Grafton, New South Wales: Difference between revisions
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==History== |
==History== |
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{{Unreferenced section|date=June 2008}} |
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Before European settlement, the Clarence River marked the border between the [[Bundjalung]]<ref name="Tindale">[http://www.samuseum.australia.sa.com/tindaletribes/badjalang.htm Tindale, Norman (1974) "Badjalang" in his ''Catalogue of Australian Aboriginal Tribes''. South Australian Museum] </ref> and [[Gumbainggir]] nations, and so descendants of both language groups can now be found in the Grafton region. |
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Grafton, like many other settlements in the area, was first opened up to white settlement by the cedar-getters. An escaped convict, Richard Craig, 'discovered' the district in 1831. With the wealth of 'red gold' cedar just waiting for exploitation, he was given a pardon and one hundred pounds to bring a party of cedar-getters on the cutter 'Prince George' to the region. Word of such wealth to be had did not take long to spread and one of the arrivals was pioneer John Small on the 'Susan' in 1838, and he first occupied land on Woodford Island. 'The Settlement' (as the embryonic Grafton was then imaginatively named) was established shortly after. |
Grafton, like many other settlements in the area, was first opened up to white settlement by the cedar-getters. An escaped convict, Richard Craig, 'discovered' the district in 1831. With the wealth of 'red gold' cedar just waiting for exploitation, he was given a pardon and one hundred pounds to bring a party of cedar-getters on the cutter 'Prince George' to the region. Word of such wealth to be had did not take long to spread and one of the arrivals was pioneer John Small on the 'Susan' in 1838, and he first occupied land on Woodford Island. 'The Settlement' (as the embryonic Grafton was then imaginatively named) was established shortly after. |
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Revision as of 20:42, 21 December 2009
| Grafton New South Wales | |||||||||
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  Grafton | |||||||||
| Coordinates | 29°41′S 152°56′E / 29.683°S 152.933°E | ||||||||
| Population | 17,501[1] | ||||||||
| Established | 1851 | ||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 2460 | ||||||||
| Elevation | 5 m (16 ft) | ||||||||
| Location | |||||||||
| LGA(s) | Clarence Valley Council | ||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Clarence | ||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Page | ||||||||
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Grafton is the commercial hub of the Clarence River Valley. Established in 1855, Grafton features many historic buildings and tree-lined streets. Located approximately 630 kilometres north of Sydney and 340 km south of Brisbane, Grafton and the Clarence Valley can be reached by road, rail or air. At the 2006 census, Grafton had a population of 17,501 people.[1]
History
 |
Before European settlement, the Clarence River marked the border between the Bundjalung[2] and Gumbainggir nations, and so descendants of both language groups can now be found in the Grafton region.
Grafton, like many other settlements in the area, was first opened up to white settlement by the cedar-getters. An escaped convict, Richard Craig, 'discovered' the district in 1831. With the wealth of 'red gold' cedar just waiting for exploitation, he was given a pardon and one hundred pounds to bring a party of cedar-getters on the cutter 'Prince George' to the region. Word of such wealth to be had did not take long to spread and one of the arrivals was pioneer John Small on the 'Susan' in 1838, and he first occupied land on Woodford Island. 'The Settlement' (as the embryonic Grafton was then imaginatively named) was established shortly after.
In 1851, Governor FitzRoy officially named the town "Grafton", after his grandfather, the Duke of Grafton, a former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Grafton was proclaimed a city in 1885. Local industries include, logging, beef cattle, fishing/prawning, sugar, manufacturing and tourism is a growing part of the local economy.
The town is also known for its double-decker road/railway bridge, opened in 1932, completing the standard gauge rail connection between Sydney and Brisbane, and also forming a vital link for the Pacific Highway. This bridge is a one of a kind and is a major feature on the Clarence River in Grafton.
Culture
Grafton is also known as the Jacaranda City, in reference to its tree-lined streets and annual Jacaranda Festival, held in October/November.
Grafton is also well known for the Grafton Cup horserace, held on the second Thursday in July. A half day holiday is observed in Grafton for the Cup day.
The people of Grafton have a large interest in country music. Local artist, Troy Cassar-Daley received four Golden Guitar awards in the 2006 Tamworth Country Music Awards — the largest and most prestigious country music awards in Australia. At the same awards event Samantha McClymont, the 2005/2006 Grafton Jacaranda Queen and sister of Brooke McClymont, also received an award for her country music talent.
A vision of Grafton with its numerous brilliantly-flowered trees in bloom, is immortalised in Australian music culture in Cold Chisel's song Flame Trees.
Notable buildings
Christ Church Cathedral, designed by John Horbury Hunt was opened in 1884 and is the seat of the Anglican Diocese of Grafton.[3]
Schaeffer House is a historic 1900 Federation house and contains the collection of the Clarence River Historical Society which was formed in 1931.
Transportation
The Murwillumbah – Byron Bay – Lismore railway (opened in 1894) was extended to Grafton in 1905[4]; for details, see Murwillumbah railway line. The North Coast Line reached South Grafton from Sydney in 1915. Pending the opening of the combined road and rail bascule bridge in 1932, Grafton had a train ferry to connect the two railways. Clarence Valley Regional Airport is the airport that services Grafton.
Grafton also lies on the Pacific Highway, the main North-South road route through Eastern Australia, and links it to the Gwydir Highway, one of the primary East-West routes through Eastern Australia.
Industry
Harwood Mill is the oldest working sugar mill in New South Wales. The daily newspaper of Grafton is The Daily Examiner, owned by media conglomerate Australian Provincial Newspapers (APN), part of the media empire controlled by Irish magnate Tony O'Reilly.
Born in Grafton
- Sir Grafton Elliot Smith (15 August 1871 – 1 January 1937), an anatomist and palaeoanthropologist.
- Sir Earle Page (8 August 1880 – 20 December 1961), Prime Minister of Australia, 1939
- Iven Giffard Mackay (7 April 1882 – 30 September 1966), Lieutenant General
- Dr Elizabeth Annette Essex-Cohen (21 April 1940 – 21 March 2004), gained international recognition as an ionosphere physicist with her pioneering work on the Global Positioning System (GPS); a brass plaque was presented on her behalf at her former high school, Grafton High, the year after she died [5]
- Graham Wilson, rugby league footballer of the 1960s.
- Brent Livermore (5 July 1976–), Australian field hockey midfielder
- Adam Eckersley, musician
- Brooke McClymont (16 May 1981 –), singer/songwriter, and her sisters Samantha and Mollie, The McClymonts
Radio stations
- 2GF 1206 AM/103.9 FM (commercial)
- FM 104.7 (commercial)
- JJJ 91.5 FM/96.1 FM
- ABC Northern Rivers 738 AM/94.5 FM
- Classic FM 97.9 FM/95.3 FM
- Radio National 99.5 FM/96.9 FM
- Racing Radio 101.5 FM
- Life FM 103.1 (community)
Schools
- McAuley Catholic College
- South Grafton High
- Grafton High
- Clarence Valley Anglican School, formerly Cathedral School
- St. Andrews Christian School
References
- ^ a b Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Grafton (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 September 2009.
- ^ Tindale, Norman (1974) "Badjalang" in his Catalogue of Australian Aboriginal Tribes. South Australian Museum
- ^ Diocese of Grafton. "Grafton Cathedral". Retrieved 19 May 2006.
- ^ Grafton — Rail Centre of the Clarence for 100 Years Milne, Rod Australian Railway History, November 2005, pp. 443–463
- ^ University of Melbourne. "Essex-Cohen, Elizabeth Annette". Retrieved 18 June 2008.
External links
- http://www.tropicalnsw.com.au/aaa_site/places/towns/grafton.html
- http://www.nor.com.au/community/museums
- http://www.geocities.com/tim_fisherturville/grafton.htm
- Photographs of Grafton in 1994, National Library of Australia
See also
 Cities of New South Wales | |
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