Murrurundi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids MurrurundiNew South Wales |
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The New England Highway at Murrurundi, with the Liverpool Range in the background
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 Murrurundi
Location in New South Wales
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| Population | 847 (2016 census) | ||||||||
| Established | 1840 | ||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 2338 | ||||||||
| Elevation | 467 m (1,532 ft) | ||||||||
| Location | |||||||||
| LGA(s) | Upper Hunter Shire | ||||||||
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Murrurundi (/mʌruːrʌndaɪ/ MURR-oo-RUN-dye) is a small country town. It is located in the Upper Hunter Shire in the Upper Hunter area of New South Wales, Australia.
Murrurundi is about 193 kilometers northwest of Newcastle. It is also 309 kilometers north of Sydney. In 2016, the town had 847 people living there. The town is almost completely surrounded by the mountains of the Liverpool Range. It sits on the Pages River, which flows into the Hunter River.
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Murrurundi's Past and Present
Before Europeans settled here, the Murrurundi area was home to the Wanaruah and possibly the Kamilaroi Aboriginal people. The name "Murrurundi" means "five fingers." This refers to a special rock formation you can see at the north end of the town.
European settlement in the area started in the 1820s. The New South Wales government officially created the town in 1840. In the same year, a local landowner named Thomas Haydon started his own town next door, called Haydonton. In 1913, these two towns joined together to become the Murrurundi we know today.
Benjamin Hall, whose son Ben Hall became a famous bushranger, lived near Murrurundi. A bushranger was like an outlaw in the Australian bush. Benjamin Hall had a small farm here in 1839. His son, Ben Hall, lived in Murrurundi with his family until he was 13 years old.
Oil shale, also known as kerosene shale, was mined at Mount Temi, about 11.25 kilometers north of Murrurundi. Mining started in 1886. It stopped for many years but began again in 1910. A railway was built to help move the shale. The mining stopped during the First World War.
In July 1910, something exciting happened! A lion, two lionesses, and two Russian wolves escaped from Wirth's Circus in Murrurundi.
Murrurundi hosts fun annual events. These include a rodeo and the King of the Ranges stockman challenge. The town has a few sports facilities. People play senior rugby league, touch football, and cricket. There is also a swimming club.
Murrurundi used to be the main town of the Murrurundi Shire. This local government area was later changed. Now, Murrurundi is part of the larger Upper Hunter Shire.
In January 2019, Murrurundi faced a big challenge. The town ran out of water. Trucks had to bring in drinking water every day. In October 2019, it was announced that the Wilson Memorial Community Hospital would be replaced with a new hospital.
Historic Places to See
Murrurundi has several places that are important to its history. These are called heritage-listed sites. They include:
- Murrurundi railway station on the Main Northern railway line
- Rosedale Cottage on Mount Street
| Historical population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1921 | 1,301 | — |
| 1933 | 1,253 | −3.7% |
| 1947 | 1,039 | −17.1% |
| 1954 | 1,106 | +6.4% |
| 1961 | 1,041 | −5.9% |
| 1966 | 969 | −6.9% |
| 1971 | 926 | −4.4% |
| 1976 | 930 | +0.4% |
| 1981 | 861 | −7.4% |
| 1986 | 878 | +2.0% |
| 1991 | 983 | +12.0% |
| 1996 | 902 | −8.2% |
| 2001 | 783 | −13.2% |
| 2006 | 805 | +2.8% |
| 2011 | 847 | +5.2% |
| 2016 | 888 | +4.8% |
| 2021 | 822 | −7.4% |
| Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics data. | ||
Getting Around Murrurundi
The New England Highway goes right through Murrurundi. The town also has a train service.
Murrurundi railway station is on the Main North railway line. It is 352 kilometers from Sydney. The station opened in 1872. It has a solid brick station building and a place for trains to pass each other. A daily train service runs here. It is operated by NSW TrainLink using an Xplorer train. Trains travel to and from Sydney and Armidale or Moree. Trains will only stop at Murrurundi station if you ask them to.
Murrurundi's Weather
The Murrurundi area has two weather stations. One is in the town itself. The other is high up on the Murrurundi Gap, about 5 kilometers to the west-northwest. The station on the gap has cooler high temperatures. But it also has warmer low temperatures because it's on an exposed hilltop.
The town station started recording rainfall in 1870. It began recording average and extreme temperatures later. The gap station was set up in 2003.
| Climate data for Murrurundi (Haydon Street, 1907–2019, rainfall to 1870); 466 m AMSL; 31.77° S, 150.84° E | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 41.6 (106.9) |
42.2 (108.0) |
37.8 (100.0) |
34.0 (93.2) |
27.9 (82.2) |
25.2 (77.4) |
24.8 (76.6) |
27.3 (81.1) |
32.8 (91.0) |
36.5 (97.7) |
40.6 (105.1) |
40.6 (105.1) |
42.2 (108.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 30.8 (87.4) |
29.8 (85.6) |
27.8 (82.0) |
23.7 (74.7) |
19.2 (66.6) |
15.8 (60.4) |
15.2 (59.4) |
17.0 (62.6) |
20.7 (69.3) |
24.2 (75.6) |
27.3 (81.1) |
29.7 (85.5) |
23.4 (74.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 15.3 (59.5) |
15.0 (59.0) |
12.7 (54.9) |
8.5 (47.3) |
5.1 (41.2) |
3.2 (37.8) |
2.0 (35.6) |
2.5 (36.5) |
5.0 (41.0) |
8.2 (46.8) |
11.1 (52.0) |
13.7 (56.7) |
8.5 (47.3) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 4.2 (39.6) |
4.0 (39.2) |
0.6 (33.1) |
−2.9 (26.8) |
−5.0 (23.0) |
−6.5 (20.3) |
−6.2 (20.8) |
−6.5 (20.3) |
−5.0 (23.0) |
−1.9 (28.6) |
0.0 (32.0) |
1.5 (34.7) |
−6.5 (20.3) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 90.2 (3.55) |
76.6 (3.02) |
62.5 (2.46) |
52.0 (2.05) |
54.2 (2.13) |
69.4 (2.73) |
62.7 (2.47) |
61.2 (2.41) |
57.2 (2.25) |
72.2 (2.84) |
75.9 (2.99) |
90.5 (3.56) |
829.7 (32.67) |
| Average rainy days (≥ 0.2mm) | 7.4 | 6.4 | 6.2 | 6.0 | 6.7 | 8.8 | 8.2 | 7.9 | 7.0 | 7.7 | 7.9 | 7.9 | 88.1 |
| Source: Bureau of Meteorology | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Murrurundi Gap AWS (2003–2022); 729 m AMSL; 31.74° S, 150.79° E | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 39.2 (102.6) |
40.5 (104.9) |
34.7 (94.5) |
29.6 (85.3) |
24.1 (75.4) |
21.1 (70.0) |
20.2 (68.4) |
23.9 (75.0) |
29.6 (85.3) |
34.2 (93.6) |
38.2 (100.8) |
39.3 (102.7) |
40.5 (104.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 28.5 (83.3) |
27.1 (80.8) |
24.3 (75.7) |
20.9 (69.6) |
16.7 (62.1) |
12.9 (55.2) |
12.5 (54.5) |
14.6 (58.3) |
18.3 (64.9) |
21.6 (70.9) |
24.3 (75.7) |
26.6 (79.9) |
20.7 (69.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 16.7 (62.1) |
15.7 (60.3) |
14.1 (57.4) |
11.3 (52.3) |
8.2 (46.8) |
5.9 (42.6) |
4.9 (40.8) |
5.7 (42.3) |
8.5 (47.3) |
10.9 (51.6) |
13.0 (55.4) |
14.9 (58.8) |
10.8 (51.5) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 8.7 (47.7) |
6.8 (44.2) |
5.5 (41.9) |
1.6 (34.9) |
0.2 (32.4) |
−1.9 (28.6) |
−1.8 (28.8) |
−2.1 (28.2) |
0.4 (32.7) |
1.8 (35.2) |
3.7 (38.7) |
5.7 (42.3) |
−2.1 (28.2) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 66.6 (2.62) |
70.3 (2.77) |
79.2 (3.12) |
32.2 (1.27) |
36.4 (1.43) |
65.2 (2.57) |
48.5 (1.91) |
42.0 (1.65) |
47.4 (1.87) |
56.8 (2.24) |
85.2 (3.35) |
86.8 (3.42) |
720.9 (28.38) |
| Average rainy days (≥ 0.2mm) | 8.6 | 8.5 | 10.2 | 8.6 | 9.2 | 13.4 | 11.4 | 8.5 | 7.3 | 9.2 | 9.8 | 10.6 | 115.3 |
| Source: Bureau of Meteorology | |||||||||||||
