|
Inverell is a town in the north of New South
Wales, Australia, situated on the Macintyre River.
It is also the centre of Inverell Shire. Inverell is
located on the Gwydir Highway on the western slopes
of the Northern Tablelands. It has a temperate
climate. At the 2006 census, the population of
Inverell was 9,749.
In 1848 Alexander Campbell held the 50,000-acre (200
km2) Inverell Station on the Macintyre River. The
name derives from the name of Mr. MacIntyre's
estate. The word is of Gaelic origin, and signifies
"meeting place of the swans"; from "Inver a meeting
place, and "Ell", a swan. The MacIntyre River and
Swanbrook Creek join here. The area was also known
as "Green Swamp" in the 1850s. Wheat growers, Colin
and Rosanna Ross established a store there in 1853,
when he asked that a town be surveyed. In 1858 this
was done and in the following years the plan was
approved and the first land sale was held. The
municipality was proclaimed in 1872. Diamonds were
discovered at Copes Creek in 1875 and were mined at
Copeton from 1883-1922. Commercial sapphire mining
was commenced in 1919 at Frazers Creek near
Inverell. Rich alluvial deposits in streams were
worked initially by hand miners but there was little
recorded production up until approximately 1960. The
population was 7514 (1954 census) and 8209 (1961
census). The population is now 12 000.
The Inverell district is in a fertile agricultural
region which produces a wide range of crops,
including wheat, barley, oats, sorghum, wine grapes
and maize. There are also some mining activities
with tin, sapphires, zircons and diamonds (mainly
industrial) being found. Inverell is known as the
‘Sapphire City’ because of the sapphires that found
throughout the local district. The area is
recognised for its sapphires, contributing to a
major part of Australia's sapphire production.
Copeton Dam, the district's main water supply, holds
three times the capacity of Port Jackson (Sydney
Harbour), and is so large that when it is below 3%
of its capacity during drought, it still has enough
water to supply the town for up to ten years without
water restrictions. The Inland Fishing Festival is
held there every year.
There are two primary schools in Inverell; Ross Hill
School and Inverell Public School. The two local
high schools are Inverell High School and Macintyre
High School. Holy Trinity School is a Central
Catholic School in Inverell which caters for
students from Kindergarten to Year Ten. |
