Old Marulan Town facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Old Marulan Town |
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| Location | Marulan, Goulburn Mulwaree Council, New South Wales, Australia |
| Built | 1835–1867 |
| Owner | Roads and Maritime Services; Telstra Corporation; Trustees Church of England; Trustees of the Roman Catholic Church |
| Official name: Old Marulan Town; Site of old Marulan Town; Whole of Township | |
| Type | state heritage (archaeological-terrestrial) |
| Designated | 2 April 1999 |
| Reference no. | 127 |
| Type | Townscape |
| Category | Urban Area |
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Old Marulan Town is a special historical site in Marulan, New South Wales, Australia. It's where the original town of Marulan used to be. The town moved in the 1860s because the main railway line was built in a different spot. This old town is also known as Mooroowoolen. It was built between 1835 and 1867 and is now a protected heritage site.
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History of Old Marulan
In the 1830s, many new towns and villages were planned in New South Wales. These towns often started because people needed services, especially for travellers. Imagine a busy road where people needed places to stay, eat, and get their horses fixed. An inn would open, then a general store, a blacksmith, and other businesses would follow.
Marulan began as one of these "service towns." It provided important services to people travelling on the main roads. The government chose where to put these towns, usually near important transport routes like rivers or main roads.
A town in the 1830s was often just a small group of buildings. Marulan was one of these smaller villages. It was designed with a simple layout, mostly following one main street.
The government made sure that certain areas were set aside for villages. This made it easier for businesses to set up there. In these special areas, people could buy small pieces of land. There were also post offices and government buildings. Mail coaches would stop there, and the government would provide services.
Choosing the Site
The main road south, called the Great South Road, was first mapped out in 1829-1830. It went through a village called Bungonia. Another road was planned to branch off towards Goulburn.
The Surveyor-General, Mitchell, chose the spot for Marulan. He picked a place where these two roads met, thinking it would be busy with travellers. He also made sure there was fresh water nearby from Barber's Creek. In 1834, he asked a surveyor to mark out some land for people to start building.
Developing the Village
Old Marulan had a very simple design. It didn't have many side streets; most buildings faced the main roads. This was unusual for the time, but it showed that Marulan was meant to be a small stopping point, not a big city.
One of the first buildings was the Woolpack Inn, built by Joseph Peters in 1835. Peters was worried the road might move, but luckily for him, it didn't. He later became the Marulan postmaster in 1836. A blacksmith's shop also opened, providing basic services for travellers.
By 1841, land was set aside for a church, a house, and a school. A bishop visited in 1847 and saw a "comfortable chapel" where church services were held. More land was sold, and the village slowly grew. However, many people owned several plots of land, or lived elsewhere. So, it wasn't as crowded as it might seem.
By 1845, Marulan was described as "a small group of houses with two inns, a post office and three or four stores." In 1850, a sale notice mentioned "The Australian Store," a schoolhouse, a stable, and even a courthouse, showing it was a busy little place.
The Railway Arrives
In the 1840s, people started talking about building a railway line to the south. The decision was made to build it through Goulburn. Marulan was an important spot because it was on a ridge between two rivers. The railway had to pass near the village.
However, the railway line that was finally built in 1862 passed to the north of the village. It wasn't close enough for Marulan to benefit from the new train traffic. This meant the village no longer had access to the main transport route. If the town wanted to survive, it had to move closer to the railway.
The New Town Site
When the railway was being built, more people came to the Marulan area. But once the railway work finished in 1867, many workers moved on.
A man named John Morrice owned land near the new railway line. He decided to divide his land into blocks for a new town, which he called Mooroowoolen. He advertised these blocks for sale in 1867. This new site was about two miles from Old Marulan.
At first, not many people bought land in Mooroowoolen. But businesses from Old Marulan soon realised they needed to be near the railway. The Marulan Postmaster and store owner, John O'Neill, moved his business to Mooroowoolen. The inns from the old town also moved.
An article in a newspaper in 1868 said that Old Marulan was "going to decay." Since most of the children had moved, the Marulan Public School also moved to Mooroowoolen in 1870. A new stone church opened in Mooroowoolen in 1878, replacing the old chapel. This was the final step in moving the town.
Over time, Mooroowoolen became known as Marulan. The old town was left to ruin, and the new town had all the services people needed. The new town's layout was similar to the old one, still focusing on the main road.
What Remains Today
Even today, you can still see parts of the old village plan. The Hume Highway (which used to be the Great South Road), Bungonia Street, and Barber Street are still used. You can also spot where other old streets used to be.
Surveys have found many signs of the original town buildings and structures.
Eastern Section
On the eastern side of the highway, you can find:
- Old foundations of stone, brick, and slab buildings that once stood along the highway.
- Signs of old gardens and plants.
- Remains of fences, walls, and hedges that marked property lines.
- Dips in the ground that show where streets used to be.
- Piles of old household rubbish.
- A large, possible shared well.
- Evidence of a blacksmith's workshop.
- An area where bricks and lime were made for building.
- Scattered pieces of brick, stone, and other items that show people used to live there.
- Other signs of disturbed land from human activity, like rectangular dips and large thorny bushes.
- Two cemeteries with burials from the time the town was settled until now.
Western Section
On the western side of the highway, there are also signs of the old town:
- Pieces of old pottery, glass, and broken bricks. These are likely from the Woolpack Inn, which used to be on this land.
- Old trees and plants that show where early gardens were.
- A large thorny bush that might mark an old building site.
Archaeological Clues
Many old items found on the surface show that there are likely more buried treasures underneath. No major digging has been done yet, but experts believe the whole site contains hidden clues about how people lived in Old Marulan Town.
These clues can tell us a lot about what life was like between 1835 and 1867. Since the town didn't develop much after it moved, it's like a "time capsule" that hasn't been disturbed by later changes.
Why It's a Heritage Site
Old Marulan Town is considered a very important archaeological site. It can help us understand details about early Australian history, especially how colonial service towns worked and what life was like for the people living there. The whole site is believed to contain many hidden items from the town's early days.
This site is special because it's a rare example of a town from that early period (1835-1867) that didn't continue to grow after the 1860s. Most towns either kept developing or were temporary settlements like mining camps. Old Marulan is different because it was a proper village that simply moved, leaving its original site largely untouched. This makes it a unique "time capsule" for studying colonial town life.
Old Marulan Town was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
