Murrumbateman is a town in the

Southern Tablelands The Southern Tablelands is a geographic area of New South Wales, Australia, located south-west of Sydney and west of the Great Dividing Range. The area is characterised by high, flat country which has generally been extensively cleared and ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

. It is on the

Barton Highway Barton Highway is a highway in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. It connects Canberra to Hume Highway at Yass, and it is part of the route from Melbourne to Canberra. It is named in honour of Sir Edmund Barton, the first Pri ...

, approximately 30 kilometres north-west of

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

, and is part of the

Yass Valley Shire Yass Valley Council is a local government area in the Southern Tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia. The area is located adjacent to the Hume and Barton Highways and the Main Southern railway line. The Shire includes the towns, an ...

. At the , Murrumbateman had a population of 3,219 people.

History and economy

With the arrival of European settlers in the 19th century sheep farming, wheat growing and goldmining became major economic activities. The first government school opened in 1869. Winemaking began in Murrumbateman in the 1970s with some of the surrounding rural properties being developed as grape growing areas or as boutique wineries. In recent years much of the land has been subdivided into small

hobby farm A hobby farm (also called a lifestyle block in New Zealand, or acreage living or rural residential in Australia) is a smallholding or small farm that is maintained without expectation of being a primary source of income. Some are held merely to ...

blocks ranging from . Similar subdivisions have occurred in other regions around Canberra including Bungendore, Sutton, Gundaroo and Burra. Residents tend to commute to Canberra for work rather than make a living off the small parcels of land. Other nearby towns are Yass, Gunning and

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. Murrumbateman has a pub and a handful of retail outlets. The Murrumbateman Market is held fortnightly at the Recreation Ground. The market focus is on local produce and local arts and crafts but there is always a range of products from the wider Yass Valley and beyond including fruit and vegetables, breads, cakes, jams, olives, chillies, sauces, biodynamic beef and a range of wines from the local area plus woollen and alpaca products and handmade goods of all types.Murrumbateman Village Market
Access date: 18 August 2016.

Annual events

* The Murrumbateman Pony Club hold an annual show jumping festival in June. The event is open for Pony Club Members. *The Murrumbateman Field Days is held in October each year and draws large crowds from

and Yass * The Australian Cool Climate Wine Show is held annually in September

Facilities and services

The trees around the grounds are heritage listed and parking underneath them is not recommended. Murrumbateman has the following Sporting clubs: *Murrumbateman Pony Club *Murrumbateman Eagles AFL Club Murrumbateman has the following facilities: *Market - 9am to 1pm on 2nd and 4th Saturday each month www.mvmarket.com *Park *Public toilets *Motel next to a takeaway store *Petrol station/supermarket *Garage *Accountant *Butcher *Rural supplies store * Rural Fire Service *Pub *Guesthouses *Abode Hotel *Restaurants *Wineries *Australia Post agency *Hair & beauty salon *Dentist *Doctor *Pharmacy *Veterinary clinic *Dance school *Pre-school *Family day care *Library *Catholic Church *Uniting Church *I.T. specialist *Landcare group

New development

The Fairley Estate, a new 100 home subdivision at Murrumbateman, will add 60 per cent more housing to Murrumbateman and trigger other infrastructure and commercial developments. Consisting of an adjoining 19 hectares, the new subdivision is named ''Fairley'' after a Murrumbateman teacher of the early 1900s. It will include a commercial and tourist precinct with an international hotel chain as a tenant, boutique brewery, bakery, childcare, visitors' centre and cafe and children's park, medical services and post office.

Population

In the 2016 Census, there were 3,219 people in Murrumbateman. 82.8% of people were born in Australia. The next most common country of birth was England at 4.6%. 91.4% of people spoke only English at home. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 34.2%, Catholic 25.5% and Anglican 18.5%.

Notable people

* Sir Walter Merriman – sheep breeder, knighted in 1954 for his contributions to the fine wool industry, and founder of the Merryville stud, MurrumbatemanMerryville Stud - History
Access date: 18 August 2016. * David Pereira - Australian cellist

References

External links

Murrumbateman
- general website on Murrumbateman
Murrumbateman Field Days

Murrumbateman Market

Australian Cool Climate Wine Show

Fairley Estate
* {{authority control Towns in New South Wales Southern Tablelands Yass Valley Council