Singleton, New South Wales

Singleton
New South Wales
Singleton
Coordinates 32°34′S 151°10′E / 32.567°S 151.167°E / -32.567; 151.167Coordinates: 32°34′S 151°10′E / 32.567°S 151.167°E / -32.567; 151.167
Population 13,961 (2011 census)[1]
Postcode(s) 2330
Elevation 40 m (131 ft)
Location
LGA(s) Singleton Shire Council
State electorate(s) Upper Hunter
Federal Division(s) Hunter
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
24.7 °C
76 °F		 11.1 °C
52 °F		 645.4 mm
25.4 in

Singleton is a town on the banks of the Hunter River in New South Wales, Australia. Singleton is 197 kilometres (122 mi) north-north-west of Sydney, and 80 kilometres (50 mi) northwest of Newcastle.[2] At the 2011 census, Singleton had a population of 13,961,[1] with a wider local government area population of 22,694.

Singleton's main urban area includes the town centre, Singleton Heights, Dunolly, Darlington, The Retreat, Wattle ponds and Hunterview. Surrounding rural villages include Broke, Camberwell, Jerrys Plains, Goorangoola/Greenlands and Belford.

Singleton is located on the north-eastern part of the geological structure known as the Sydney basin, which borders the New England region.[3] The town is located at the junction of the New England Highway and Putty Road. The Golden Highway bypasses the town to the south. Singleton is also served by local and long-distance rail services. Singleton railway station is located at the southern end of the town centre. There are also bus services, both intercity and local.

History

Singleton was established in the 1820s by John Howe. In its early years, it was also called Patricks' Plains.[4] The Main Northern railway line reached Singleton in 1863 and was the end of the line until 1869. The town retains many historic buildings, including the original court house built in 1841, various large churches and many traditional Australian pubs. The countryside surrounding Singleton contains an unusual number of fine old mansions, reflecting the aristocratic nature of land grants when the area was settled. They include 'Neotsfield' (1828), the elaborate 'Baroona' (1829), 'Abbey Green' (1865) and stunning 'Minimbah' (1877).

Singleton was subject to the major flooding of the Hunter River in 1955, causing extensive damage to the town. When the area was being settled, the government originally attempted to create a town at Whittingham in a flood-free area, but the town grew by the river nonetheless. An embankment was constructed following the 1955 floods to help protect the town against any future flooding.

In 1999, the town's army barracks became a temporary home to a large number of Kosovar refugees.

Climate

Singleton has a humid subtropical climate with hot wet summers and cool drier winters.

Climate data for Singleton
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 44.4
(111.9)		 40.0
(104)		 41.0
(105.8)		 34.7
(94.5)		 28.2
(82.8)		 25.4
(77.7)		 26.0
(78.8)		 30.4
(86.7)		 33.0
(91.4)		 39.0
(102.2)		 43.0
(109.4)		 41.4
(106.5)		 44.4
(111.9)
Average high °C (°F) 30.6
(87.1)		 29.6
(85.3)		 27.7
(81.9)		 25.4
(77.7)		 21.1
(70)		 18.3
(64.9)		 18.0
(64.4)		 20.1
(68.2)		 23.1
(73.6)		 26.0
(78.8)		 27.6
(81.7)		 29.7
(85.5)		 24.8
(76.6)
Average low °C (°F) 17.3
(63.1)		 17.2
(63)		 15.2
(59.4)		 11.1
(52)		 8.6
(47.5)		 5.6
(42.1)		 4.8
(40.6)		 5.0
(41)		 8.0
(46.4)		 10.7
(51.3)		 13.5
(56.3)		 15.9
(60.6)		 11.1
(52)
Record low °C (°F) 9.6
(49.3)		 9.6
(49.3)		 7.5
(45.5)		 2.5
(36.5)		 0.4
(32.7)		 −2.0
(28.4)		 −3.9
(25)		 −4.2
(24.4)		 0.4
(32.7)		 2.5
(36.5)		 5.0
(41)		 8.1
(46.6)		 −4.2
(24.4)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 70.2
(2.764)		 107.6
(4.236)		 75.1
(2.957)		 38.3
(1.508)		 37.8
(1.488)		 31.7
(1.248)		 41.7
(1.642)		 27.6
(1.087)		 44.1
(1.736)		 32.8
(1.291)		 59.2
(2.331)		 86.6
(3.409)		 649.4
(25.567)
Average precipitation days 10.1 10.1 9.1 7.1 8.1 8.4 7.1 6.8 8.3 6.6 10.5 9.9 102.1
Average relative humidity (%) 49 52 54 51 60 57 54 44 43 43 46 47 50
Source: [5]

Industry & Commerce

Major industries near Singleton include coal mining, electricity generation, light industry, vineyards, horse breeding and cattle production. Dairying was once a mainstay in the area, but has declined.

The Lone Pine army barracks is located 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) south of Singleton.

Being the largest town in the Upper Hunter, Singleton is an important commercial centre. The town centre boasts three small shopping centres, a cinema complex, homemaker centre as well as a traditional 'main street'. Singleton Square is a shopping centre in Singleton; major stores include Woolworths, Coles and Big W. There are also two other supermarkets in Singleton; Aldi and IGA and most conventional high street stores. People also will often travel to nearby Maitland and Newcastle for large regional shopping centres.

Singleton residents have a higher than average median income because of the nearby coal mines. At the 2006 census, the median individual income was $62,036.[1]

Media

Print

The Singleton Argus is a bi-weekly newspaper which was established in 1874. It is currently owned and published by Fairfax Media. The weekly newspaper that serves Singleton and the Hunter Valley is The Hunter Valley News,[6] which, along with the Newcastle Herald newspaper (daily, except Sundays), is published by Fairfax Media. Newspapers from Sydney and other national newspaper titles are also available.

Radio

Radio Stations serving both Newcastle and the Hunter Valley can be received in Singleton. These stations include:

AM stations

FM stations

Government broadcasters

Other stations

Television

Singleton is part of the Newcastle-Hunter Region television market, which is served by 5 television networks, three commercial and two national services (which include new sub-channels that started in 2009 for the commercial networks and in recent years from the national services). These new channels are available on digital TV only. These networks are listed as follows:

NBN Television produces an evening news bulletin combining local, state, national and international news screening nightly, while subscription television service Foxtel is also available via satellite.

Tourism

One of the world's largest sundials, Singleton

Heritage sites

Singleton Shire contains a number of buildings and other sites that are on the Register of the National Estate[7]

Education

Singleton is home to a number of educational facilities. These include Public and Denominational schools at both Primary and Secondary levels, as well as a TAFE campus, Singleton Community College and a number of pre-schools.

Primary

Public

Denominational

Secondary

Public

Denominational

Tertiary

Hunter Institute of TAFE maintains a Campus in Singleton. It provides training and further education as well as collaborating with secondary schools for students completing Senior years.

Notable locals

Sister city

 Japan - Takahata, Yamagata, Japan[8]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Singleton (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 2014-07-08.
  2. ↑ Robinson's Road Atlas of Australia, Lansdowne Press, 1983
  3. ↑ http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0007/96847/20758.gif
  4. ↑ Gee, Valma. "Patrick’s Plains". Family History society of Singleton. Retrieved 24 January 2010.
  5. ↑ "Climate statistics for Singleton". Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved July 2011.
  6. ↑ "Hunter Valley News". huntervalleynews.net.au. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
  7. ↑ The Heritage of Australia, Macmillan Company, 1981, pp.2/210-211
  8. ↑ "International Exchange". List of Affiliation Partners within Prefectures. Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR). Retrieved 21 November 2015.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Singleton, New South Wales.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Singleton.
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