was first mined in 1885 with significant mining activity in the 1920s producing burnt lime or quicklime, which is used in the production of cement. The mine re-opened in the 1960s and again in 1994. In 2001, the lease was altered to extend the mineable area of land from 16 hectares to 160 hectares; resources of 20 million tonnes of limestone have been defined within the proposed limit of mining. In 2003, the mine was acquired by Boral. It now produces lime for agricultural lime used for farming canola and grains; agricultural lime is used for remediating soil acidity, a major problem threatening the productivity and sustainability of agriculture in many parts of the state. It produces approximately 300,000 tons per year, about one quarter of the requirements for the state of New South Wales. Apart from agricultural purposes, a major consumer of lime from Galong is the Port Kembla steel works. A kiln was built at the mine in 2003/04 to allow the production of quicklime for use in cement. The mine employs about 19 people.[3][4][5]

History

Galong Post Office opened on 15 April 1888.[6]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Galong (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  2. ↑ "St Clement's Retreat Centre". St Clement's. Retrieved 6 November 2006.
  3. ↑ "Limestone lease extended". ferret.com.au. Retrieved 6 November 2006.
  4. ↑ "Galong limestone mining". Hansard. New South Wales Legislative Assembly. 16 March 2004. Archived from the original on 2007-03-11. Retrieved 6 November 2006.
  5. ↑ "Berrima cement and Galong lime upgrades officially opened" (PDF). Boral. March 2005. Retrieved 6 November 2006.
  6. ↑ Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 26 May 2011.

External links

Media related to Galong, New South Wales at Wikimedia Commons