Bombala, New South Wales facts for kids
Quick facts for kids BombalaNew South Wales |
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Bombala, looking towards the town centre. The footbridge passes over the Bombala railway line. The right most building is the station building, the centre building the goods shed and above that is the bridge over the Bombala River.
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 Bombala
Location in New South Wales
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| Population | 1,387 (2016 census) | ||||||||
| Established | 1840s | ||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 2632 | ||||||||
| Elevation | 705 m (2,313 ft) | ||||||||
| Location | |||||||||
| LGA(s) | Snowy Monaro Regional Council | ||||||||
| County | Wellesley | ||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Monaro | ||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Eden-Monaro | ||||||||
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Bombala is a town in the Monaro region of south-eastern New South Wales, Australia, in Snowy Monaro Regional Council. It is approximately 485 kilometres (301 mi) south of the state capital, Sydney, and 80 kilometres (50 mi) south of the town of Cooma. The name derives from an Aboriginal word meaning "Meeting of the waters". The town lies on the banks of the Bombala River. At the 2016 census, Bombala had a population of 1,387.
History
The Bombala area was inhabited by the Ngarigu Aboriginal people prior to the first European settlers arriving in the 1830s. Captain Ronald Campbell established a large property in 1833 that he named 'Bombalo'. More European settlers arrived in the Bombala area in the 1840s during which time the small township developed. Bombala had a post office by 1849 and had a number of large commercial and public buildings by the . mid 1850s.
Bombala was proposed in 1903 by King O'Malley as the site of the parliamentary seat of Australia. It was considered as a location because it was half way between the two cities of Sydney and Melbourne. The proposal was ultimately rejected in favour of Canberra.
The town lies on the banks of the Bombala River and principal industries of the area include grazing and timber. Tourism is also growing in importance to the local economy. There is also a small amount of specialty producers with meat rabbits, lavender and many herbs being grown in the district. Delegate is situated 36 km west of Bombala and The Snowy River March which commenced from Delegate in 1916 went via Bombala to Goulburn.
The timber industry has slowly begun to overtake many of the historic properties surrounding Bombala, such as the more-than-150-year-old property of Aston, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) south-west of the township.
The area is known for possibly the largest population of Platypus in New South Wales and is promoted as Platypus Country.
The Holy Transfiguration Monastery is a male monastic community of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad. Founded in 1982, the monastic community presided over by Abbott Hieromonk Sergius, abides in the pristine and rugged valley of the MacLaughlin River situated between Cooma and Bombala.
The Facebook page "Bombala History in Photos" contains a wealth of information about the town's history.(https://www.facebook.com/Bombala-History-in-Photos-1465567133467894/)
Geography and Climate
Situated at 705 metres above sea level on the eastern edge of the Monaro Tablelands, Bombala is known for its cold winters with frequent frost and occasional snow. Just a few kilometres to the east, the land slopes downwards to the South Coast, a flat coastal plain where summers are much hotter and winter temperatures are milder. Examples of this are towns such as Bega and Merimbula, both located about 80 kilometres east of Bombala, however their climates are vastly different to Bombala's. According to Koppen climate classification scheme, Bombala has a subtropical highland climate (Cfb).
Most rain in the area falls as either thunderstorms in summer, or with cold fronts in winter that are usually accompanied by cold temperatures, meaning that the rain often turns to snow once night falls. Extreme temperatures have ranged from 40.7 °C (105.6 °F) to −10.0 °C (14.0 °F).
| Climate data for Bombala | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 40.0 (104.0) |
40.7 (105.3) |
36.4 (97.5) |
30.9 (87.6) |
26.7 (80.1) |
22.1 (71.8) |
18.8 (65.8) |
24.5 (76.1) |
29.0 (84.2) |
31.5 (88.7) |
36.9 (98.4) |
38.5 (101.3) |
40.7 (105.3) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 25.5 (77.9) |
25.0 (77.0) |
22.6 (72.7) |
18.5 (65.3) |
14.7 (58.5) |
11.5 (52.7) |
11.0 (51.8) |
12.7 (54.9) |
15.8 (60.4) |
18.8 (65.8) |
21.2 (70.2) |
23.8 (74.8) |
18.4 (65.1) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 10.3 (50.5) |
10.5 (50.9) |
8.6 (47.5) |
5.2 (41.4) |
2.0 (35.6) |
−0.2 (31.6) |
−1.2 (29.8) |
−0.2 (31.6) |
2.2 (36.0) |
4.7 (40.5) |
6.9 (44.4) |
8.8 (47.8) |
4.8 (40.6) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 0.4 (32.7) |
1.3 (34.3) |
−0.2 (31.6) |
−5.0 (23.0) |
−7.1 (19.2) |
−10.0 (14.0) |
−9.6 (14.7) |
−8.0 (17.6) |
−6.4 (20.5) |
−4.7 (23.5) |
−2.0 (28.4) |
−0.4 (31.3) |
−10.0 (14.0) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 63.2 (2.49) |
59.1 (2.33) |
60.3 (2.37) |
45.0 (1.77) |
43.6 (1.72) |
59.4 (2.34) |
46.1 (1.81) |
40.2 (1.58) |
44.1 (1.74) |
55.2 (2.17) |
64.3 (2.53) |
63.6 (2.50) |
644.1 (25.35) |
| Average rainy days (≥ 0.2mm) | 8.0 | 7.6 | 8.2 | 8.0 | 9.1 | 10.2 | 9.3 | 9.9 | 10.2 | 10.2 | 9.7 | 9.0 | 109.4 |
| Source: Bureau of Meteorology | |||||||||||||
Transport
The railway reached Bombala in 1921 and closed in 1986. being an extension of the line from Queanbeyan to Cooma. The line was and still is known as the Goulburn to Bombala line. During the 1970s, service was provided by a small rail bus, taking 4 hours to cover the 100 kilometres (62 mi) between Cooma and Bombala.
The Monaro Highway (now route B23) which runs from Canberra to Cann River (Victoria) passes through Bombala. Other major roads include Mt Darragh Rd which connects to Pambula and Merimbula on the NSW South Coast.
The nearest airport with regular air services is at Merimbula, 85 kilometres (53 mi) to the east.
Trivia
The name Bombala is used as a name for a crater on the planet Mars, without specifically commemorating the town.
11. https://www.facebook.com/Bombala-History-in-Photos-1465567133467894/
Notable residents
- Minard Crommelin MBE (1881-1972), postmistress and environmental conservationist, born at Aston Station, near Bombala.
- Michael Farrell (1965-), contemporary poet and magazine editor, born in Bombala.
- Sir Alexander George William "Bill" Keys AC, OBE, MC (1923-2000), long-serving president of the Returned and Services League (RSL), grew up in Bombala.
- Dick Tooth (1929-), former Australian rugby union representative, born in Bombala.
