Inverell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids InverellNew South Wales |
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Inverell Court House, built in 1886
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Population | 11,660 (2016 census) | ||||||||
Established | 1856 | ||||||||
Postcode(s) | 2360 | ||||||||
Elevation | 582 m (1,909 ft) | ||||||||
Location |
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LGA(s) | Inverell Shire | ||||||||
County | Gough | ||||||||
State electorate(s) | Northern Tablelands | ||||||||
Federal Division(s) | New England | ||||||||
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Inverell is a large town in northern New South Wales, Australia, situated on the Macintyre River, close to the Queensland border. It is also the centre of Inverell Shire. Inverell is located on the Gwydir Highway on the western slopes of the Northern Tablelands. It has a temperate climate. In the 2016 census, the population of Inverell was 11,660 and the Inverell Shire population was 16,483.
Contents
History
In 1848, Alexander Campbell held the 50,000-acre (20,000 ha) Inverell Station on the Macintyre River. The name derives from the name of Mr. MacIntyre's estate. The word is of Gaelic origin, and signifies "meeting place of the swans"; from "Inver", a meeting place, and "Ell", a swan. The MacIntyre River and Swanbrook Creek join here. The area was also known as "Green Swamp" in the 1850s. Wheat growers, Colin and Rosanna Ross established a store there in 1853, when he asked that a town be surveyed. In 1858 this was done and in the following years the plan was approved and the first land sale was held. Byron Post Office (open since 1855) was replaced by the Inverell Post Office on 15 September 1859. The municipality was proclaimed in March 1872. The last section of the Inverell branchline, from Delungra to Inverell, was opened on 10 March 1902. The last train ran to Inverell on 22 June 1987, and the Delungra to Inverell section of the line was closed on 2 December 1987. In 1871, the population of Inverell was 509, this increased to 1,212 in 1881. After Federation, the population of Inverell was 1,230 in 1911, and grew to 6,530 (1947) and 8,209 (1961 census).
Mining
Diamonds were discovered at Copes Creek in 1875 and were mined at Copeton from 1883-1922. Commercial sapphire mining was commenced in 1919 at Frazers Creek near Inverell. Rich alluvial deposits in streams were worked initially by hand miners but there was little recorded production up until approximately 1960.
Culture and tourism
The Grafton to Inverell Cycle Classic is an annual one day cycling event. Beginning in Grafton, passing through Glen Innes and finishing in Inverell, the Classic is a 230 km ride over the demanding Gibraltar Range. The race starts at 23 metres above sea level and climbs to 1260 metres, before finishing in Inverell at 630 metres. The race is six to seven hours long, depending on weather conditions.
Transport
Inverell is served by Inverell Airport.
Inverell also lies on the Gwydir Highway, one of the primary east-west routes through New South Wales. Thunderbolts Way terminates at Copes Creek, 16 km south of the Gwydir Highway intersection at Inverell.
Bus services in Inverell are provided by Inverell Bus Service, which operates two town loops, to the east and west.
Interurban bus service is provided by Symes Coaches to Glen Innes.
NSW Trainlink operates three Coach services in and out of Inverell: between Moree and Grafton, between Inverell and Tamworth via Manilla, and between Inverell and Armidale via Tingha
Climate and weather
Climate data for Inverell Research Centre | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 39.9 (103.8) |
38.2 (100.8) |
35.7 (96.3) |
32.1 (89.8) |
27.4 (81.3) |
25.6 (78.1) |
22.1 (71.8) |
31.9 (89.4) |
31.2 (88.2) |
34.7 (94.5) |
38.3 (100.9) |
38.5 (101.3) |
39.9 (103.8) |
Average high °C (°F) | 29.5 (85.1) |
28.7 (83.7) |
27.1 (80.8) |
23.5 (74.3) |
19.2 (66.6) |
15.7 (60.3) |
15.1 (59.2) |
16.6 (61.9) |
19.9 (67.8) |
23.1 (73.6) |
25.7 (78.3) |
28.3 (82.9) |
22.7 (72.9) |
Average low °C (°F) | 16.3 (61.3) |
16.2 (61.2) |
14.4 (57.9) |
11.0 (51.8) |
7.5 (45.5) |
4.8 (40.6) |
3.6 (38.5) |
4.4 (39.9) |
7.0 (44.6) |
10.3 (50.5) |
12.7 (54.9) |
15.0 (59.0) |
10.3 (50.5) |
Record low °C (°F) | 6.5 (43.7) |
6.2 (43.2) |
3.4 (38.1) |
−0.3 (31.5) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
−5.5 (22.1) |
−5.0 (23.0) |
−4.3 (24.3) |
−2.0 (28.4) |
−1.0 (30.2) |
2.7 (36.9) |
6.0 (42.8) |
−5.5 (22.1) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 99.5 (3.92) |
98.3 (3.87) |
67.4 (2.65) |
39.9 (1.57) |
49.3 (1.94) |
44.1 (1.74) |
48.2 (1.90) |
44.6 (1.76) |
48.3 (1.90) |
76.7 (3.02) |
85.8 (3.38) |
98.4 (3.87) |
800.0 (31.50) |
Over the years, Inverell has had three weather stations run by government astronomers (prior to 1908) or the Bureau of Meteorology (after 1908), or both. These stations are:
- Inverell Comparison (began observations in 1879, ceased observations in November 1997)
- Inverell Research Centre (began observations in 1949, still operational; converted to an Automatic Weather Station in recent years)
- Inverell (Raglan Street) (began observations in March 1995, still operational; observations done by human observer)
Notable weather extremes
The highest maximum temperature recorded at Inverell was 43.7C on 4 January 1903 at the Inverell Comparison site. The lowest maximum temperature for any of the Inverell weather sites was 3.0C on 3 July 1984 at Inverell Research Centre. In September 1892, the town had its biggest snowfall, with 4 to 5 inches (10 to 13 cm) falling. On 5 August 1923, snow fell in parts of the Inverell district.
Sports
The most popular sport in Inverell is Rugby league. The local team are the Inverell RSM Hawks, who compete in the Group 19, playing out of Varley Oval. The club has won six first grade titles in the competitoon and its predecessor, Group 5, with the last coming in 2016. The club has produced numerous National Rugby League players, including Owen Craigie and Phil and Chris Bailey.
Other sports teams include the Inverell Highlanders RUFC and Inverell Saints AFC.
Education
There are two primary schools in Inverell; Ross Hill School and Inverell Public School. The two local high schools are Inverell High School and Macintyre High School. Holy Trinity School is a Roman Catholic School in Inverell which caters for students from Kindergarten to Year Ten.
Notable people
Notable people from or who have lived in Inverell include:
- Chris Bailey (born 1982), a professional rugby league player who played for Newcastle Knights, Manly Sea Eagles, London Broncos, and Huddersfield Giants.
- Phil Bailey (born 1980), former professional rugby league player for the Manly Sea Eagles, Northern Eagles, Cronulla Sharks, and Wigan Warriors.
- Owen Craigie (born 1978), former professional rugby league player for the Newcastle Knights, Wests Tigers, South Sydney Rabbitohs, and Widnes Vikings.
- Steve Elkington (born 1962), professional golfer, 1995 US PGA Champion.
- Susan Hampton (born 1949), poet, winner of the Judith Wright Award
- Heinrich Haussler (born 1984), professional cyclist
- George Kneipp (1922–1993), a judge of the Supreme Court of Queensland in Townsville, Queensland (1969–1992)
- Colin Madigan (1921–2011), notable Australian architect
- Rick McCosker (born 1946), cricketer and Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1976
- Leon Punch (1928–1991), former Deputy Premier of New South Wales
- Ivan Sen (born 1971), filmmaker
- Leo Senior (1887–1975), former professional rugby league player for the South Sydney Rabbitohs
- Scott Sunderland (born 1966), former professional cyclist.
- Nathan Tinkler (born 1976), former mining magnate and businessman
- John Williams (born 1955), NSW Nationals Senator
See also
In Spanish: Inverell para niños