| Coolac New South Wales | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Coolac Hotel | |||||||||
  Coolac | |||||||||
| Coordinates | 34°55′0″S148°09′0″E / 34.91667°S 148.15000°E | ||||||||
| Population | 216 (2016 census) [1] | ||||||||
| Established | 1824 | ||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 2727 | ||||||||
| Elevation | 308 m (1,010 ft) | ||||||||
| Location |
| ||||||||
| LGA(s) | Gundagai Council | ||||||||
| County | Harden | ||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Cootamundra | ||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Riverina | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Coolac is a village in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia in Gundagai Council. At the 2016 census, Coolac had a population of 216. [1]
The name Coolac is derived from the local Aboriginal name for a plant which was abundant in the area and also from the Aboriginal word meaning "native bear". [4]
Coolac Post Office opened on 1 June 1870. [5]
The 11 kilometre section of the Hume Highway at Coolac was the last two-lane section of highway between Sydney and the Sturt Highway interchange. Since 1986, plans had been drawn-up for the Coolac bypass, with a review of environmental factors report completed in 1997 but construction did not commence until May 2007 with the project opening in August 2009 - Under AusLink. [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]
In August 2009, the Coolac bypass was officially opened. [12]
The satirical Bald Archy art competition (named from the more prestigious Archibald Prize) began in Coolac at the Coolac Festival of Fun, launched by Peter Batey. The home of this competition is now the Museum of the Riverina in Wagga Wagga and it also travels to Sydney and Melbourne for exhibition once Maude the Cockatoo, who is the official judge, selects the winning entries each year.
The Coolac Geological Site 48 kilometres (30 mi) north-east of Coolac, is the best known example in Australia of a substantial ophiolite assemblage. The distinctive rock assemblage over a 130-hectare (320-acre) site provides insights into events in the continental evolution of eastern Australia. [13] [14] The rocks here were part of the oceanic crust and mantle, normally not exposed on the Earth's surface. The rock from the mantle is called Coolac Serpentinite.
Hume Highway, inclusive of the sections now known as Hume Freeway and Hume Motorway, is one of Australia's major inter-city national highways, running for 840 kilometres (520 mi) between Melbourne in the southwest and Sydney in the northeast. Upgrading of the route from Sydney's outskirts to Melbourne's outskirts to dual carriageway was completed on 7 August 2013.
The Murrumbidgee River is a major tributary of the Murray River within the Murray–Darling basin and the second longest river in Australia. It flows through the Australian state of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, descending 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) over 1,485 kilometres (923 mi), generally in a west-northwesterly direction from the foot of Peppercorn Hill in the Fiery Range of the Snowy Mountains towards its confluence with the Murray River near Boundary Bend.
Wagga Wagga is a major regional city in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, with an urban population of more than 71,241 as of 2023, Wagga Wagga is the state's second largest inland city after Maitland, and is an important agricultural, military, and transport hub of Australia. The ninth largest inland city in Australia, Wagga Wagga is located midway between the two largest cities in Australia—Sydney and Melbourne—and is the major regional centre for the Riverina and South West Slopes regions.
Harden–Murrumburrah is a township and community in the Hilltops Region and is located in the South West Slopes of New South Wales in Australia. Harden is adjacent to both the Canberra region of the Australian Capital Territory and the Riverina Region in the southwest area of NSW. The town is a twin town between Harden and Murrumburrah.
Sturt Highway is an Australian national highway in New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. It is an important road link for the transport of passengers and freight between Sydney and Adelaide and the regions along the route.
Olympic Highway is a 317-kilometre (197 mi) rural road in the central western and south-eastern Riverina regions of New South Wales, Australia. It services rural communities, links Hume Highway with Mid-Western Highway, and provides part of an alternate road link between Sydney and Albury via Bathurst and Cowra as well as servicing Wagga Wagga, linking with Sturt Highway.
Junee is a medium-sized town in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The town's prosperity and mixed services economy is based on a combination of agriculture, rail transport, light industry and government services, and in particular correctional services. In 2015 Junee's urban population was 4,762.
Gundagai is a town in New South Wales, Australia. Although a small town, Gundagai is a popular topic for writers and has become a representative icon of a typical Australian country town. Located along the Murrumbidgee River and Muniong, Honeysuckle, Kimo, Mooney Mooney, Murrumbidgee and Tumut mountain ranges, Gundagai is 390 kilometres (240 mi) south-west of Sydney. Until 2016, Gundagai was the administrative centre of Gundagai Shire local government area. In the 2021 census, the population of Gundagai was 2,057.
The Riverina is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales, Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, warm to hot climate and an ample supply of water for irrigation. This combination has allowed the Riverina to develop into one of the most productive and agriculturally diverse areas of Australia. Bordered on the south by the state of Victoria and on the east by the Great Dividing Range, the Riverina covers those areas of New South Wales in the Murray and Murrumbidgee drainage zones to their confluence in the west.
Tarcutta is a town in south-western New South Wales, Australia. The town is 438 kilometres (272 mi) south-west of Sydney, 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) east of the Hume Highway, It was proclaimed as a village on 28 October 1890. As of 2016, the town had a population of 446.
Cootamundra, nicknamed Coota, is a town in the South West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia and within the Riverina. It is within the Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council. At the 2016 Census, Cootamundra had a population of 6,782. It is located on the Olympic Highway at the point where it crosses the Muttama Creek, between Junee and Cowra. Its railway station is on the Main Southern line, part of the Melbourne-to-Sydney line.
Coleambally is a small town in the Riverina of New South Wales, Australia, in Murrumbidgee Local Government Area.
Coolamon is a town in the Riverina region of south-west New South Wales, Australia. Coolamon is 40 kilometres (25 mi) north-west of Wagga Wagga and 506 kilometres (314 mi) south-west of Sydney via the Hume and Sturt Highways. The town is situated on the railway line between Junee and Narrandera. Coolamon had a population of 2,275 at the 2021 census and is 290 metres (950 ft) above sea level. It is the administrative and service centre for the local government area which bears its name—Coolamon Shire.
Tumblong is a village community in the central east part of the Riverina and situated about 18 kilometres (11 mi) south east from Mundarlo and 25 kilometres (16 mi) northwest of Adelong. It was known as Adelong Crossing or Adelong Crossing Place until 1913. At the 2011 census, Tumblong and the surrounding area had a population of 338.
Jugiong is a locality and town on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River near its confluence with Jugiong Creek. in the Hilltops Council Local Government area, New South Wales, Australia. It is situated just off the Hume Highway, by road, about 30 kilometres southwest from Bookham and 40 kilometres northeast from Gundagai.
Darbalara is a rural community on the east bank of the junction of the Murrumbidgee River and Tumut River in the Riverina. It is situated by road, about 25 kilometres north east of Gundagai and 25 kilometres south of Coolac.
Camden Valley Way is a 23-kilometre (14 mi) arterial road between the southwestern fringes of suburban Sydney and the historic town of Camden. It is a former alignment of Hume Highway.
The Adelong Creek, a perennial river that is part of the Murrumbidgee catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, is located in the South West Slopes, and Riverina regions of New South Wales, Australia.
Sheahan Bridge is a dual carriageway bridge over the Murrumbidgee River on the Hume Highway in Gundagai, New South Wales. It is the third longest bridge in New South Wales after the Macleay Valley Bridge and Sydney Harbour Bridge, which at 1.149 km (0.714 mi) is only slightly longer than the Sheahan Bridge's 1.141 km (0.709 mi).
Media related to Coolac, New South Wales at Wikimedia Commons
