Clarence, New South Wales facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Clarence New South Wales
Clarence Location in New South Wales
Population	200 (2016 census)
Elevation	1,112.8 m (3,651 ft)
Location	135 km (84 mi) W of Sydney 10 km (6 mi) W of Bell 10 km (6 mi) E of Lithgow
LGA(s)	City of Lithgow
State electorate(s)	Bathurst
Federal Division(s)	Calare
Localities around Clarence: Oakey Park State Mine Gully Bell Corney Town Clarence Dargan Hartley, Vale Of Clwydd Hartley Dargan, Hartley Vale

Clarence is a location in New South Wales, Australia. It was originally a railway outpost on the original railway line across the Blue Mountains, but by 1908 when Clarence was used as headquarters for the Ten Tunnels Deviation works, the town population had flourished to over 5,000 residents, the majority being the navvies employed on the deviation works. When the deviation was opened in 1910, the town population quickly fell, despite a new platform built on the new deviation.

History

Clarence was originally a railway outpost on the Main Western railway line. The original railway station was opened in 1869 and closed in 1910 when the Zig Zag Railway was bypassed for the Ten Tunnels Deviation.

Population

In the 2016 Census, there were 200 people in Clarence. 74.6% of people were born in Australia and 87.6% of people spoke only English at home.

Zig Zag Railway

In 1975, the Lithgow Zig Zag, which had been abandoned for 65 years was taken over by the Zig Zag Railway enthusiast enterprise. Narrow gauge track was laid on the alignment and several withdrawn ex-Q.R steam locomotives were imported for use on the Zig Zag tourist line. Today, it is one of Australia's most well-known tourist lines and the original station at Clarence has since been restored for use as the terminus.

There is the nearby Clarence Colliery, opened in the 1970s, that was closed and then re-opened again. It is served by a loop line that branches off Newnes Junction.