Wollombi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wollombi Cessnock, New South Wales
Wollombi Public School
Wollombi Location in New South Wales
Population	264 (2006 census)
Postcode(s)	2325
Elevation	80 m (262 ft)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10)
• Summer (DST)	AEDT (UTC+11)
Location	128 km (80 mi) N of Sydney 80 km (50 mi) W of Newcastle 29 km (18 mi) SW of Cessnock
LGA(s)	Cessnock City Council
Region	Hunter
County	Northumberland
Parish	Corrabare
State electorate(s)	Cessnock
Federal Division(s)	Hunter
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 30.2 °C 86 °F 4.2 °C 40 °F 747.9 mm 29.4 in

Wollombi is a small village in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is part of the Cessnock City Council area. Wollombi is about 29 kilometres (18 miles) southwest of Cessnock. It is also about 128 kilometres (80 miles) north of Sydney.

The village is surrounded by beautiful nature. To the west, you'll find the World Heritage listed Yengo National Park. A famous road, the Great North Road, runs through it. This road was built by convicts a long time ago. It is now part of the Greater Blue Mountains Drive. To the east, there are Watagans National Park and other state forests.

Wollombi might be small today, but it has many old buildings from the 1800s. These buildings are made of sandstone and timber. The village is in a narrow valley where Wollombi Brook and Congewai Creek meet. Other creeks like Narone and Yango also join them nearby.

The area is full of amazing wildlife. You can see many native birds, kangaroos, wallabies, wallaroos, and wombats. Tall, tree-lined mountains surround the village.

Wollombi's Past: A Journey Through Time

First Peoples: The Darkinjung and Other Nations

The land around Wollombi has a rich history with Australia's Aboriginal people. It is believed that the Darkinjung people were the traditional custodians of this area. The Awabakal and Wonnarua nations are also connected to this land.

The name "Wollombi" comes from an Aboriginal term. It is thought to mean 'meeting place of the waters' or simply 'meeting place'. People from hundreds of kilometres away would visit this area. They often made their way to Mount Yengo, a very important spiritual place for ancient nations in eastern Australia.

You can find many ancient Aboriginal sites in the countryside around Wollombi. These include rock engravings, sharpening grooves, hand stencils, and tribal markings in caves. There is also evidence of old camping sites along the creeks.

European Settlement and the Great North Road

The village of Wollombi grew because of the Great North Road. This important road was built in the early 1800s. It was designed to open up transport to northern New South Wales.

Major Thomas Mitchell, the Surveyor-General, planned this inland route. The road went through places like Wisemans Ferry and Laguna before reaching Wollombi. At Wollombi, the road split, leading to different towns like Singleton and Cessnock.

Hundreds of convicts started building the road in 1826. It was a huge project and finished in 1831. You can still see parts of the old road today. These include stone culverts, bridges, and retaining walls. They are especially visible between Wisemans Ferry and Wollombi. The The Convict Trail Project helps to look after these historic remains.

Before the road was built, only a few large pieces of land were given out. After 1830, smaller land holdings became common in the Wollombi Valley. The village area itself was surveyed in 1833.

In 1827, a horseman travelled from Sydney to Patrick's Plains. The journey took three days. This shows how long travel took before modern transport.

Changes and Decline

The settlement of Wollombi became a hub for farmers and travellers. However, its importance changed quickly. On June 12, 1831, a steamship called 'Sophie Jane' sailed from Sydney to Morpeth in just over eleven hours. This was much faster than road travel. Because of this, the Great North Road became less important for trade.

By the 1840s, several inns (like hotels) were operating along the road. These included Governor Gipps at Wollombi.

Many important buildings were constructed in Wollombi. The foundation stone for Saint Michael's Catholic Church was laid in 1840. St John's Anglican Church was built in 1846. The Wollombi Telegraph Office opened in 1860. The old Police station and Courthouse (now the Endeavour Museum) was built around 1866. The stone school building, which replaced an earlier school, was built around 1881.

By 1850, the village had churches, a flour mill, and a cemetery. The population grew, reaching 105 people in 1851. By 1867, about 1800 people lived in the wider area. The 1860s were a time of great growth for Wollombi. Farmers produced a lot of wheat, maize, and other crops. There were also many cattle, sheep, and pigs.

However, things changed in the 1870s. A disease called rust destroyed wheat crops. This hurt the local economy. Also, too much farming made the land less productive. Severe floods washed away topsoil. These problems caused the district to decline.

The population of the village reached a high of 406 in 1911. But it fell to 151 by 1961. In 2006, the population was 264. Wollombi Public School closed at the end of 2014, even after a long effort by parents to keep it open.

Saint Michael the Archangel Church

Saint Michael's Church

Saint Michael the Archangel is a beautiful Gothic-style Catholic church. It is made of sandstone and first opened on September 30, 1840. Australia's first Catholic bishop, Rev John Bede Polding, laid the first foundation stone.

The church was badly damaged by a flood in 1893. A new foundation stone was laid later that year. The church was rebuilt and restored.

In 1989, the church was damaged again by the Newcastle Earthquake. In 1991, the community worked together to buy the church back. They also bought back the original pews. In 1999, the church reopened for mass. A group called "Friends of St Michaels" was formed to help look after the church. They received grants to help with renovations. In 2005, a local artist created a series of new windows for the church.

Historic Places in Wollombi

Wollombi has several places that are listed for their historical importance. These are called heritage-listed sites. They include:

• Great North Road (Mount Manning to Wollombi Section)
• St John the Evangelist Church
• Wollombi Endeavour Museum (which used to be the courthouse)

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