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Muswellbrook, New South Wales

Coordinates: 32°15′56″S 150°53′19″E / 32.26556°S 150.88861°E / -32.26556; 150.88861
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Not to be confused with Muswellbrook Shire.

Muswellbrook
New South Wales
Hope City Church
Muswellbrook is located in New South Wales
Muswellbrook
Muswellbrook
Coordinates32°15′56″S 150°53′19″E / 32.26556°S 150.88861°E / -32.26556; 150.88861
Population16,000 (2021)[1]
Established1833
Postcode(s)2333
Elevation220 m (722 ft)
Location
LGA(s)Muswellbrook Shire
State electorate(s)Upper Hunter
Federal division(s)Hunter

Muswellbrook (/ˈmʌsəlbrʊk/ MUSS-əl-bruuk[2]) is a town in the Upper Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia,[3] about 243 km (151 mi) north of Sydney and 127 km (79 mi) north-west of Newcastle.

Geologically, Muswellbrook is situated in the northern parts of the Sydney basin, bordering the New England region.[4]

The area is predominantly known for coal mining and horse breeding, but has also developed a reputation for gourmet food and wine production. As of the 2021 census Muswellbrook has a population of 12,272.[5] Located to the south of the Muswellbrook township are two coal fuelled power stations, Liddell and Bayswater. They were commissioned in 1973 and mid 1980s respectively and employ approximately 500 people from the area.

History

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Before European settlement of the region the Wonnarua and Gamilaroi peoples occupied the land.[6] The first European to explore the area was Chief Constable John Howe in 1819, with the first white settlement occurring in the 1820s. The township of Muswellbrook was gazetted on 23 October 1833.[7] To the south, "Forbestown" was established by the sons of Francis Forbes in 1842; the name was changed in 1848 to "South Muswellbrook" to prevent confusion with the town of Forbes.[8]

Heritage listings

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

Etymology

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"Mussel Creek" (now called "Muscle Creek") was first named by a party of surveyors who found mussels in the small stream while camping along its banks in the early 19th century. The present spelling of Muswellbrook has a disputed etymology. Historians largely subscribe to one of two theories:

  1. that the name derives from the Muswell Hill area of London (England), due to the influence of Sir Francis Forbes whose wife, Amelia, was born and schooled in that town; or
  2. that the name is a gradual corruption of the original gazetted name "Musclebrook", eventually adopted as the official spelling due to common use.[17]

Population

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According to the 2021 census of Population, there were 12,272 people in Muswellbrook.[18]

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 13.1% of the population.
  • 84.7% of people were born in Australia. The most common countries of birth were New Zealand 1.5%, England 1.0% and Philippines 0.9%.
  • 86.9% of people only spoke English at home.
  • The most common responses for religion were No Religion 35.6%, Anglican 23.0%, and Catholic 20.2%.[18]
Historical population
YearPop.±%
19212,789—    
19333,984+42.8%
19473,939−1.1%
19545,635+43.1%
19615,717+1.5%
19666,486+13.5%
19718,125+25.3%
19767,805−3.9%
19818,548+9.5%
19869,988+16.8%
199110,140+1.5%
199610,541+4.0%
200110,010−5.0%
200610,222+2.1%
201111,042+8.0%
201610,404−5.8%
202110,901+4.8%
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics data.[19][20]

Transport

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The New England Highway currently passes through the town. A route was selected for a bypass in 2006 but the Australian Government suspended the project in August 2008.[21] Denman Road provides a connection to the Golden Highway.

Rail

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The Muswellbrook railway station, is serviced by local (Newcastle to Scone) and long-distance rail (Sydney to Armidale and Moree) services.[22] Interstate coaches and local bus services also call at the station.

Muswellbrook lies at the junction of the Main Northern railway line and the Merriwa line, part of a cross country rail line to Gulgong.[23] As such, it formed an important junction, as well as serving the numerous coal mining sidings found within a short distance from the main station building.[24]

[edit]

The Steely Dan song "Black Friday" from the 1975 album Katy Lied contains the lyrics:

"When Black Friday comes,

I'll fly down to Muswellbrook, gonna strike all the big red words from my little black book.

Gonna do just what I please, gonna wear no socks and shoes, with nothing to do but feed

all the kangaroos."

Songwriter Donald Fagen explained the lyrics in an interview with Paul Cashmere of Undercover Music; "I think we had a map and put our finger down at the place that we thought would be the furthest away from New York or wherever we were at the time".[25]

Donald Horne spent his early childhood in Muswellbrook and the first volume of his autobiography, The Education of Young Donald, features an extensive description of life in the town in the 1920s and early 1930s.

Muswellbrook is also mentioned in Thomas Keneally's book The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith.

Muswellbrook also features prominently in the Robert G Barrett novel, "The Tesla Legacy".

Annual events

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  • Blue Heeler Film Festival[26]
  • Muswellbrook Carnivale[27]
  • Muswellbrook and Upper Hunter Eisteddfod[28]
  • Muswellbrook Creative Arts Fair
  • NAIDOC Week Art Awards
  • Rock'n The Brook
  • The Muswellbrook Show
  • Noisy Heerler Music Festival (October)
  • St Heliers Heavy Horse Field Days[29]

Schools

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Military history

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During World War II, Muswellbrook was the location of RAAF No.5 Inland Aircraft Fuel Depot (IAFD), completed in 1942 and closed on 29 August 1944. Usually consisting of 4 tanks, 31 fuel depots were built across Australia for the storage and supply of aircraft fuel for the RAAF and the US Army Air Forces at a total cost of £900,000 (A$1,800,000).[37]

Notable persons

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2017-18: Population Estimates by Significant Urban Area, 2008 to 2018". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 22 April 2019. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018.
  2. ^ "Muswellbrook Local Court". YouTube. 15 January 2014. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  3. ^ "Muswellbrook". Geographical Names Register (GNR) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. Retrieved 26 March 2009. Edit this at Wikidata
  4. ^ "untitled image". New South Wales Department of Primary Industries. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  5. ^ "2021 Muswellbrook, Census Community Profiles | Australian Bureau of Statistics". www.abs.gov.au. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  6. ^ Fiona McBurney. "Aboriginal people of Muswellbrook Shire – Muswellbrook Shire Council". Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  7. ^ Exercise book Historical notes - hand-written, indexed in back
  8. ^ "Muswellbrook Town Historical Walk". Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  9. ^ "Muswellbrook Post Office (Place ID 106128)". Australian Heritage Database. Australian Government. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  10. ^ "Weidmann Cottage". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H00260. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence.
  11. ^ "Loxton House". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H00185. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence.
  12. ^ "Eatons Hotel & St Vincent De Paul Group". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H00331. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence.
  13. ^ "{{{2}}}". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence.
  14. ^ "Rous Lench". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H00211. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence.
  15. ^ "St. Alban's Anglican Church". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H00458. 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. ^ "Muswellbrook Railway Station and yard group". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H01208. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence.
  17. ^ Fiona McBurney. "The naming of our town as 'Muswellbrook'". Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  18. ^ a b "2021 Muswellbrook, Census All persons QuickStats | Australian Bureau of Statistics". www.abs.gov.au. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  19. ^ "Statistics by Catalogue Number". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  20. ^ "Search Census data". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  21. ^ "Muswellbrook Bypass". www.rta.nsw.gov.au. Archived from the original on 5 December 2005. Retrieved 1 May 2007.
  22. ^ "Muswellbrook Station". Transport for NSW. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  23. ^ "Merriwa Branch". www.nswrail.net. Retrieved 3 December 2006.
  24. ^ Muswellbrook up to the Early 1950s Estell, D. Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, April 1997 pp99-106
  25. ^ Cashmere, Paul (8 April 2007). "The Steely Dan Interview: Paul Cashmere Talks to Donald Fagen". Undercover Media Pty Ltd. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  26. ^ "HOME – Muswellbrook Shire Council". Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  27. ^ "Muswellbrook Carnivale... in spring". Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  28. ^ "Muswellbrook & Upper Hunter Eisteddfod Inc". Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  29. ^ "St Heliers Heavy Horse Field Days Inc. – St Heliers Heavy Horse Field Days". Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  30. ^ "Home – Muswellbrook South Public School". Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  31. ^ "Home – Muswellbrook Public School". Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  32. ^ "St James' Primary School, Muswellbrook". Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  33. ^ "Home – Muswellbrook High School". Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  34. ^ "Muswellbrook Pre School". Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  35. ^ "Pacific Brook Christian School". Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  36. ^ "Little Kindy Muswellbrook". Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  37. ^ Australia. Royal Australian Air Force. Historical Section (1995), Logistics units, AGPS Press, ISBN 978-0-644-42798-2
  38. ^ "Player Profile: Kurt Barnes". Golf Australia. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  39. ^ Germaine, Max (1984). Artists and Galleries of Australia. Brisbane, Australia: Booralong Publications.
  40. ^ "Tommy Emmanuel". Australian Music Database. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  41. ^ "Jamie Feeney – Career Stats & Summary". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  42. ^ "Wayne Harris made Muswellbrook race club life member". ThoroughbredNews. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  43. ^ Magnay, Jacqueline (13 June 2007). "Hayne has chosen his side already". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
  44. ^ "Horne, Donald Richard". Muswellbrook Shire Hall of Fame. Muswellbrook Visitors Centre. 2005. Archived from the original on 25 April 2013. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  45. ^ "Athlete Spotlight". Australian Institute of Sport. Australian Sports Commission. 2 August 2010. Archived from the original on 6 December 2011. Retrieved 16 March 2012.
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