Uranquinty facts for kids
Quick facts for kids UranquintyNew South Wales |
|
|---|---|
Uranquinty Hotel
|
|
 Uranquinty
Location in New South Wales
|
|
| Population | 909 (2016 census) |
| Postcode(s) | 2652 |
| Location |
|
| LGA(s) | City of Wagga Wagga |
| County | Mitchell |
| Parish | Uranquinty |
| State electorate(s) | Wagga Wagga |
| Federal Division(s) | Riverina |
Uranquinty is a small town in Australia, about 15 kilometers south of Wagga Wagga in New South Wales. People often call it "Quinty." About 909 people live there.
Uranquinty started as a village for workers building the railway line from Wagga Wagga to Albury. The town's founders, Nathan and Lauren Fleckton, picked this spot because it reminded them of their farm in England. They even wrote in a diary that the land looked like their home.
Uranquinty is also famous for hosting one of Australia's oldest folk festivals every year in October.
Contents
A Look at Uranquinty's Past
The Uranquinty Post Office first opened its doors on 15 September 1889.
Uranquinty During World War II
Uranquinty played an important role during World War II. In late 1940, it became the home of No. 5 Service Flying Training School RAAF (5SFTS). This school trained pilots for the war. The location was perfect because it was on the main railway line and had plenty of land.
Sadly, on 7 April 1942, a Wirraway plane from the school crashed during a training flight. Both crew members died.
During the war, Uranquinty also had RAAF No.17 Inland Aircraft Fuel Depot (IAFD). This was a place to store aircraft fuel for the RAAF (Royal Australian Air Force) and the US Army Air Forces. It was built in 1942 and closed in 1944.
The Uranquinty RAAF Post Office was open from December 1941 to September 1946. This shows when the air base was active.
Uranquinty's Migrant Centre
After World War II, Australia started a program to welcome people who had been forced to leave their homes. This was part of a plan to help Australia grow.
Arthur Calwell, Australia's first Minister for Immigration, invited people from camps in Germany, Austria, and France to come to Australia. They were needed to help with work. Old army and RAAF camps, like the one in Uranquinty, were turned into places for these new arrivals to live and train. Many families, including wives and children, came to Uranquinty.
Many of these new Australians worked on the Snowy Mountains Scheme, a huge project to build dams and power stations.
One famous family who came to Uranquinty was the Konrads family from Latvia. Two of the children, John and Ilsa Konrads, learned to swim in Uranquinty. Their father wanted them to be safe around the local dams. Later, John and Ilsa became Olympic medalists for Australia. Together, they set 38 world records in swimming!
Today, there is a public memorial in Uranquinty with information about the people who stayed there after the war.
The Uranquinty Camp Post Office was open from December 1948 to March 1959. This shows when the migrant camp was running.
Uranquinty Today
The Uranquinty Folk Festival is held every year on the October Labour Day long weekend. It started in 1970 as the Wagga Wagga Folk Festival. It moved to Uranquinty in 1974.
A large gas-fired power station was built in Uranquinty. It cost $500 million to build and started working in January 2009.
Getting Around Uranquinty
Uranquinty is on the railway line that connects Sydney and Melbourne. The station is still listed as "in use." However, passenger trains do not stop there anymore, even if you ask them to.
Images for kids
-
Uranquinty Hotel
-
Uranquinty memorial to the Wives and Children of Refugees who worked on the Snowy Mountain Scheme
-
Uranquinty Power Station
-
Uranquinty platform
