Somerton, New South Wales
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Somerton New South Wales |
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 Somerton
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| Coordinates | 30°56′S 150°38′E / 30.933°S 150.633°ECoordinates: 30°56′S 150°38′E / 30.933°S 150.633°E | ||||||||
| Population | 573 (2011 census) | ||||||||
| Established | 1839 | ||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 2340 | ||||||||
| Elevation | 326 m (1,070 ft) | ||||||||
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| LGA(s) | Tamworth Regional Council | ||||||||
| County | Parry | ||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Tamworth | ||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | New England | ||||||||
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Somerton is a village between Tamworth and Gunnedah on the Oxley Highway in northern New South Wales Australia. In the 2011 census, there were 573 persons usually resident in Somerton: 298 males and 275 females. Somerton Village adjoins the plentiful Peel River.
The area surrounding Somerton is an agricultural region specialising in broad-acre cropping and large scale grazing. Lucerne is grown along the fertile Peel River flats.
Services available in Somerton include a primary school, roadhouse, hotel and memorial hall. Somerton is located within close proximity to a number of key employment hubs in the New England region, including the regional cities of Tamworth and Gunnedah.
Somerton has a rich history, founded on the wealth of the Liverpool Plains. Somerton stands alone in the area as being a very old settlement, chosen by the first Commissioner of Crown Lands for the Liverpool Plains - Edward Mayne - as the headquarters for the vast Liverpool Plains Pastoral District in 1840. The earliest form of policing was provided at Somerton when, in 1839, Commissioner Mayne was provided with a small contingent of border police to help him maintain order over his vast north western district. On 6 May 1856 notice was given that approved plans for the town of Somerton had been lodged in Tamworth, and the village of Somerton was officially divided into streets and town allotments in 1858.
The Legacy of an ANZAC
In the early 1900s, Somerton had two general stores, one operating as a general store and post office, and the other - on Bloomfield Street - operating as David Heugh General Stores. David Heugh, born 21 May 1890, was an ambitious and optimistic young man, with consistent marketing of his wares published in local newspapers. On 31 December 1912, David Heugh suffered a serious set-back in business, when his general store burnt out completely - which was found through a Coronial Inquiry to have occurred through no fault of his own. On 22 February 1913, David Heugh used newspaper advertising to optimistically notify his patrons that a new store was under construction, and he would temporarily trade from his previous premises while the new store was built.
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