Harden, New South Wales facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Harden New South Wales
Harden Location in New South Wales
Postcode(s)	2587
Elevation	431 m (1,414 ft)
Location	341 km (212 mi) WSW of Sydney 125 km (78 mi) NW of Canberra 128 km (80 mi) NE of Wagga Wagga 64 km (40 mi) WNW of Yass 33 km (21 mi) S of Young
LGA(s)	Hilltops Council
State electorate(s)	Cootamundra
Federal Division(s)	Riverina
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 21.7 °C 71 °F 7.4 °C 45 °F 609.1 mm 24 in

Main street

Harden railway station

Harden–Murrumburrah is a cool twin town located in the Hilltops Region of New South Wales, Australia. It's part of the South West Slopes area.

This town is close to the Canberra region and the Riverina area in southwest New South Wales. Harden and Murrumburrah are like two towns in one! Murrumburrah was one of the first places European settlers lived in this part of New South Wales.

A main road called the Burley Griffin Way goes through town. This road connects the Riverina area to the Hume Highway near Yass. It's also a key link to big cities like Sydney and Canberra, and the coast. A creek called Cunningham Creek runs along the edge of the town.

The Olympic Highway also passes near Harden. This highway is a major route through the central west of NSW to the Blue Mountains and then on to Sydney.

Harden is about 3½ hours by car from Sydney. It's also only about 1½ hours from Canberra and Wagga Wagga.

History of Harden

Before European settlers arrived, the Wiradjuri people lived in the Harden area. Explorers Hume and Hovell passed nearby in 1824. In the late 1820s, a place called 'Murrumburra' was set up. James Kennedy, who managed it, opened an inn in the town in the late 1840s. People found gold in the area in the 1850s!

Harden's Railway Story

The Harden railway station opened in 1877. It was first called Murrumburrah station. But a year later, in 1879, a new station opened in Murrumburrah. So, the first station changed its name to Harden. Harden became the main station and the most important town because of this.

A post office opened in Harden on January 1, 1870. In 1926, £2000 was given to improve the old post office building.

Local Government and Community

The first Australian Lighthorse, a famous cavalry unit, was also started in Harden–Murrumburrah. The town still celebrates this with an annual Lighthorse festival.

From 1906 to 2016, Harden–Murrumburrah had its own local government called Harden Shire. In 2016, it joined with other areas to form the Hilltops Council.

The town's rugby league team is called the Harden-Murrumburrah Hawks. They used to play for the Maher Cup and still play in the George Tooke Shield today.

In 1996, a special fund called the Kruger Trust was created. Geoffrey Kruger, a retired dental surgeon who lived in Harden, left money in his will for this trust. It helps pay for improvements in the town, like a medical centre and a community country club.

Harden is also home to Murrumburrah High School. It opened in 1977 and is the only high school in the town.

Town Facilities

Harden has many useful places for people living in Harden, Murrumburrah, and nearby areas.

• Harden-Murrumburrah & District War Memorial Pool: This pool has a 50-metre Olympic-sized swimming pool and two smaller pools for wading.
• Harden Post Office
• Hilltops Council Library Harden Branch: You can find this library inside the Trinity Centre.
• Kruger Medical Centre: This is a healthcare place where doctors help with general health, family medicine, women's health, and mental health.
• Murrumburrah High School: This is the high school for students in the area.
• Murrumburrah-Harden Health Service: This is a small hospital with 33 beds. It has beds for hospital care and for older people needing residential care.

Climate and Weather

Harden has weather typical of the South West Slopes region. The weather changes a lot throughout the year. It has warm to hot summers and cool, cloudy winters. Sometimes, it might even snow!

Weather information was collected from 1967 to 1980. Rainfall data goes back even further, from 1886 to 2006.

Heritage Sites

Harden has some places that are important for their history. These are called heritage-listed sites.

• Main Southern railway: Harden railway station

Population Facts

Let's look at how many people live in Harden!

• In 2016, there were 2,030 people living in Harden.
• By 2021, this number had changed to 1,900 people.
• About 8.7% of the people were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander.
• Most people (84.6%) were born in Australia.
• Almost everyone (90.7%) spoke only English at home.
• The most common religions were Catholic (31.3%), No Religion (24.9%), and Anglican (24.6%).

Getting Around Harden

The Main Southern railway line goes right through Harden. This made Harden an important railway town. Another train line, the line to Blayney, branches off a few kilometres from Harden.

Harden railway station has train services every day. Two XPT trains travel between Melbourne and Sydney each day. There's also a twice-weekly Xplorer train service between Griffith and Sydney.

Sometimes, trial bus services pass through Harden. These buses go between Wagga Wagga and Canberra. However, as of September 2019, they don't pick up or drop off passengers in Harden.

Busabout Wagga Wagga also has a bus depot in the town.

Images for kids

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  Harden National Australia Bank

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  Harden Mechanics Institute

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  Harden Post office

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  Royal Hotel

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  Grand Hotel Harden

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  Harden Doncaster Hotel

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  Harden Carrington Hotel

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  Former Harden Methodist Church

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  Harden Catholic Church

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  Harden Trinity Centre

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  Hilltops Council Office

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  "Bill the Bastard"

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  Town sign