New England is a geographical region in the north of the state of

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, Australia, about inland from the

Tasman Sea The Tasman Sea is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, who in 1642 wa ...

. The area includes the Northern Tablelands (or New England 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.

History

The region has been occupied by

Indigenous Australians Indigenous Australians are people with familial heritage from, or recognised membership of, the various ethnic groups living within the territory of contemporary Australia prior to History of Australia (1788–1850), British colonisation. The ...

for tens of thousands of years, in the west by the

Kamilaroi The Gamilaroi, also known as Gomeroi, Kamilaroi, Kamillaroi and other variations, are an Aboriginal Australian people whose lands extend from New South Wales to southern Queensland. They form one of the four largest Indigenous Australians, Indi ...

people. In the highlands, the original languages (which are now extinct) included Anaiwan to the south of Guyra and Ngarbal to the north of Guyra. The population of the tablelands has been estimated to be 1,100 to 1,200 at the time of colonisation – quite low in comparison to the Liverpool Plains and Gwyder River region, estimated to be 4,500 to 5,500. Conflict, disease and environmental damage caused the tablelands population to be reduced to 400 by the 1890s. The first European to explore the New England area was English explorer

John Oxley John Joseph William Molesworth Oxley (1784 – 25 May 1828) was an English List of explorers, explorer and surveyor of Australia in the early period of British colonisation. He served as Surveyor General of New South Wales and is perhaps bes ...

, who crossed the southern part of the New England Range near the Apsley Falls before he discovered and named

Port Macquarie Port Macquarie, sometimes shortened to Port Mac and commonly locally nicknamed Port, is a coastal city on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane, on the Tasman Sea coast at the mouth of the ...

in 1818. In 1827 Allan Cunningham travelled north along the western edge of the Range until he reached the

Darling Downs The Darling Downs is a farming region on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range in southern Queensland, Australia. The Downs are to the west of South East Queensland and are one of the major regions of Queensland. The name was generally ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

. In 1831 Thomas Mitchell reached Wallamoul Station near Tamworth and explored to the Namoi River then followed it to

Narrabri Narrabri ( ) is a locality and seat of Narrabri Shire Local government in Australia, local government area in the North West Slopes, New South Wales, Australia on the Namoi River, northwest of Sydney. It sits on the junction of the Kamilaroi Hi ...

. Moving on, Mitchell found a deep, broad river which was the Gwydir. In 1832, Mitchell cut across the plains to the Gwydir River near Moree. The team then spent several weeks charting the tributaries between the Gwydir and the Barwon Rivers. Hamilton Collins Sempill was the first settler in the New England area when he took up the 'Wolka' run in 1832, establishing slab huts where 'Langford' now stands close to Walcha. During the 1830s further squatters moved their sheep flocks onto the Northern Tablelands as they had been displaced by the

Australian Agricultural Company The Australian Agricultural Company (AACo; ) is a public-listed Australian company that, as of 2018, owns and operates feedlots and farms covering around of land in Queensland and the Northern Territory, roughly one percent of Australia's land ...

, which dominated resources in the Hunter Valley. When the area was opened up for settlement in the 1830s, this led to the gazetting of nine pastoral districts. These districts had a small police force and a Commissioner of Crown Lands. Australian red cedar (''

Toona ciliata ''Toona ciliata'' is a forest tree in the mahogany family which grows throughout South Asia from Afghanistan to Papua New Guinea and Australia. Names It is commonly known as the red cedar (a name shared by other trees), tone, toon or toona (als ...

'') cutters moved into the headwaters of the

Macleay River The Macleay River is a river that spans the Northern Tablelands and Mid North Coast districts of New South Wales, Australia. Course and features Formed by the confluence of the Gara River, Salisbury Waters and Bakers Creek, the Macleay River ...

in the early 1830s to harvest the valuable trees. The ranges between Kempsey and Glen Innes yielded about in 1950. BingaraCourtHouse

Work commenced in 1838 with the use of convicts to build a road, then known as ''Major's Line'', across the Great Dividing Range to link the wool-growing settlement of Walcha with Port Macquarie. This road was later named the Oxley Highway. On 22 May 1839 the New England District was gazetted thus: ''New England District: Bounded on the east by a line north by compass from the top of Werrikimber Mountain which is at the head of the Hastings River; on the south by a line west by compass from the top of Werrikimber Mountain to the Great Dividing Range; on the west by the western extreme of the Great Dividing Range so as to include the Tableland and on the north the boundary is indefinite''. In 1840 there were 66 separate pastoral licences, in 1842 it rose to 98, 1845 – 116; and by 1848 there were 132. Only 10 new runs were registered between 1848 and 1855. In 1843 the

district was separated from the New England. This region ceased to be a statistical division after 1874, but the counties of Arrawatta, Clarke, Clive, Gough, Hardinge, Hawes, Sandon and Vernon approximated the region's limits. In 1847 these counties, with the exception of Hawes and Vernon formed part of the "Unsettled District" of the colony. By 1850 all major communication routes had been forged, with little government assistance. During the 1860s the famous bushranger,

Captain Thunderbolt Frederick Wordsworth Ward (c. 1835 – 25 May 1870), better known by the Style (manner of address)#Self-styled, self-styled pseudonym of Captain Thunderbolt, was an Australian bushranger renowned for escaping from Cockatoo Island, New South Wal ...

, robbed properties, mail coaches and hotels throughout the region. Thunderbolt was shot dead in May 1870 by Constable Walker at Kentucky Creek, near Uralla. The population of the New England Region, including the slopes in 1957 was 143,788 and in 1971 there were 164,128 people, according to the census data. In the 2006 census the New England region had a population of 180,000 which included the local government areas of Armidale Dumaresq, Inverell, Walcha, Glen Innes Severn, Gunnedah, Guyra, Gwydir, Liverpool Plains, Moree Plains, Narrabri, Tamworth Regional and Uralla.

Mining

Gold was discovered in 1851 at Rocky River, approximately two kilometres west of Uralla and started a rush to the area. Then gold was found at Hanging Rock and nearby Swamp Creek in 1852. In the early 1850s some alluvial gold was found at Mulla Creek and Rywung (now Weabonga) on Swamp Oak Creek. In 1852 the first licenses to prospect were taken out. In the late 19th century several gold and

antimony Antimony is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Sb () and atomic number 51. A lustrous grey metal or metalloid, it is found in nature mainly as the sulfide mineral stibnite (). Antimony compounds have been known since ancient t ...

mines were established at places such as Halls Peak and Hillgrove, as well as two ambitious hydro-electric schemes to power them, the remains of which can be seen today along the Styx River and at Gara Gorge. The first gold mining was recorded at Tia in 1866 and in 1873 a reef was discovered at McLeod's Creek, near Walcha. The discovery of the Torrington

Tin Tin is a chemical element; it has symbol Sn () and atomic number 50. A silvery-colored metal, tin is soft enough to be cut with little force, and a bar of tin can be bent by hand with little effort. When bent, a bar of tin makes a sound, the ...

Lode was made in 1881 but the small prospectors soon lost control to overseas mining companies. Tin and

arsenic Arsenic is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol As and atomic number 33. It is a metalloid and one of the pnictogens, and therefore shares many properties with its group 15 neighbors phosphorus and antimony. Arsenic is not ...

were mined from the 1880s at the Ottery Mine, near Emmaville. Copper was discovered at Gulf Creek, near Barraba, in 1889 and the first mine was established there in 1892. At its peak, in 1901, the copper mine was one of the largest in the state. Asbestos was first mined at Woodsreef, also near Barraba, from 1919 to the 1980s. Mining had a major influence on the rise and fall of other towns and villages such as, Bingara, Bear Hill, Elsmore, Emmaville, Metz, Nundle, Stannifer, Tingha and Torrington.

Railway service

Construction of the Northern Tablelands railway service commenced in the 1870s and the Main North railway line reached

Werris Creek Werris Creek is a small town in New South Wales, Australia, near Tamworth, in Liverpool Plains Shire. It is north of Quirindi and is at the junction of the Main North railway line to Armidale and Moree. At the 2011 census, Werris Creek had a ...

and west Tamworth in 1878,

Armidale Armidale is a city in the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. Armidale had a population of 23,967 as of the 2021 census. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. It is the administrative centre for the Northern Tablelands reg ...

in 1883 and Wallangarra on the

border in 1888. The Main North railway line is now closed north of Armidale. The Mungindi railway line from Werris Creek to

Gunnedah Gunnedah () is a town in north-central New South Wales, Australia and is the seat of the Gunnedah Shire Local government in Australia, local government area. In the the town recorded a population of 8,338. Gunnedah is situated within the Liver ...

opened in 1879,

in 1884 and Moree in 1897, Mungindi in 1914. The line is currently truncated to Weemelah between Moree and Mungindi. The line between Werris Creek and Moree is also known as the North-West line.''A History of the Mungindi Branch Line'' Milne, R.

Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin ''Australian Railway History'' is a monthly magazine covering railway history in Australia, published by the New South Wales Division of the Australian Railway Historical Society on behalf of its state and territory Divisions. History and pro ...

, May 1995 pp115-136 A branch line was opened from Moree to Inverell in 1901. This line was closed in 1994. A branch line was opened between Camurra (11 km north of Moree) to

North Star Polaris is a star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Minor. It is designated α Ursae Minoris ( Latinized to ''Alpha Ursae Minoris'') and is commonly called the North Star or Pole Star. With an apparent magnitude t ...

and Boggabilla in 1932 but it is now closed beyond North Star. Another branch was opened from Narrabri to Burren Junction in 1903.

Natural disasters

The major weather events in the region were: * June 1950 – 1 person drowned in the flooded Barwon River, and 250,000 sheep were lost in the Moree area. * October 1950 – 2 drowned in the Namoi area. * February 1955 – nearly every home in Narrabri was flooded. * February 1956 – 1 drowned in the flooded Peel River * January 1962 – Walcha's worst flood when 40 business houses and 39 residences were inundated. * February 1971 – 5 killed, $25 million damage to stock and crops in the flooded Namoi area. * January 1974 – Namoi flood area: $4 million property damage, $45 m roads and bridges. 500,000 sheep lost, worth $23m. $15m crop losses. $3 million beef cattle loss. * September 1996 – A severe storm, with strong winds, heavy rain and hail, hit Armidale and caused widespread damage. * November 2000 – The worst floods in half a century devastated Gunnedah, Narrabri and Wee Waa. * November 2008 – Devastating damage occurred in the Tamworth, Somerton, Gunnedah and Weabonga areas after flash flooding.

New England and its boundaries

New England has no clearly defined boundaries, and the term has several possible definitions. These boundaries also vary according to the units responsible for services, including county councils, local government areas, electorates and the Livestock Health and Pest Authority (formerly the Pastures Protection Boards) etc. The New England region does not have a

Bureau of Meteorology The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM or BoM) is an executive agency of the Government of Australia, Australian Government that is responsible for providing Weather forecasting, weather forecasts and Meteorology, meteorological services to Australia a ...

forecast as such, but the whole of the Northern Tablelands and part of the North West Slopes and Plains forecasts cover this region. New England's major settlements are Tenterfield, Inverell, Glen Innes, Moree,

, Tamworth,

Quirindi Quirindi ( or ) is a small town on the North West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia, in Liverpool Plains Shire. At the , Quirindi had a population of 2,602. It is the nearest link to Gunnedah, New South Wales, Gunnedah to the northw ...

and

Wee Waa Wee Waa () is a town located on the north-western slopes of the New England region in New South Wales, Australia. The town is within the Narrabri Shire local government area and is on the Namoi River. Wee Waa is north-west of Narrabri and no ...

. Of these, Tamworth and Armidale are the major commercial areas, both with large shopping centres and tourist attractions. Of these, Inverell and Moree are considered semi-major towns. The narrowest and most common definition of New England consists of the Northern Tablelands highland area which forms part of the

Great Dividing Range 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. It runs roughl ...

, from the Moonbi Range in the south to the border of Queensland in the north. This tableland region is about long by approximately wide. It includes substantial areas more than above sea-level, with a distinctive cold climate and distinctive vegetation. This highland region is often referred to as the New England Tableland, New England Plateau, or Northern Tablelands. There are widespread peaks over and the highest point at Round Mountain is

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...

. Other key peaks include Point Lookout at , Ben Lomond at , Mount Grundy at , Mount Hyland at , and Mount Duval at . This definition of "New England" includes the towns and districts of Tenterfield, Glen Innes, Guyra, Inverell,

and Walcha. Shaw, John H., "Collins Australian Encyclopedia", William Collins Pty Ltd., Sydney, 1984, . Delbridge, Arthur, The Macquarie Dictionary, 2nd ed., Macquarie Library, North Ryde, 1991 A broader definition of the New England Region covering , includes areas beyond the highlands which can also be considered to be the North West Slopes region and the

Liverpool Plains The Liverpool Plains are an extensive agricultural area covering about of the north-western slopes of New South Wales in Australia. These plains are a region of prime agricultural land bounded to the east by the Great Dividing Range, to the s ...

. This definition is frequently known as New England North West or less commonly the Northern Region or Northern Inland Region and includes the western valleys of the Gwydir River and Namoi River and their tributaries, and the foothills and spur ranges which generally form the western side of the central Northern Tablelands. Towns and districts such as Moree,

, the city of Tamworth and

, are included in the New England region according to this basis. Smaller towns include, Manilla, Barraba, Bingara,

Boggabri Boggabri ( ) is a small town in north-eastern New South Wales, Australia. It is part of Narrabri Shire and lies between Gunnedah and Narrabri on the Kamilaroi Highway. At the , the town had a population of 885 people. History The original to ...

, Mungindi,

and

The two traditional centres of New England are Tamworth and

. Armidale is home to the University of New England, one of Australia's oldest universities. It also has large shopping centres and is the second largest city in the region. Tamworth is the bigger of the two, and is now best known as the centre of Australian country music and the home of the Australian Equine and Livestock Events Centre (AELEC) and Tamworth Regional Entertainment Centre (TREC). Other major towns and districts of New England include

, Moree, Glen Innes, Inverell, Tenterfield,

and Walcha. At its broadest definition, during the

New England New State Movement The New England New State Movement was an Australian political movement in the twentieth century. Founded as the Northern Separation Movement, the aim of the movement was to seek the secession of the New England region and surrounding areas fro ...

the New England Region included the northern coastal lowlands of New South Wales, known as the Mid North Coast and

Northern Rivers Northern Rivers is the most northeasterly Regions of New South Wales, region of the Australian state of New South Wales, located between north of the state capital, Sydney, and encompasses the catchments and fertile valleys of the Clarence Ri ...

region, and including cities such as Lismore and Grafton. Several proposals were made for a new Australian state of New England and this included the North Coast region in the boundaries. Apart from this usage, the Mid North Coast and Northern Rivers region are not considered to be part of New England. Police stations in New England Local Area Command (LAC) are Armidale, Ashford, Bundarra, Deepwater, Delungra, Emmaville, Glen Innes, Guyra, Inverell, Tenterfield, Tingha, Uralla and Yetman. Bendemeer, Nowendoc, Walcha and Walcha Road are in the Oxley LAC.

Geography and ecology

The topography of the region is dominated by the Northern Tablelands plateau. The eastern side of the plateau is drained by the various headwaters and tributaries of the Clarence River, Hastings River and the

. The eastern rivers are short and swift, and in many places form deep gorges and waterfalls. Notable waterfalls include the Apsley Falls at Walcha plus the Ebor Falls and Wollomombi Falls which are on Waterfall Way east of Armidale. These gorges fragment the eastern side of the plateau, which in some areas such as New England National Park and Point Lookout are quite close to the coast. There are many National Parks along the rugged eastern fringes of the highlands including Cathedral Rock National Park, which has the region's highest peak, and Nymboida National Park.NPWS, "Discover the National Parks of the New England", McMahon Graphics, Glen Innes, NSW The western side of the plateau is somewhat less rugged, and is drained towards the west by the tributaries of the Severn River, the Gwydir River and the Namoi River. These rivers form part of the Murray-Darling Basin. There are large dams at Copeton Dam on the Gwydir and at Keepit Dam, Chaffey Dam and Split Rock Dam in the Namoi catchment, plus Pindari Dam on the Severn River. The Nandewar Range is a major western spur of the highlands, culminating in Mount Kaputar near

. The hilltops of the Great Dividing Range are basalt from north of Uralla to Glen Innes, and the eastern slopes are the lighter "trap" soils. On the western slopes near Bendemeer, Bundarra, Kentucky and Tenterfield the country is granite, with extensive sandy loams. The New England Peppermint Grassy Woodland lies within the region.New England Peppermint (Eucalyptus nova-anglica) Grassy Woodland
Trees on the Tablelands. NSW Government. Retrieved 8 September 2022. The New England lies in the temperate zone, and the climate is generally free from extremes of heat and cold. The greatest heat is usually experienced in the north-west around Narrabri and Mungindi. Winter frosts are common on the Northern Tablelands and winter snow is not unusual in this area. The Northern Tablelands receives most of its rain between late summer and early autumn with an annual average rainfall of about 800 mm, with the eastern escarpment having falls of around 2,000 mm average.

Flora

Wattles (''

Acacia ''Acacia'', commonly known as wattles or acacias, is a genus of about of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa, South America, and Austral ...

s''), native apples (''

Angophora floribunda ''Angophora floribunda'', commonly known as the rough-barked apple, is a common woodland and forest tree of the family Myrtaceae native to Eastern Australia. Reaching 30 m (100 ft) high, it is a large tree with fibrous bark and cream-wh ...

''), black sallee (Eucalyptus stellulata), Blakely's red gum (Eucalyptus blakelyi), Hillgrove box (''Eucalyptus retinens''), New England blackbutt (''

Eucalyptus ''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of more than 700 species of flowering plants in the family Myrtaceae. Most species of ''Eucalyptus'' are trees, often Mallee (habit), mallees, and a few are shrubs. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalyp ...

andrewsii''), broadleaved New England stringybark ('' Eucalyptus caliginosa''), manna gum ('' Eucalyptus viminalis''), New England peppermint ('' Eucalyptus nova-anglica''), ribbon gum (''Eucalyptus nobilis''), silvertop stringybark (''Eucalyptus laevopinea'') wild cherry and yellow box ('' Eucalyptus melliodora'') and stringybark ('' Eucalyptus caliginosa'') trees are common across the Northern Tablelands. The river oak ('' Casuarina cunninghamiana'') grows along many creeks and river beds on the eastern and western slopes. Bolivia Hill and the adjacent nature reserve are the only recorded locations of the endangered Bolivia Hill boronia (''

Boronia ''Boronia'' is a genus of about 160 species of flowering plants in the citrus family Rutaceae. Most are endemic to Australia with a few species in New Caledonia, which were previously placed in the genus ''Boronella''. They occur in all Australi ...

boliviensis''), Bolivia homoranthus (''Homoranthus croftianthus''), Bolivia Stringybark (''Eucalyptus boliviana''), the shrub Bolivia Hill Pimelea ('' Pimelea venosa'') and the vulnerable Bolivia wattle (''Acacia pycnostchya''). The rare Hillgrove spotted gum ('' Eucalyptus michaeliana'') can be found near Hillgrove and in parts of the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park. On the Western Slopes Caley's ironbark (''Eucalyptus caleyi''), McKie's stringybark (''Eucalyptus mckiena''), red stringybark (''Eucalyptus macrorhynca''), river red gums (''

Eucalyptus camaldulensis ''Eucalyptus camaldulensis'', commonly known as river red gum, is a flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae, and is Endemism, endemic to Australia. It is a tree with smooth white or cream-coloured bark, lance-shaped or curved adult leaves, flow ...

''), rough-barked apple (''

Angophora ''Angophora'' is a genus of nine species of trees and shrubs in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Endemic to eastern Australia, they differ from other eucalypts in having juvenile and adult leaves arranged in opposite pairs, sepals reduced to projec ...

''), silver-leaved ironbark (''Eucalyptus melanophloia nophloia''), tumbledown gum (''Eucalyptus dealbata''), white box (''Eucalyptus albens'') and white cypress pine ('' callitris columellaris'') are commonly found. Some of the invasive weeds and plants found in the New England region include: *

Blackberry BlackBerry is a discontinued brand of handheld devices and related mobile services, originally developed and maintained by the Canadian company Research In Motion (RIM, later known as BlackBerry Limited) until 2016. The first BlackBerry device ...

(''Rubus fruticosus''), competes with desirable pastures and harbours pest animals. *

Bracken Bracken (''Pteridium'') is a genus of large, coarse ferns in the family (biology), family Dennstaedtiaceae. Ferns (Pteridophyta) are vascular plants that undergo alternation of generations, having both large plants that produce spores and small ...

competes with desirable pastures and causes toxicity to stock. *

Lantana ''Lantana'' () is a genus of about 150 species of perennial plant, perennial flowering plants in the verbena family, Verbenaceae. They are native to tropics, tropical regions of the Americas and Africa but exist as an introduced species in num ...

(''Lantana camara''), invades the bushland * Mother of millions ( Kalanchoe delagoensis) causes severe toxicity to stock * Nodding thistle (Carduus nutans) * Patterson's curse ('' Echium plantagineum'') competes with desirable pastures and causes toxicity to stock. * Saffron thistle ( Carthamus lanatus) * Serrated tussock ('' Nassella trichotoma''), competes with desirable pastures * St John's wort (''Hypericum perforatum'') competes with desirable pastures and causes toxicity to stock.

Fauna

Common animals that may be encountered across the New England region include: kangaroos,

echidna Echidnas (), sometimes known as spiny anteaters, are quill-covered monotremes (egg-laying mammals) belonging to the Family (biology), family Tachyglossidae , living in Australia and New Guinea. The four Extant taxon, extant species of echidnas ...

s, wallabies, possums and wombats. Common birds are: cockatoos, currawongs, magpies, crows, wild ducks, galahs, parrots,

kookaburra Kookaburras (pronounced ) are terrestrial animal, terrestrial tree kingfishers of the genus ''Dacelo'' native to Australia and New Guinea, which grow to between in length and weigh around . The name is a loanword from Wiradjuri language, Wira ...

s, ravens, rosellas and emus (on the western slopes). Snakes, lizards, jacky dragons (''Amphibolurus muricatus'') and goannas may also be encountered. Endangered species that may be seen include the brush-tailed rock-wallaby (''Petrogale penicillata'') which may be spotted in isolated sections of Oxley Wild Rivers National Park. Bundarra is one of only three breeding areas in New South Wales for the endangered regent honeyeater. Werrikimbe National Park is the home of the rare (native) Hastings River mouse which was considered to be extinct until it was re-discovered in 1981. The Namoi River snapping turtle (''Elseya belli'') is a species of turtle found only in the upper reaches of the Namoi River, Gwydir River and Macdonald River. The area is also known to have supported vast populations of

Australian megafauna The term Australian megafauna refers to the megafauna in Australia (continent), Australia during the Pleistocene, Pleistocene Epoch. Most of these species became extinct during the latter half of the Pleistocene, as part of the broader global L ...

. Pest animals in the New England region include, foxes, rabbits, feral goats and feral pigs.

Economy

The New England region has a great diversity of mineral deposits ranging from large coal deposits in the Werris Creek to Boggabri area to metallics and gemstones on the tablelands. Antimony, coal, gold, sapphires and tin have been the most important economic commodities mined in the New England region. There are numerous other business activities across the region ranging from small enterprises to large multi-national corporations that are producing goods for domestic and international markets. Aviation training is provided by the Tamworth-based BAE Systems flight training college, the Australasian-Pacific Aeronautical College. Cattle and sheep are the predominant types of livestock produced in the New England and they have been produced since their importation during the earliest days of European settlement. The Northern Tablelands produce some of Australia's best fine

wool Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have some properties similar to animal w ...

and beef cattle. The western slopes are major areas for cotton and wheat. Other primary production activities include dairying, the production of grains, lamb, pork, fruit, potatoes, poultry, eggs, various mining activities, timber production, viticulture and aquaculture.

Transport and communications

The New England region is traversed by five major highways and a concentrated network of minor roads. On the tablelands the

New England Highway New England Highway is an long highway in Australia running from Yarraman, Queensland, Yarraman, north of Toowoomba, Queensland, at its northern end to Hexham, New South Wales, Hexham at Newcastle, New South Wales, Newcastle, New South Wales, ...

, which links Tamworth, Uralla, Armidale, Guyra, Glen Innes and Tenterfield is a major route linking New South Wales and

. The

Newell Highway Newell Highway is a National Highway (Australia), national highway in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. It provides the major road link between southeastern Queensland and Victoria (state), Victoria via central NSW and as such carries large amo ...

is a major route linking Victoria and Queensland through Narrabri and Moree.

Thunderbolts Way Thunderbolts Way (and at its northern end as Bundarra Road) is a country road located in the Northern Tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia, linking Inverell via Bundarra, Uralla and Walcha to Gloucester The road is sealed and ...

from

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

provides the shortest route from Sydney to the New England and continues through Walcha, Uralla and Bundarra to Inverell. The Oxley Highway, Gwydir Highway, the scenic Waterfall Way and Bruxner Highway traverse the New England region from west to east. On Western Slopes the Kamilaroi Highway runs in a north-western direction for 620 km, from Willow Tree passing through Quirindi, Gunnedah, Narrabri and Wee Waa until it reaches Bourke. Fossickers Way is a tourist route that runs from Nundle to Warialda in the north and then east to Inverell and Glen Innes passing through some rich gem areas. The major towns have air, coach and rail services that supplement the road network. The Main North railway line following the same route as the New England Highway to Wallangarra, Queensland was the first railway link between the states, however the coastal railway is now used and the New England line is disused north of Armidale. There is a daily passenger service from and to Sydney which extends to Moree in the north west and Armidale in the north. The train divides at Werris Creek.

Education

The New England region has a comprehensive range of educational facilities available, including 125 public schools. Armidale is the home of the University of New England, Australia's oldest regional university and was the location of the former Armidale Teachers College. Other Armidale schools include, New England Girls' School (NEGS), The Armidale School (TAS), Armidale Secondary College, O'Connor Catholic College and Presbyterian Ladies' College. Calala, near Tamworth, is the home of

Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School The Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School is a government boys' academically selective and specialist secondary day and boarding school, located in Calala, a small suburb of Tamworth, in the New England region of New South Wales, Austra ...

, a public high school for boys. Calrossy Anglican School, Oxley High School, Peel High School, Tamworth High School and Tamworth Public School are the other principal schools that are located in Tamworth. The New England Institute of TAFE has campuses in Tamworth, Armidale, Boggabilla, Glen Innes, Gunnedah, Inverell, Moree, Narrabri, Quirindi and Tenterfield.

Health services

On 25 August 2000, the New England North West Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service (WRHS) commenced operation after four years of fundraising and planning. The New England North West WRHS operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with an annual average of 130 missions.

National parks

There is a wide range of 27 main national parks and over 30 nature reserves in the New England area of the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service region, plus Mount Kaputar National Park which is in the Central Region. National parks including

World Heritage World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

listed areas that form part of the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves (CERRA), gorge country and wild rivers on the rugged eastern fringe of the region include: * Cathedral Rock National Park which includes the highest peak in the region, Round Mountain * Guy Fawkes River National Park * New England National Park * Oxley Wild Rivers National Park * Washpool National Park * Werrikimbe National Park

New State Movement

New England has been the home of Australia's most persistent attempt to form a new state within the Australian commonwealth. In the 1930s and again in the 1960s, the

campaigned for New England to be separated from New South Wales. The movement was closely allied with the Country Party, which could have expected to form the government of such a new state. On 29 April 1967, a referendum in the region on the creation of a new state in northern NSW returned a 'no' vote of 54%,Farrell, John J., ‘Opting Out and Opting In: secession and the new state movements’, ''Armidale and District Historical Society Journal'', No. 40, April 1997, pp. 139–148. quoted i

although the forced inclusion of the City of Newcastle, which is not a part of New England, was the major contributing factor that led to the 'no' vote. Chapter VI of the

Constitution of Australia The Constitution of Australia (also known as the Commonwealth Constitution) is the fundamental law that governs the political structure of Australia. It is a written constitution, which establishes the country as a Federation of Australia, ...

allows new states to be formed, but only with the consent of the Parliament of the state in question.

References

External links

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New South Wales Forecast Areas Map
{{Authority control Regions of New South Wales