Southern Highlands (New South Wales)

Coordinates: 34°28′S 150°25′E / 34.467°S 150.417°E / -34.467; 150.417
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Southern Highlands
New South Wales
Morton National Park at Fitzroy Falls
Population52,678 (SA3 2021)[1]
Location
  • 110 km (68 mi) South-West of Sydney
  • 140 km (87 mi) North-East of Canberra
LGA(s)Wingecarribee Shire[2]
RegionCapital Country
State electorate(s) • Goulburn

 • Kiama

 •
Federal division(s)
 • Hume

 • Gilmore

 • Whitlam
Localities around Southern Highlands:
Southern Tablelands
Macarthur (Greater Sydney)
 Illawarra
Southern Tablelands Southern Highlands Illawarra
Southern Tablelands Southern Tablelands
South Coast

The Southern Highlands, also locally referred to as the Highlands, is a geographical region and district in

local government area of the Wingecarribee Shire and also towns of the Mulwaree Shire. The region is also considered a wine region
.

The region specifically is the area centred on the commercial towns of

Moss Vale, Bundanoon and Robertson as well as the historic town of Berrima. Smaller villages like Burradoo, Sutton Forest, Colo Vale, Avoca, Yerrinbool, Exeter, Welby and many more that make up the Wingecarribee Shire
are spread in between and around these main centres and serve mostly as residential areas.

The Highlands geographically sits between 500 m and 900 m above sea level on the

Blue Mountains to the north and the Australian Alps to the south, the Southern Highlands is known for its cool temperate climate. The Southern Highlands Shale Forest and Woodland and Blue Mountains and Southern Highlands Basalt Forests
vegetation communities lie primarily within the region.

The Southern Highlands as a region is part of the larger Capital Country Region with the Highlands forming the northern part of the region and the Southern Tablelands forming the southern part of the region.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Wingecarribee Shire

The Southern Highland's

council, Wingecarribee Shire
, is home to about 44,379 (2006) residents and is growing at a rate of 2.1% per annum. The majority of the residents (84.5%) are Australian-born with the minority of the population being (15%) born overseas, primarily Europe. The population density of the Highlands is 16.5 persons/km2.

Local attractions

Berrima

Berrima's Surveyor General Inn that was established in 1834.[4]
Main article: Berrima, New South Wales

Northern Villages used to be known as the Berrima District. Berrima contains many historic buildings including the historical Berrima Gaol and Courthouse which is no longer in use today as well as many other historical buildings.[5]

Bowral CBD

Bowral
Main article:
Bowral, New South Wales

boutiques, gourmet restaurants, Corbett Gardens and Springetts Arcade. The town is also home to the Sir Donald Bradman
or Bradman Museum.

Kangaroo Valley

Bradman Museum, Bowral

Sir Donald Bradman
outside the Bradman Museum.

The Bradman Museum is a tribute

Australian Cricket Team
play a friendly game annually.

Fitzroy Falls

Main article: Fitzroy Falls, New South Wales

Fitzroy Falls is a waterfall found in the Morton National Park near the Highlands' village of the same name, Fitzroy Falls, and located near Kangaroo Valley. The Fitroy Falls reserve offers lookouts of the waterfall and of panoramic views of the Morton National Park. The waterfall and village is located near the lake Fitzroy Reservoir.[6] The waterfall's and lake's reserve includes lookouts, bushwalking trails and picnic areas.

Grazing near Jamberoo

Illawarra Fly Tree Top Walk, Robertson

The Illawarra Fly Tree Top Walk, also known as Illawarra Fly is a

Illawarra Escarpment and Budderoo National Park.[7]

Joadja

Main article: Joadja, New South Wales

Mittagong. The town was established in the 1870s by the Australian Kerosene Oil and Mineral Company as Joadja valley's walls contained a vast reserve of shale. Notably, the town back in its time was one of the most populous towns in the Highlands. However, at the turn of the century when the shale ran out, the town's population began to dwindle and the town would be eventually abandoned by the early 1900s.[8]

Joadja at its height had a post office, theatre, general store, bakery, school of arts, refinery, railway line, miner's cottages and many other buildings. Notably, it was one of the first rural towns in New South Wales to be connected to the telephone.

Joadja's legacy still remains with many of the historical buildings remaining in ruin such as some of the miners' cottages, a school house, church, cemetery and refinery devices such as shale ovens. These ovens are protected and is World Heritage listed.[8]


Today, the Joadja Distillery produces Single Malt Whisky in honour of the Scottish mining families who worked the rich coal and shale seams in the late 1800s.

Harper's Mansion

Manor houses

The Southern Highlands has a reputation of being an upscale area due to its upscale-style accommodation which include reputable resorts such as Craigieburn, Briars, Berida Manor House and

Peppers Manor House
. Each of these places are historical and have a historic significance to the local area.

Morton National Park

Main article: Morton National Park

Robertson

Main article: Robertson, New South Wales

Home of the Big Potato and Fountaindale Grand Manor "AKA" Ranelagh House. Fountaindale Grand Manor, originally built in 1924 and opened as Hotel Robertson, has had an interesting history. The Hotel boasted a nine-hole golf course, two tennis courts, croquet, lawn bowls, billiards, fishing, hunting, horseback riding, and an onsite mechanic who looked after guest's cars during their stay. The hotel won the "Most luxurious hotel in the Commonwealth" award in 1925, and was the first hotel in Australia to have phone lines to every room.

Wineries

The Highlands in the last decade has become a small yet significantly growing

cellar door region in New South Wales. It is believed that temperate climate, high annual rainfall as well as quality basalt soil makes it a perfect[citation needed] place for viticulture
. There are many reputable wineries and vineyards that are located in the Highlands such as Joadja Estate, Bendooley Estate, Centennial Winery, St Maur Wines, Southern Highland Wines, and Eling Forest Winery. Some of these wineries have won awards nationally as well as internationally for the optimum quality of their wines.

Varieties primarily cultivated in the region are;

cabernet sauvignon.[3]

Wombeyan Caves

Main article: Wombeyan Caves

Events

Brigadoon

Brigadoon is a cultural Scottish Festival that occurs one day in April at Bundanoon every year. The festival celebrates

Highland dancing and Scottish country dance; and Highland games such as caber toss and stone put. In addition, Scottish cuisine is available during the festival such as Scotch pie and haggis.[9]

Tulip Time in Bowral

Tulip Time is a historical

flowers in late September and early October. The first festival was started in 1961 by the Rotary Club of Bowral-Mittagong. The festival usually lasts 14 days and includes various activities such as band parades, house and garden fairs, food and wine fairs and many other activities.[10]

The festival donates proceeds to various charities and this year[

Westmead Children's Hospital. In the past, the festival has supported local churches, hospitals, youth centres, elderly centres and disadvantaged people of the community.[11]

Walk Through Bethlehem in Mittagong

Walk Through Bethlehem is an interactive

stonemasons and copper-smiths at work, the wise men searching for the saviour, villagers selling their wares in the marketplace, before finally seeing Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus in the stable. Run by Mittagong Anglican Church (St. Stephen's), the event is held every second year in December, usually the week before Christmas. Held in the grounds of Mittagong Anglican Church on Main Street, the event has been run in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2015.[12]

Small events

Bundanoon hosts Community Garden's Grow Cook Eat Festival in March, Winterfest each June and Garden Ramble each October.[citation needed]

Sled Dog Trials in June.[citation needed
]

Local media

Newspapers

Radio

  • 2ST Radio  · 102.9 FM. · A commercial radio station that is based in
    Nowra
    .
  • 92.5 FM Youth Radio (previously 2WYR925FM) · 92.5 FM. · The local community youth radio station that is based in
    Bowral
    .
  • Highland FM (previously 2WKT Radio) · 107.1 FM. · The local FM community radio station that is based in
    Bowral
    .
  • Classic Gold FM · 88.0 FM. · A local FM radio station playing music from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.

Notable people

  • Jono Brauer, Australian alpine skier who specialises in slalom and giant slalom
  • Ann Carr-Boyd, Australian classical composer
  • David Griffin
    , Australian lawyer and businessman, and former Lord Mayor of Sydney
  • Jonathan Hardy, New Zealand-born Australian actor, writer and director
  • Frank Tidswell, Australian physician
  • Leo Sayer, English-Australian singer-songwriter
  • Nicole Kidman, Australian-American actress, producer and singer.
  • Nathan Hindmarsh, Australian rugby league player
  • Feiz Mohammad, Australian preacher of Lebanese descent.[13]

See also

References

  1. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Southern Highlands (Statistical Area Level 3)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 February 2024. Edit this at Wikidata
  2. ^ (www.wsc.nsw.gov.au), Customer and Information Services, Wingecarribee Shire Council. "Wingecarribee Shire Council Online Customer Service Centre". www.wsc.nsw.gov.au. Archived from the original on 19 March 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ a b "Page Not Found". wineaustralia.com. Archived from the original on 10 October 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2018. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
  4. ^ "Welcome to Surveyor General Inn". Archived from the original on 13 October 2009. Retrieved 9 October 2009.
  5. ^ "Berrima Village - History & Attractions". Archived from the original on 21 November 2009. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
  6. ^ "Fitzroy Falls – National Park". www.highlandsnsw.com.au. Archived from the original on 20 March 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  7. ^ "The Illawarra Fly Experience - Facts - Illawarra Fly Tree Top Walk - Southern Highlands, NSW, Australia". Archived from the original on 14 July 2009. Retrieved 4 July 2009.
  8. ^ a b "Joadja, New South Wales". The Age. 17 February 2005. Archived from the original on 16 November 2010.
  9. ^ "A Day in Brigadoon". Archived from the original on 14 September 2009. Retrieved 4 July 2009.
  10. ^ "Tulip Time Event Information - Southern Highlands". Archived from the original on 2 August 2009. Retrieved 4 July 2009.
  11. ^ "Tulip Time History - Southern Highlands". Archived from the original on 4 August 2009. Retrieved 4 July 2009.
  12. ^ "Home – Mittagong Region Anglican Church". www.mittang.com.au. Archived from the original on 22 March 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  13. ^ "Sydney cleric Sheik Feiz Mohammed stirs the hatred". The Daily Telegraph. 18 September 2012. Archived from the original on 19 January 2016. Retrieved 4 February 2016.

External links

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Southern Highlands (New South Wales).

34°28′S 150°25′E / 34.467°S 150.417°E / -34.467; 150.417

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