Crookwell, New South Wales

Crookwell New South Wales
Crookwell
Crookwell
Coordinates	34°27′29″S149°28′13″E / 34.458036°S 149.470283°E / -34.458036; 149.470283
Population	2,098 (UCL 2021) [1]
Postcode(s)	2583
Elevation	887 m (2,910 ft)
Location	113 km (70 mi) N of Canberra 173 km (107 mi) SW of Sydney 45 km (28 mi) NW of Goulburn 144 km (89 mi) S of Bathurst
LGA(s)	Upper Lachlan Shire
Region	Southern Tablelands
County	King
Parish	Crookwell
State electorate(s)	Goulburn
Federal division(s)	Hume
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 18.2 °C 65 °F 5.0 °C 41 °F 863.8 mm 34 in
Localities around Crookwell: Binda Laggan Laggan Lost River Crookwell Roslyn Grabben Gullen Bannister Pejar

Crookwell is a small town located in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia, in the Upper Lachlan Shire. ^[2] At the 2016 census, Crookwell had a population of 2,641. ^[3] The town is at a relatively high altitude of 887 metres and there are several snowfalls during the cooler months. The nearest major centre is the city of Goulburn which is about a half-hour drive to the south-east of the town. Crookwell is easily accessible to the state capital of Sydney and also the federal capital of Canberra.

Most employment is based on rural industries, and the district is renowned for potato farming. Crookwell is also home to what was NSW's first wind farm, which consists of 8 turbines, and is located a few kilometres out of town on the road towards Goulburn.

A railway once connected Goulburn and Crookwell, which opened in 1902, but passenger services to Crookwell station ceased in 1974, ^{[4] [5]} and the last goods train ran in 1985. The line is technically not closed, but has been listed as out of use, and in some locations is now impassable.

History

The area now known as Crookwell lies within the traditional lands of the Gundangurra people. These people spoke a similar if not identical language to the neighbouring Ngunnawal people to their south. ^[6]

The first Europeans known to be in the area were the exploratory party of surveyor James Meehan which camped 1 km south of present-day Grabben Gullen (12 km south-west of Crookwell). John Oxley passed to the north and east later that same year. Crookwell was originally known as "Kiama" but later renamed after the river. ^[7] The area around Crookwell was first settled in the 1820s, and had received its current name by the 1860s.

By 1840, some inns had appeared at the crossroads, but Binda remained the head of the district. ^[8] After this, selection of blocks occurred; and the population of was over 100 by midway through that decade. The first allotments were sold at the end of the decade. By the mid-1870s the population had already reached 1000 people. ^[9]

In 1865, Mary Gilmore was born just 16 km south in the town or Roslyn. ^[8]

From 1941 to 1945, 508,500 tons of iron ore was mined—about six miles by road from the town—and railed to Port Kembla for wartime steel production. ^{[10] [11] [12] [13]}

Crookwell contained one of Australias first wind farms, the Crookwell Wind Farm and the first wind farm that fed into the national power grid. ^[14]

Heritage listings

Crookwell has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

• Goulburn-Crookwell railway: Crookwell railway station ^[15]

Population

In the 2021 Census, there were 2,686 people in Crookwell. ^[16] In the 2016 census 85.8% of people were born in Australia and 91.4% of people spoke only English at home. The most common responses for religion were Catholic 34.9%, Anglican 30.1%, No Religion 14.3% and Uniting Church 7.8%. ^[3]

Governance

Crookwell is the seat of the Upper Lachlan Shire Council local government area (LGA) of New South Wales, Australia, formed in 2004.

Transport

Crookwell is approximately 2.5 hours drive from Sydney via Goulburn, and 1.5 hours from Canberra. Other than the main road to Goulburn, minor roads link Crookwell with Bathurst, Boorowa, Grabben Gullen, Laggan, and Taralga.

Crookwell railway station is the terminus of the now disused Crookwell railway line.

Crookwell has a small unpaved airstrip approximately 5 km south of the town. ^[17]

Climate

Owing to its exposed western location on the upwind side of the Great Dividing Range and somewhat southern latitude, snow is not uncommon during the winter months, with occasional heavy falls. Summers are warm and dry, with cool to cold nights. Winters are cold and wet; when the prevailing westerly cloud is persistent, daily maximum temperatures can struggle to exceed 3 °C (37 °F).

Climate data for Crookwell Post Office (1916–1975, rainfall 1883–2022); 887 m AMSL; 34.46° S, 149.47° E
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	38.0 (100.4)	37.9 (100.2)	32.8 (91.0)	28.3 (82.9)	27.2 (81.0)	17.8 (64.0)	18.5 (65.3)	20.6 (69.1)	26.7 (80.1)	29.4 (84.9)	36.6 (97.9)	35.6 (96.1)	38.0 (100.4)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	26.5 (79.7)	25.9 (78.6)	23.6 (74.5)	18.4 (65.1)	13.9 (57.0)	10.3 (50.5)	9.5 (49.1)	11.0 (51.8)	14.7 (58.5)	18.3 (64.9)	21.4 (70.5)	25.0 (77.0)	18.2 (64.8)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	10.7 (51.3)	10.7 (51.3)	8.8 (47.8)	5.0 (41.0)	2.3 (36.1)	0.6 (33.1)	−0.4 (31.3)	0.3 (32.5)	2.1 (35.8)	4.6 (40.3)	6.7 (44.1)	9.0 (48.2)	5.0 (41.1)
Record low °C (°F)	2.5 (36.5)	3.9 (39.0)	−0.6 (30.9)	−2.9 (26.8)	−7.2 (19.0)	−8.3 (17.1)	−9.2 (15.4)	−7.2 (19.0)	−5.0 (23.0)	−3.3 (26.1)	−0.6 (30.9)	0.6 (33.1)	−9.2 (15.4)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	69.7 (2.74)	54.7 (2.15)	59.3 (2.33)	57.5 (2.26)	65.9 (2.59)	88.5 (3.48)	84.3 (3.32)	89.9 (3.54)	74.9 (2.95)	76.7 (3.02)	68.0 (2.68)	67.4 (2.65)	863.8 (34.01)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm)	7.0	6.3	6.9	7.0	9.2	11.9	12.1	11.7	10.2	9.3	8.0	7.0	106.6
Source: Australian Bureau of Meteorology; Crookwell Post Office

Media

Radio stations

Radio stations with transmitters located in Crookwell include:

• Crookwell FM 88.0 FM
• Triple J 91.7 FM (2JJJ)
• 93.5 Eagle FM 103.9 FM (commercial) (2SNO)
• GNFM 106.1 FM (commercial) (2GBN)
• ABC Local Radio 106.9 FM (2ABCRR)
• ABC Radio National 107.7 FM (2ABCRN)

Depending on location some Goulburn, Illawarra, and/or Canberra based radio stations can also be heard. Eagle FM and GNFM (formerly 2GN) are Goulburn based but licensed to serve towns in the Southern Tablelands including Crookwell. In order to reach Crookwell, both have transmitters which relay the Goulburn broadcast but on different frequencies to Goulburn.

Television

Crookwell has a low powered transmitter broadcasting ABC Television.

Residents wishing to receive a wider range of channels and in digital can attempt to receive signals from either Canberra (Black Mountain), or Orange (Mount Canobolas), although Crookwell is located in the fringe area of both transmitters.

Another option is to use the VAST free-to-view satellite service, which offers a similar range of channels.

Newspaper

The local newspaper, the Crookwell Gazette has been published since 1885.

Notable people

Notable people include Kellie White and Emily Smith (Hockeyroos Captain), who both played for the Hockeyroos in international competition, Mary Douven, a notable community volunteer who gave her time to help the local sporting communities and church groups, who unfortunately died in 2020 one year to the day after her husband Theo Douven, who was a long term employee of the local Upper Lachlan Shire Council.

Photo gallery

• 
  Town entry sign
• 
  Scout Hall
• 
  Bluestone building
• 
  Disused railway station
• 
  Sunburst façade
• 
  Trompe l'oeil on shop wall

See also

• Crookwell railway line

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Crookwell (urban centre and locality)". Australian Census 2021. 
2. "Crookwell". Geographical Names Register (GNR) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales . Retrieved 2 August 2017.
3. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Crookwell (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
4. Scrymgeour, R. A History of the Goulburn- Crookwell Line. Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin. Vol 48, no 721. November 1997.
5. Crookwell station. NSWrail.net, accessed 21 August 2009.
6. Studies, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (6 September 2021). "Map of Indigenous Australia". aiatsis.gov.au. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
7. "Crookwell". The Sydney Morning Herald. 8 February 2004. Archived from the original on 19 September 2007. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
8. "Crookwell". The Sydney Morning Herald. 8 February 2004. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
9. A Snapshot of Crookwell's History Archived 22 April 2011 at the Wayback Machine . Upper Lachlan Shire Council, accessed 20 September 2011.
10. Anonymous (21 June 2015). "A Snapshot of Crookwell's History". www.upperlachlan.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
11. "IRON ORE". Goulburn Evening Post (NSW : 1940 - 1954). 26 March 1942. p. 3. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
12. "IRON ORE". Yass Tribune-Courier (NSW : 1929 - 1954). 12 January 1942. p. 1. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
13. "Crookwell mine (Crookwell iron deposit; Crookwell base metal prospect), Crookwell, King Co., New South Wales, Australia". www.mindat.org. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
14. "Crookwell, NSW". Aussie Towns. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
15. "Crookwell Railway Station and yard group". New South Wales State Heritage Register . Department of Planning & Environment. H01124. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence .
16. "2021 Crookwell, Census All persons QuickStats | Australian Bureau of Statistics". abs.gov.au. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
17. YCRL – CROOKWELL  (PDF). AIP En Route Supplement from Airservices Australia , effective 13 June 2024