Murrurundi, New South Wales
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Murrurundi New South Wales |
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The New England Highway at Murrurundi, with the Liverpool Range in the background.
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 Murrurundi
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| Coordinates | 31°45′S 150°50′E / 31.750°S 150.833°ECoordinates: 31°45′S 150°50′E / 31.750°S 150.833°E |
| Population | 847 (2011 census) |
| Established | 1840 |
| Postcode(s) | 2338 |
| Location | |
| LGA(s) | Upper Hunter Shire |
Murrurundi is a rural town located in the Upper Hunter Shire, in the Upper Hunter region of New South Wales, Australia.
Murrurundi is situated 193 kilometres (120 mi) northwest by road from Newcastle and 309 kilometres (192 mi) north from Sydney. At the 2011 census the town had a population of 847 people. The town is almost completely surrounded by mountains of the Liverpool Range, and is located on the Pages River, a tributary of the Hunter River.
Prior to European settlement, the Murrurundi district was home to the Wanaruah and possibly the Kamilaroi Aboriginal people. European settlement of the area began in the 1820s, and the town itself was established by the New South Wales government in 1840. In the same year, a local landholder, Thomas Haydon, established an adjacent private township called Haydonton. In 1913, the two neighbouring settlements were merged to create the modern-day town of Murrurundi.
The name "Murrurundi" is often erroneously thought to come from an Aboriginal word meaning "nestling in the valley". It does in fact mean "five fingers", a representation of the rock formation visible at the northern end of the township.
Benjamin Hall, father of bushranger Ben Hall had a small farm in a valley near Murrurundi in 1839. He opened a butcher's shop at Haydonton in 1842. Ben Hall lived at Murrurundi until the age of 13.
Oil shale (kerosene shale) was mined at Mount Temi, some 11.25 kilometres (6.99 mi) to the north of Murrurundi from 1886, but lay dormant for many years. The mine was revived in 1910 and a railway was constructed from Temple Court, 1.2 kilometres (0.75 mi) west of Murrurundi, to the terminal of an aerial ropeway bringing shale from the mine. Operations ceased during the First World War.
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