Colinton New South Wales | |||||||||||||||
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Coordinates | 35°51′57″S149°09′02″E / 35.86583°S 149.15056°E | ||||||||||||||
Population | 115 (2016 census) [1] | ||||||||||||||
Postcode(s) | 2626 | ||||||||||||||
Location | |||||||||||||||
LGA(s) | Snowy Monaro Regional Council | ||||||||||||||
Region | Monaro | ||||||||||||||
County | Beresford | ||||||||||||||
Parish | Colinton | ||||||||||||||
State electorate(s) | Monaro | ||||||||||||||
Federal division(s) | Eden-Monaro | ||||||||||||||
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Colinton is a locality in the Snowy Monaro Region, New South Wales, Australia. [2] [3] At the 2021 census, it had a population of 115. [1] There was once a village and railway station of the same name.
It lies on the eastern side of the Murrumbidgee River and on both sides of the Monaro Highway about 73 km south of Canberra and about 44 km north of Cooma. The nearest settlements are Michelago, 21 km to the north, and Bredbo, 10 km to the south.
The area later known as Colinton lies within the traditional lands of Ngarigo people. [4]
In June 1823, an exploration party, composed of Captain Mark Currie, Major John Ovens, Joseph Wild and an unknown Aboriginal guide, followed a route to the east of the steep slopes of the Murrumbidgee River's gorge and were the first colonists to pass through the area. [5] Although the area was just outside the southern boundary—Michelago Creek—of the Nineteen Counties, in which settlement was allowed by the colonial government, it was suitable for sheep grazing. Within a few years a squatter took over the area. By 1848, it was a part of the vast 'Micalago' sheep run. [6]
In the 1860s, alluvial gold was found in the area and the Colinton Gold Field was gazetted in 1878. [7] [8] [9] In the late 1860s, the Colinton field was being worked mainly by Chinese miners. [10] Attempts in the late 1860s to find a reef appear to have failed.
There was a small gold mine, Colinton Gold Mine, to the north of the village. The reef associated with this mine was discovered in 1888, and it was still being worked intermittently during the 1890s. [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] There was a silver-lead mine, Colinton Silver Mine, to the south-east of the village, near the base of the western side of Mount Colinton. [16] [17]
A village of Colinton was proclaimed by 1861 and suburban land was on sale there. [18] The site of the village itself was gazetted in May 1862. [19] As a consequence the Crown Lands Act of 1884, it was proclaimed a village for a second time in 1885. [20] [21] [22] It is likely, though uncertain, that the village was named after Colinton in Scotland.
The village was situated mainly to the east of the railway line, on both sides of the main road to Cooma, which became one of its streets, Cooma Street. Other planned streets of the village were, Newton, Hurry, Wise, Brent, Colyers, Heber, Cosgrove, Hay, Ryrie and Queanbeyan Streets. [23] There was also a planned suburban area on the western side of the railway; its planned streets included Charles and Hope Streets. [23] There were also planned streets known as Burton, Stephen and Church Streets. [24] [25] Land was reserved for public buildings in 1889. [26] A road from Newton St, Colinton, to the Murrumbidgee River—now Bumbalong Road [27] —was opened in 1887. [28] Colinton had a public school from 1883 to 1938. [29]
Colinton railway station opened with the extension of the railway from Michelago to Cooma (later the Bombala railway line) on 31 May 1889. [30] The station platform was 264 feet long—on the western side of the line, just to the north of Newton Street—and there was a siding and level crossing at Colinton. [23] [31]
During construction of the railway from Michelago to Cooma, most of the major works—four bridges, a tunnel and some cuttings and high embankments—lay between Michelego station and the far side of the Bredbo River. The construction contractor had 600 men working on the line and living in tents. One of the workers' camps was at Colinton, resulting in a temporary population boom at Colinton, from around 1885 until the opening of the railway. [32] [33] [34] The discovery of a gold reef in 1888, by employees of the railway construction contractor, led to desertions from the camp as workers and locals staked claims. [35] The village had a hotel known as the Travellers' Rest Hotel [36] and in the mid-1880s there were several other drinking establishments. Around the same time, there was a market garden operated by ethnic-Chinese near the village. [37]
However, in 1891, Colinton was described, by a visitor, as a mining hamlet "whose glory was departed, now left a prey to goats, pigs, and fowls". [38] Later, the plan of the village was reduced in size and roads closed, several times. [39] [25] [40] [41] [42] In 1938, aside from the soon to close school, the village had a post office and just five houses. [43] In the mid twentieth century, there was still a small settlement at the station, but there is little sign of it now. As late as 1954, the village's post office was being used as a polling place for elections. [44] By the 1950s, village allotments were being sold off for unpaid rates. [45] The unattended railway station closed in 1975 [30] [46] and the railway line ceased operating in 1989. [47]
The Village of Colinton ceased to exist officially, in 1980, when its name was discontinued by the Geographical Names Board. [48]
Newton Street, one of the streets of the former village, still appears on maps, as do many of the old village's building allotments. The Monaro Highway follows the alignment of the former Cooma Street, through most of the village site. [49] [23] Since 1989, there has been a Rural Fire Brigade at Colinton, with its shed located within the site of the former village. [50] [51] [52] The Bumbalong Road provides access to a little known bridge across the Murrumbidgee, the Bumbalong Bridge, Colinton, [53] [54] that leads to the neighbouring locality of Bumbalong. [55] On the Monaro Highway, where it passes through the old village's site, there is an old cottage that was once part of the village. The disused Bombala railway line still passes just to the west of the old village's site and the remnants of the old level crossing at Newton Street can still be seen, as can the wooden railway bridges over Ingalara Creek [56] and Colyers Creek. To the north, on the Monaro Highway, where the old railway once crossed that road, is the Colinton Rest Area. [57] The locality also gave its name to the Colinton Gorge on the Murrumbidgee [58] and to the Colinton Tunnel, which lies on the old railway between the former stations of Colinton and Bredbo. [59] [60] [61]
Monaro Highway is a 285-kilometre-long (177 mi) highway in Victoria, New South Wales, and the Australian Capital Territory, in Australia, linking Cann River in Victoria to Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) via the Monaro region. From its southern terminus, it follows the nearby Cann River upstream towards the New South Wales border through heavily forested terrain. Within New South Wales (NSW), it makes its way through further forest before reaching the pastures typical of the Monaro. There are multiple towns and villages along the highway, including Bombala, Nimmitabel and Cooma. The terrain within the Monaro is largely hilly, and there are numerous crossings. The road also parallels the former Bombala railway line in several locations. Within the ACT, the road becomes a high volume roadway and serves the southern suburbs of Canberra. The highway has more recently had a grade-separated dual carriageway extension constructed within Canberra, as part of the Eastern Parkway construction project. It is designated part of route M23, and route A23 within Canberra, and route B23 within Victoria and New South Wales, with a concurrency where it also carries route B72 between the two sections of Snowy Mountains Highway.
Cooma is a town in the south of New South Wales, Australia. It is located 114 kilometres (71 mi) south of the national capital, Canberra, via the Monaro Highway. It is also on the Snowy Mountains Highway, connecting Bega with the Riverina.
Monaro, once frequently spelt "Manaro", or in early years of settlement "Maneroo" is a region in the south of New South Wales, Australia. A small area of Victoria near Snowy River National Park is geographically part of the Monaro. While the Australian Capital Territory is not considered part of the region, some towns in the Monaro have close links with Canberra.
Michelago is a village in the Monaro region of New South Wales, Australia. The village is in the Snowy Monaro Regional Council local government area, 54 kilometres (34 mi) south of Canberra on the Monaro Highway. It was founded in the 1820s, on the main route from Sydney to the Snowy Mountains. Its name is also applied to the surrounding area, for postal and statistical purposes. At the 2016 census, Michelago had a population of 562.
Bredbo is a village on the Monaro plains of New South Wales, Australia. The village is on the Monaro Highway 34 kilometres (21 mi) north of Cooma. The village is in the Snowy Monaro Regional Council and had a population of 352 at the 2016 census.
Monaro, also known as Maneroo (1856–1858), Monara (1858–1879) and Manaro (1894–1904) is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is currently represented by Steve Whan of the Labor party since the 2023 New South Wales state election.
Williamsdale is a town in the district of Tuggeranong, in the Australian Capital Territory in Australia. Is situated on the northwest side of the Australian Capital Territory border abutting the town of Williamsdale in the Southern Tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia. The Monaro Highway and the former Bombala railway pass through the area. A railway station saw service until 1975. The postcode is 2620.
Cooma-Monaro Shire was a local government area located in the Monaro region of southern New South Wales, Australia. The area was named after the former Cooma Municipality and the former Monaro Shire, that were amalgamated to create it. The Municipality of Cooma was established in 1879, and the Monaro Shire was one of several shires established in 1906. The Monaro Shire and Cooma Municipal Council amalgamated in 1981. On 11 February 2004, Cooma-Monaro Shire absorbed a small part of the former Yarrowlumla Shire, near Michelago.
The Bombala railway line is a branch railway line in the south of New South Wales, Australia. The northern part of it forms part of the main line from Sydney to Canberra, but the southern part is closed. It branches off the Main South line at Joppa Junction, south of Goulburn. The line is used by NSW TrainLink Xplorer services running between Sydney Central and Canberra station.
Williamsdale is a locality situated immediately on the south-east side of the New South Wales border abutting the locality of Williamsdale in south-eastern Australian Capital Territory, Australia. The Monaro Highway and the former Bombala railway pass through the village. A railway station saw service from 1891 until 1975. The postcode is 2620.
The Manaro Mercury, and Cooma and Bombala Advertiser was a newspaper published in Cooma, New South Wales, Australia from 1861 to 24 December 1931.
The Snowy Monaro Regional Council is a local government area located in the Snowy Mountains and Monaro regions of New South Wales, Australia. The council was formed on 12 May 2016 through a forced merger of the Bombala, Cooma-Monaro and Snowy River shires.
Bunyan is a locality in the Snowy Monaro Region, New South Wales, Australia. It lies on the eastern side of the Murrumbidgee River and on both sides of the Monaro Highway about 110 km south of Canberra and about 10 km north of Cooma. At the 2016 census, it had a population of 152.
Michelago railway station is a heritage-listed former railway station on the Bombala railway line at Michelago, Snowy Monaro Regional Council, New South Wales, Australia. The property was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
The Ingalara Creek railway bridge is a heritage-listed former railway bridge that carried the Bombala railway line across Ingalara Creek at Michelago in the Snowy Monaro Regional Council local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by John Whitton in his capacity as Engineer-in-Chief for Railways and built in 1889. It is also known as the Michelago Rail Bridge over Ingalara Creek and the Ingalara Creek Railway Viaduct. The property is owned by Transport Asset Holding Entity, an agency of the Government of New South Wales. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999. On 1 December 2020, changes were made to exemptions relating to the bridge's heritage status.
The Bredbo River railway bridge is a heritage-listed former railway bridge carrying the Bombala railway line over the Bredbo River at Bredbo in the Monaro region of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by John Whitton in his capacity as Engineer-in-Chief for Railways and built from 1881 to 1889. It is also known as the Bredbo Rail Bridge and the Bredbo River Railway Viaduct. The property is owned by Transport Asset Holding Entity, an agency of the Government of New South Wales. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999. On 1 December 2020, changes were made to exemptions relating to the bridge's heritage status.
Arnott Street Railway Bridge was a small, isolated railway bridge in Canberra, most famously used by soviet agent Vladimir Petrov in 1954 as a dead drop location for the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO). The bridge was used as part of the Bombala railway line before it was demolished in 2018.
Bumbalong is a rural locality in the Snowy Monaro Region, New South Wales, Australia. Although it lies in the valley of the Murrumbidgee River, it is sometimes referred to by its residents as Bumbalong Valley. At the 2016 census, it had a population of 24.
Tuggeranong is a former railway station, sometimes referred to as Tuggeranong Siding or Tuggeranong Platform, that was located on a now-disused portion of the Bombala railway line.
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