Albury
| Albury New South Wales | |||||||||
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| File:Albury location map in New South Wales.PNG Location of Albury in New South Wales (red) | |||||||||
| Population | 47,694 | ||||||||
| Established | 1839 | ||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 2640 | ||||||||
| Elevation | 165.0 m (541 ft) | ||||||||
| Location |
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| LGA(s) | Albury City Council | ||||||||
| County | Goulburn | ||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Albury | ||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Farrer | ||||||||
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Albury is a city in New South Wales, Australia, located on the Hume Highway on the Northern side of the Murray River. It is also a Local Government Area, administered by Albury City Council. Its population is 47,694 (2006 Estimated Resident Population, ABS)[2]. It is approximately 550 km from the state capital Sydney, but only 312 km from the Victorian capital Melbourne. It is separated by the Murray from its twin city in Victoria, Wodonga. Together the two cities form an urban area with a population of 82,974.[2]
History
There are only few remainders of the indigenous population of the area, although the Wiradjuri people occupied the area for many thousands of years before.
Little history is documented about the relationship of Aboriginal people and the European settlers.
European exploration
The explorers Hume and Hovell arrived at what is now known as the Murray river at Albury on 16 November 1824 what their maps named 'Crossing Point'. They named the river the Hume River and inscribed a tree by the riverbank on the 17th before continuing their journey south to Westernport.
A crossing place for the Murray became popular close to where Hovell inscribed the tree. In summer it was usually possible to cross the river by foot. An easier crossing was 10 miles upstream where the Hume Weir now is, however, the drovers' tracks led to Albury. A log punt was built in 1844.
European settlement
Among the first squatters to follow in the steps of the explorers and settle in the district were William Wyse and Charles Ebden.
The first European buildings erected at the crossing place were a provisions store and small huts. A survey for a town was commissioned in 1838. Assistant Surveyor Thomas Townsend mapped out Woodonga Place (the present Wodonga Place) as the western boundary, Hume Street as the northern boundary, Kiewa Street to the east and Nurigong to the south, with Townsend Street being the only other north-south road, and Ebden and Hovell Streets being the other two east-west roads. On early maps, the settlement was named Bungambrewatha.
The Government gazette of April 13, 1839 states: Albury, County unnamed on the east bank of the Murray at a place called by the natives Bungambrewatha. The reason for the name change from Bungambrewatha to Albury is not documented.
By 1847, the Albury settlement included two public houses and a handful of huts, a police barracks and blacksmiths. A log punt established in 1844 serviced the crossing of the Murray River.
Development
In 1851 with the separation of Victoria from New South Wales and the border falling on the Murray River, Albury found itself a frontier town. With increase in commerce with Melbourne, the first bridge was built in 1860. Albury at this time became a customs post between the two colonies as New South Wales held a protectionist stance on gaining its constitution in 1856.
Albury was at this time starting to grow substantially with Germans using the area to grow grapes for wine, and escaping the growing nationalism in Germany. Albury boasted by the 1870s a butter factory, flour mill, wineries and locally brewed cider.
In 1888 Albury built its first school house. The city's first mayor James Fallon was an inovator of the Public School, funding a demonstration High School to be built on Kiewa Street.
Albury's proximity to Wodonga has spurred several efforts to achieve some kind of municipal governmental union (see Albury-Wodonga).
Geography
Albury is situated on the Murray River in the foothills of the Great Dividing Range.
The city is built above the river flats of the Murray River, and is 164 metres above sea level (539 feet) at the airport.
Hume Dam is situated on the Murray River upstream of Albury. It was constructed 1930s for irrigation purposes and has caused significant changes to the flow patterns and ecology of the Murray River.
Before the construction of the Hume Dam, flows in normal (non-drought) years were low in summer and autumn (though still significant overall), rising in winter due to seasonal rainfall and reaching a flood-peak in late spring due to snowmelt in the Murray and tributaries' alpine headwaters. The flow is effectively reversed now, with low flows in winter and sustained, relatively high flows in late spring, summer and early autumn to meet irrigation demands, although the spring flood peak has been virtually eliminated. In addition, the water released from the base of the Hume Dam is un-naturally cold. This flow reversal, temperature depression and removal of the spring flood peak has lead to the drying out and loss of many billabongs and has harmed the populations of native fish of the Murray River such as the iconic Murray Cod.[3]
Climate
Albury has a warm, temperate, four-season climate, with cool to mild winters and very warm to hot summers.[4] In summer, the mean daily maximum temperature is around 30 degrees Celsius; however, this is subject to substantial daily variation. An average of 17 days with a maximum above 35 degrees occur in this summer period. Mean winter maximums are around 14 Celsius. Frosts are commonplace in winter, with approximately 20 days per year featuring minimums of below freezing; however, like most of Australia, snow is virtually unheard of.
Albury's mean annual rainfall is about 736 millimetres; more than Melbourne but less than Sydney. Rain can occur all year round, but the majority falls in the winter months with August's high mean of 88 millimetres comparing with the February low of 34 millimetres.Like most non-tropical parts of Australia, there is very substantial annual variation in rainfall.
Albury's place at the foothills of the ranges puts it in somewhat of a climatic transition zone; to the north and west, the inland plains are hotter and drier, while the range itself to the east is cooler and wetter.
Suburbs
The city itself comprises a number of suburbs. Central Albury comprises the central business district (CBD) and lies between the railway line and the Murray river. Forrest Hill lies directly north east and covers the saddle between Monument Hill and Nail Can Hill, whilst west over the ridge lies West Albury, where housing development has taken place since the 1970s. West Albury is mainly a residential area, but it has the War Memorial, and Riverwood Retirement Village. The Albury Wodonga Private Hospital lies on the corner of Pemberton Street and the Riverina Highway, which leaves the built-up area, past the sewerage treatment plant, and then past Splitters Creek and Bungowannah on the way to Howlong. To the north-west of West Albury is Pemberton Park, which was a housing estate but has grown large enough to be a suburb.
East Albury lies east of the railway line/freeway from the CBD and houses cover the Eastern hill whilst the flat land directly north of it is covered by parkland, housing, and further east, light industries as well as the city's airport. East Albury is set to boom from the freeway's development. Harvey Norman & Spotlight superstores have already been built west of the airport. The Mungabareena Reserve lies on the Murray south of the airport, and is considered an Aboriginal cultural site of some significance. Mungabareena means "meeting place". South Albury is a mix of residential and industrial areas, whilst the floodplains south of the railway line are used for farming and grazing. Flood mitigation works in the 1990s have dramatically reduced the risk of flooding in the residential areas of South Albury.
North Albury was once covered by orchards and vineyards in the first half of the 20th century, as was a swamp where the James Fallon High School now stands, but after the second world war housing development in the area increased and Waugh Road was extended from David Street to the "Five Ways" intersection at Union Road, which ascribes the border between North Albury and Lavington. The locality of Glenroy is adjacent to North Albury, west of the Bungambrawartha Creek, and housing development was developed in the 1970s, including a significant Housing Commission public housing estate.
Lavington was annexed into the City of Albury local government area from the Hume Shire in the 1950s and housing and commercial development continued from that point until this day. The current Hume Highway, named Wagga Road, passes north-east, and Urana Road passes north-west though the suburb from the "Five Ways" or "Roundabout" road junction. The suburb also takes in the localities of Springdale Heights, Hamilton Valley and Norris Park.
Thurgoona, to the east of Lavington, was established as a new residential suburb by the Albury Wodonga Development Corporation in the 1970s. In the 1990s a new campus of the Charles Sturt University was established here, as was an office of the Murray Darling Freshwater Research Centre.
Further outlying localities include Splitters Creek, a small residential/farming community, to the west, Ettamogah (famed for the Ettamogah Pub & the "Oz'e Wildlife Centre), Bowna and Table Top to the north, and Wirlinga and the Hume Weir village to the east. Howlong (20km west) and Jindera (16km north) are the closest towns outside of the Albury city area, and act as commuter dormitories as well as service centres for the local rural industry.
Transport
Road
Situated just off the Hume Highway, the main Melbourne-Sydney highway, Albury remains a major transit point of interstate commerce.
The internal freeway, named the Hume Freeway, was built in March 2007. It was built, despite much controversy that it would cause too much noise pollution in town. The new bridge, which cost $15 million, has been called the Spirit of Progress Bridge. The freeway has been the most expensive road structure ever built in regional Australia[citation needed]. 16 bridges have been built north of the border (including pedestrian bridges), and the Dean Street Bridge (at the east end of Dean St, crossing to East Albury) is set to become a landmark[citation needed].
The other minor highways which connect to Albury are the Riverina Highway, which continues west through Berrigan and Deniliquin and east to the Hume Weir; and the Olympic Highway (renamed from the Olympic Way) which diverges left from the Hume 16 km north of Albury, into the centre of NSW, passing through Wagga Wagga and terminating with the Mid-Western Highway at Cowra.
In 1888, the Smollett Street wrought iron arch bridge was constructed over Bungambrawatha Creek. Smollet Street was extended westward through the botanical gardens to give direct access from the Albury Railway Station to Howlong Road by a straight street. The bridge is near the botanic gardens and the local swimming pool. The bridge is a rare example of a metal arch bridge in New South Wales, and is the oldest of only two metal arch bridges in New South Wales, the other being the Sydney Harbour Bridge.[5]
Rail
Albury railway station is on the main Sydney-Melbourne railway line. Originally New South Wales and Victoria had different railway gauges, which meant that all travellers in either direction had to change trains at Albury. To accommodate this, a very long railway platform was needed; the covered platform is one of the longest in Australia. The station is served by VLine trains from Melbourne as well as Countrylink XPT services which run twice daily.
In 1873 the broad gauge (5ft 3ins) railway line from Melbourne reached the township of Belvior/Wodonga. In 1881 the New South Wales standard gauge 4 ft 8½ins) railway line reached Albury, with a railway bridge joining the two colonies in 1883. Albury was the stop over, where passengers on the Melbourne-Sydney journey changed trains until 1962, when a standard gauge was opened between the two capitals. The break of railway gauge at Albury was a major impediment to Australia's war effort and infrastructure during World Wars I & II; for every soldier, every round of munitions, tins of food, mail, and animals was off-loaded from the broad gauge and reloaded onto a standard gauge railway wagon. This massive Victoria/NSW bottleneck was one of several (5) that existed throughout Australia. These were at the QLD/NSW border and another at Cook in the middle of a desert. A film about the break of gauge and the urgent need for Australia to redress the problem, and in which Albury featured was the Australian Film Commission's 1947 film Journey of a Nation. In his book Tramps Abroad, writer Mark Twain spoke of the break of gauge at Albury and changing trains..."Now comes a singular thing, the oddest thing, the strangest thing, the unaccountable marvel that Australia can show, namely the break of gauge at Albury - Wodonga. Think of the paralysis of intellect that gave that idea birth."(cited by Fisher below)
Air
The local airport has scheduled daily flights to Sydney and Melbourne through two carriers, QantasLink and Regional Express, in addition to charter services. The IATA airport code for Albury is ABX.
Victoria Cross recipient Albert Chalmers Borella is buried in Albury, and the road leading from Albury Airport to the city was re-named Borella Road in 1979, in his honour.
Public transport and cycling
 | This article needs to be updated. |
Local public transport is provided exclusively by bus; Mylon Motorways[6] runs a number of bus services to Wodonga and routes within Albury. Services run infrequently, and are virtually nonexistent at night. The overwhelming majority of local transport is by private car; traffic is generally light except on the Lincoln Causeway between Albury and Wodonga at peak times. However, the Causeway will become lighter, with the construction of the busy freeway.
There are a number of bicycle paths in the city, including one to the outlying suburb of Thurgoona and across the state border to Wodonga. A new program has built many more bike tracks, including one from the riverside parks to Wonga Wetlands.[7]
Economy
Albury serves as an administrative centre for the agricultural communities around the area, and the city is the home of a large newsprint paper mill which processes the pine logs planted in the mountains to the east, an engineering plant which produces automatic transmissions for cars, a major processing centre of the Australian Taxation Office, and other smaller secondary industries. Other large employers are: The Commercial Club, Albury Wodonga Development Corporation and Hume Building Society.
Albury's major employer was ION Automotive Group. In 2003 it employed 1100 people in the city.[8] In late 2005 it was undergoing a deed of company arrangement[9] and Powertrain Products International was a prospective purchaser.[10]
Media
Albury serves as a regional media centre. A daily tabloid, the Border Mail, which has its offices in Wodonga & Albury, covers the area. There are two local television news bulletins. Prime Television broadcasts its bulletin live at 5.30 from studios in Lavington, North of Albury. WIN Television's bulletin is produced in Ballarat, and airs on delay at 6pm.
Radio stations
The ABC produces local breakfast and morning radio programs through its local radio network, but the rest of their content consists of rebroadcasts from Melbourne, which is the source of most state-based media imported to Albury.
There are three commercial radio stations in Albury, namely 1494 2AY, 105.7 The River, and the networked Star FM on 104.9 FM. Notably, the Star FM's southern network is programmed out of Albury/Wodonga, going to centres around New South Wales, Victoria and into South Australia.
Albury/Wodonga is one radio market, thus advertisements are directed to both sides of the Murray. The Albury/Wodonga market underwent significant change in 2005 when Macquarie Regional RadioWorks bought 105.7 The River from RG Capital Radio Network, and 2AY and Star FM from the DMG Radio Australia. Due to cross-media ownership laws preventing the ownership of more than two stations in one market, Macquarie was required to sell one of these stations and in September 2005 sold 2AY to the Ace Radio network. 2AY takes its nighttime programming from 3AW Melbourne.
In addition, the area is serviced by community stations Ten73 "Border FM" on 107.3 FM, and a Reading for the Print Handicapped station, 2APH, on 101.7 FM. Wodonga TAFE's broadcasting training station, 87.8 Wodonga TAFE Radio, and ABC stations ABC Goulburn Murray, ABC Classic FM, and Triple J on 103.3 FM broadcast from transmitters located in Wodonga. Albury-Wodonga Christian Broadcasters transmits as 100.7 The Light. There are also narrowcasters RawFM on 87.6FM and Highway Network on 87.8FM Albury.
Education
Albury is home to one of the five campuses of Charles Sturt University. This campus is based at two locations in Albury. The first and oldest is located in the Northern part of the CBD between Kiewa and David St's, the second, newer facility is situated on the outskirts of Thurgoona. Charles Sturt University plans to have all of its courses and subject moved to the Thurgoona campus by 2007-8. It plays a key role in drawing aspiring students to the area, taking candidates from both sides of the Murray.
Riverina Institute of TAFE operates a campus in Albury. There is also a campus of the UNSW Rural Clinical School of Medicine.
Albury is home to seven public primary schools and three public high schools, James Fallon High School, Albury High School and Murray High School. Several private schools also operate in the area.
Sport
Albury is a stronghold of Australian rules football; further north rugby league is the main winter sport. The local Ovens & Murray Football League is one of the strongest regional leagues in Victoria, with the Grand Final regularly drawing around 15,000 spectators, and many players from it have gone on to play in the Australian Football League, including Haydn Bunton Senior, widely regarded as one of the sport's all-time greats. Sydney Swans player Brett Kirk played for North Albury.
The Albury Wodonga Bandits play in the SEABL East Conference of the ABA. The Bandits won a conference championship in 2001. They play home games at the Albury Sports Stadium. The Lady Bandits joined the women's SEABL in 2006.
Albury is the birthplace of women's tennis player Margaret Smith Court, basketballer Lauren Jackson and cricketer Steve Rixon, among other champion sportspeople.
The Albury Gold Cup horse race is major autumn event for the district. In 2005 it attracted a record crowd in excess of 18,600 racegoers.[11]
V8 Supercar Team, Brad Jones Racing and driver Brad Jones also calls Albury home. Albury has lately become a stronghold of junior hockey, boasting one of the few synthetic fields in the area. The town also has the Albury Grass Tennis Courts, the many courts again being the only ones for miles.
Tourism
The region surrounding Albury provides a wide variety of tourist attractions, including the wineries of Rutherglen, the historic goldfields towns of Beechworth and Yackandandah, the Hume Weir, boating and fishing on the many rivers and lakes (activities very popular with the locals), the forests of the Great Dividing Range and slightly further afield are many of Australia's snowfields. Albury itself, however, is not a major tourist destination. The paddle steamer Cumberoona runs tours along the Murray during the summer months (depending on river levels), and Monument Hill (home to the city's War Memorial) provides a good view of the city. Wonga Wetlands, 2.5 km west of the city and adjacent to the River Murray is a key feature of Albury's use of treated wastewater and consistes of a series of lagoons and billabongs. Wonga Wetlands features more than 150 species of birdlife and the Aquatic Environment Education Centre.
Culture
There is a strong regional theatre scene, with the Murray River Performing Group (MRPG) being the most notable company. It spawned the Flying Fruit Fly Circus in 1979, and these days conducts many productions through the Hothouse Theatre located on Gateway Island between Albury and Wodonga. Many notable actors and comics have performed with the MRPG.
Touring productions also often pass through the area.
Albury has a growing local scene of rock music bands and fans. The Youth Cafe is a supporter of local acts providing resources for young musicians and performers to be recognised. The Sodens Australia Hotel also regularly hosts local and touring national bands. A list of Local Bands can be found at the Albury Region Metal website. A major youth music event, the Border Music Camp held at Scot's School, attracts people from as far as Sydney.
The Australian pizza chain Eagle Boys was founded in Albury.
Politics
Albury is the largest city in the Federal electorate of Farrer, of which the current representative is Sussan Ley of the Liberal Party. In State politics, the Electoral district of Albury is currently represented by Greg Aplin, also of the Liberal Party. The previous Federal MP was Tim Fischer, who was leader of the National Party and Deputy Prime Minister of Australia.
Local government is the responsibility of Albury City Council, whose area of responsibility has gradually been enlarged to cover new housing estates at Albury's fringes. Amanda Duncan-Strelec became Albury's first female Mayor in 1995, serving for one year. She was elected Mayor again in 2006 by the nine-member council.
Famous murders
Albury's most famous crime is also one of Australia's most famous, the 'Pyjama Girl Murder'.
In 1996, a local teenager, Kim Meredith was murdered in Albury; a memorial to Kim was later placed in Queen Elizabeth 2 Square (QEII²) by the citizens of Albury.[12]
Famous sons, daughters, and residents
As well as other famous people mentioned above, the actors Richard Roxburgh, and Maggie Kirkpatrick were born in Albury, as well as Olympic swimmer Clementine Stoney, anti-communist priest Dr `Paddy' Ryan, fashion designer to the stars Lisa Ho, and international basketball superstar Lauren Jackson. Other famous people who lived in Albury - but weren't necessarily born there - include Filmmaker Dean Murphy (Strange Bedfellows), Writer Clint Morris, Australian actor Malcolm Kennard (E Street), actress Margaret Ann Downs and Australian Idol contestant Lisa Mitchell
Sister city relationships
In 2003, a sister city relationship with Nanping in northwestern Fujian province, People's Republic of China, was formalised.[13]
Maps
References
- ^ Travelmate
- ^ a b Australian Bureau of Statistics, 3218.0 - Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2005-06. Web access
- ^ Norman Mackay and David Eastburn (editors), ed. (1990). The Murray. Canberra, Australia: Murray-Darling Basin Commission. ISBN 1-875209-05-0.
{{cite book}}:|editor=has generic name (help) - ^ Australian Bureau of Meteorology. "Climate averages for Albury Airport". Retrieved 2006-05-11.
- ^ "Smollet Street Bridge over Bungambrawatha Creek". Heritage and conservation register. Roads and Traffic Authority. 13 November 2003. Retrieved 2006-11-28.
- ^ "Mylon Motorways". Mylon Motorways. Retrieved 2006-11-28.
- ^ "Bike and walking trails". City of Albury. Retrieved 2006-11-28.
- ^ "Unknown (unaccessable 28/11/06)". The Border Mail. Unknown.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "ION Limited". ION Limited. Retrieved 2006-11-29.
- ^ "Union hopes for Ion stamp duty deal". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 1 December 2005. Retrieved 2006-11-29.
- ^ "Unknown (unaccessable 28/11/06)". The Border Mail. Unknown.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Robinson, Gareth (24 October 1999). "Challenging Behaviour". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2006-11-29.
- ^ "Sister City - Nanping". History and Heritage. Albury City. 2005. Retrieved 2006-04-20.
See also
- Albury railway station, New South Wales
- Lavington, New South Wales
- the DVD on Albury's break of gauge railway, 'Journey of a Nation' (1947) on Film Australia, Just Australian Trains (1986) by the ABC
Book References
Tim Fisher, "Forward", in Bill 'Swampy' Marsh, Great Australian Railway Stories, ABC Books, 2005.
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