Moonbi Range

Last updated

Moonbi
Moonbi Range.JPG
New England Highway on the 1st Moonbi Hill
Highest point
PeakMount Black Jack
Elevation 1,300 m (4,300 ft)
AHD
Coordinates 30°57′50″S151°07′42″E / 30.96389°S 151.12833°E / -30.96389; 151.12833 [1]
Dimensions
Length150 km (93 mi)NNW
Geography
Australia New South Wales relief location map.png
Red triangle with thick white border.svg
Location of the Moonbi Range in New South Wales
CountryAustralia
StateNew South Wales
RegionNorthern Tablelands, New South Wales
Range coordinates 31°12′S151°25′E / 31.200°S 151.417°E / -31.200; 151.417 [2]
Parent range New England Range

The Moonbi Range, a mountain range that is part of the Great Dividing Range, is located in the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia.

Contents

The range is located roughly 20 kilometres (12 mi) north east of the city of Tamworth situated at the bottom of the Wentworth Mounds, which is part of the Moonbi Range. These mounds form a spur of the Great Dividing Range where the North West Slopes meet to the Northern Tablelands. The Moonbi Range rises from 500–1,300 metres (1,600–4,300 ft) above sea level and it generally forms the divide between the watersheds of the Cockburn River to the south, and the Macdonald River to the north, which are both themselves tributaries of the Namoi River. [2]

The higher parts of the area often receive a snowfall in the winter, and the highest peak in the range is called Black Jack Mountain at 1,300 metres (4,300 ft).

History

Aboriginal history

The original inhabitants of the ranges were Aborigines of the Kamilaroi clan.

European history

To the road traveller on the New England Highway, the Moonbi Range is notable as it is a major uphill climb on the highway as the motorist ascends from Moonbi at the foot of the 1st Moonbi Hill to the Northern Tablelands and the village of Bendemeer.

In 1832 Edward Gostwyck Cory blazed a track over the range that the existing highway has generally followed. A granite boulder named Cory's Pillar (sometimes Cory's Pillow or Cory's Nightcap) commemorates where Cory is believed to have rested during his travels.

In his poem Over the Range, Andrew "Banjo" Paterson wrote of the obstacle that the Moonbi Range created for travellers to the Northern Tablelands. When Banjo Paterson was born in 1864, the Great North Road was still in poor condition making travel to the New England district for wagon teams very difficult. The mountain range was also immortalised in the annals of Australian country and western music by Buddy Williams. His song, The Mighty Moonbi Range, fitted into the truckdriving genre and included spellbinding verses such as, "Big Jim was a timber man with muscles made of steel. An iron nerve to hold the curve, two big hands on the wheel. But twenty tonnes of ironbark, the devils fatal load, went crashing off the Moonbi... the end of Big Jim's road."

'The Pinch' was a pass over the First Moonbi Hill near Cory's Pillar which involved a steep climb of about 200 metres (660 ft). Here teamsters used to hitch several teams together to haul their wagons up this section. Descending the range loaded, they often dragged felled trees behind them to slow their descent down these steep slopes.

Capt. B. H. Martindale, the Commissioner for Internal Communication, in his fourth report in 1860 was able to refer to "2 miles of road at the Moonbi’s Pass which has been greatly improved." By 1865, the road section between Tamworth and Bendemeer had been cleared and fenced. [3]

A second route was found through the Moonbi Ranges in the early 1870s which eliminated the steep section of "The (Blue) Pinch."

In 1937 a new bitumen sealed route to eliminate the earlier "S-Bend" deviation and a steep section was built from Moonbi over the range. Reconstruction on the First Moonbi Hill which began in 1975 now continues on a 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) section, which has double traffic lanes in each direction. Emergency stopping beds have been built running off the highway on both of the hills in case of vehicle brake failure.

The Moonbi Park lookout situated in a high area just off the New England Highway roughly 25 kilometres (16 mi) north of Tamworth, offers views of the area south of the mountain from a huge granite boulder.

Moonbi range pano.jpg
Panoramic view looking south from a higher part of the range

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Dividing Range</span> Mountain range in Australia

The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills, that runs roughly parallel to the east coast of Australia and forms the fifth-longest land-based mountain chain in the world, and the longest entirely within a single country. It is mainland Australia's most substantial topographic feature and serves as the definitive watershed for the river systems in eastern Australia, hence the name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New England (New South Wales)</span> Region in New South Wales, Australia

New England is a geographical region in the north of the state of New South Wales, Australia, about 60 km inland from the Tasman Sea. The area includes the Northern Tablelands and the North West Slopes regions. As of 2021, New England had a population of 185,560, with over a quarter of the people living in the area of Tamworth Regional Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oxley Highway</span> Highway in New South Wales, Australia

Oxley Highway is a rural highway in New South Wales, Australia, linking Nevertire, Gilgandra, Coonabarabran, Tamworth, and Walcha to Port Macquarie, on the coast of the Tasman Sea. It was named to commemorate John Oxley, the first European to explore much of inland New South Wales in 1818.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Namoi River</span> River in New South Wales, Australia

The Namoi River, a major perennial river that is part of the Barwon catchment of the Murray–Darling basin, is located in the Northern Tablelands and North West Slopes districts of New South Wales, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macdonald River (Bendemeer)</span> River in New South Wales, Australia

Macdonald River, a perennial river that is part of the Namoi catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, is located in the Northern Tablelands district of New South Wales, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Binalong</span> Town in New South Wales, Australia

Binalong is a village in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia, 37 km north-west of Yass in Yass Valley Shire. At the 2016 census, Binalong and the surrounding area had a population of 543.

Kootingal is a town in New South Wales, Australia in the Tamworth Regional Council area. It is commonly called a satellite suburb of Tamworth because of its closeness and the fact that its residents use Tamworth's services. Founded as an Aboriginal mission, Kootingal traces its name roots to the local Aboriginal Kamilaroi language. At the 2021 census, Kootingal had a population of 2,313 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moonbi</span> Town in New South Wales, Australia

Moonbi is a village situated on the New England Highway 20 kilometres north of Tamworth, New South Wales, Australia. It is nestled at the foot of the Moonbi Range and is part of the Tamworth Regional Council local government area. Moonbi is located a few kilometres to the north of the town of Kootingal. At the 2006 census, Moonbi had a population of 357 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Tablelands</span> Region in New South Wales, Australia

The Northern Tablelands, also known as the New England Tableland, is a plateau and a region of the Great Dividing Range in northern New South Wales, Australia. It includes the New England Range, the narrow highlands area of the New England region, stretching from the Moonbi Range in the south to the Queensland border in the north. The region corresponds generally to the Bureau of Meteorology forecast area for the Northern Tablelands which in this case includes Inverell although it is significantly lower in elevation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorrigo Plateau</span> Area of Australia

The Dorrigo Plateau is a plateau in the Northern Tablelands and New England regions of New South Wales, Australia. The plateau forms part of the Great Dividing Range and is sometimes referred to as the Dorrigo and Guy Fawkes Plateau.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Round Mountain (Northern Tablelands)</span> Mountain in New South Wales, Australia

Round Mountain, a mountain of the Snowy Range, a spur of the Great Dividing Range, is located on the Northern Tablelands in the New England region in New South Wales, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cockburn River</span> River in New South Wales, Australia

Cockburn River is a perennial river that is part of the Namoi catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, located in the Northern Tablelands district of New South Wales, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mooki River</span> River in New South Wales, Australia

Mooki River, a perennial stream that is part of the Namoi catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, is located in the Northern Tablelands district of New South Wales, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Niangala, New South Wales</span> Suburb of Tamworth Regional Council, New South Wales, Australia

Niangala is a village located on the south-eastern edge of the Northern Tablelands area of New South Wales, Australia. It is on the Moonbi Range which is part of the Great Dividing Range, at approximately 1,300 metres (4,265 ft) above sea level. The village is in Walcha parish in Parry County. At the 2011 census, Niangala and the surrounding area had a population of 142.

Cataract River, a mostly perennial stream of the Clarence River catchment, is located in the Northern Tablelands district of New South Wales, Australia.

Danglemah is a bounded rural locality in the New England region of Australia.

The Gibraltar Range is a mountain range in the Northern Tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia. The range extends off the Great Dividing Range at Bald Nob about 25 kilometres (16 mi) east northeast of Glen Innes and trends generally east northeast and north northeast for about 100 kilometres (62 mi) to the junction of Timbarra and Clarence rivers. It forms the watershed between these two rivers.

Barren Mountain is a mountain standing approximately 1,437 metres (4,715 ft) AHD , situated as one of the highest points on the Dorrigo Plateau, that is part of the Great Dividing Range, located in the Northern Tablelands and New England regions of New South Wales, Australia.

The Clouds Creek, a perennial stream that is part of the Clarence River catchment, is located in the Northern Tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia.

The River Lett is a perennial stream of the Hawkesbury-Nepean catchment. It is located in the Central Tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia.

References

  1. "Black Jack Mountain". Geographical Names Register (GNR) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales . Retrieved 6 May 2015. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  2. 1 2 "Moonbi Range". Geographical Names Register (GNR) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales . Retrieved 6 May 2015. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  3. "New Road Through Rugged Moonbi Ranges". ozroads.com.au. Retrieved 27 March 2009.