Tocumwal

Coordinates: 35°48′54″S 145°34′05″E / 35.81500°S 145.56806°E / -35.81500; 145.56806
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Tocumwal
Federal division(s)
Farrer
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
22.9 °C
73 °F		 9.6 °C
49 °F		 448.6 mm
17.7 in

Tocumwal (

Victoria
.

The Newell Highway and Murray Valley Highway join at the Murray River, and form part of the main road route National Highway A39 between Brisbane and Melbourne. At the 2016 census, Tocumwal had a population of 2,682.[1] The winner of several "Tidy Town" awards, Tocumwal is affectionately known as "The Jewel in the Crown That Is The Riverina District".[citation needed]

The name of town is probably a corruption of the local Bangarang First Nations word, "Tucumiva" (or "Tucumival"), meaning "deep hole". Near Tocumwal is a 25-metre-deep hole in granite rock, now known as "The Blowhole", which is linked underground to the nearby Murray River.[3][4]

History

Prior to European settlement, the Tocumwal area was inhabited by the

Bangerang
people. The first pastoral runs were established in the 1840s. The town was established in the early 1860s and gazetted in 1862 as:

"a Village to be called TOCUMWAL ... Situated on the Murray River, on the road from Albury to Deniliquin, about 50 miles west of Corowa, and 40 south-east of Deniliquin."[5]

Tocumwal Post Office opened on 1 August 1868.[6]

Prior to Federation, Tocumwal was an important customs point for goods moving between the then British colonies of Victoria and New South Wales.[7]

A

break-of-gauge location at Tocumwal, but the NSWGR line from Finley to Tocumwal was closed in 1987.[9]

During World War II the town was the site of Royal Australian Air Force Station Tocumwal, which was a major Royal Australian Air Force training airfield and aircraft depot. Units included (at various times) the 5 Operational Training Unit, 7 Operational Training Unit, 7 Aircraft Depot and the Paratroop Training Unit.[10] Today, the airfield is a renowned gliding site.

Also during the War, Tocumwal was the location of

US Army Air Forces at a total cost of £900,000 ($1,800,000).[10]

After the War ended, families were housed at the American Air Force Hospital and the men travelled daily over the river to

Nissen huts
, with three or four families in each and a shared bathroom. Single quarters were at the front and a cook was employed.

Also after the War, about 200 Air Force houses in Tocumwal were disassembled and trucked to Canberra to be reused in as government housing for workers from Melbourne and Sydney who were constructing the new capital city. Called Tocumwal houses, they remain a distinctive architectural feature in Canberra's suburbs, such as O'Connor and Ainslie.[11]

Heritage listings

Tocumwal has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

Climate

Tocumwal has a semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk). marginally too dry to be classified as a humid subtropical climate (Cfa), with hot summers and pleasant winters. Rainfall is moderate but somewhat erratic, with calendar year totals having ranged from 191.1 millimetres or 7.52 inches in 1982 to 873.8 millimetres or 34.40 inches in 1973.

Climate data for Tocumwal
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 46.5
(115.7) 		45.7
(114.3) 		41.8
(107.2) 		37.0
(98.6) 		29.0
(84.2) 		23.7
(74.7) 		25.5
(77.9) 		30.5
(86.9) 		34.0
(93.2) 		37.0
(98.6) 		43.5
(110.3) 		44.9
(112.8) 		46.5
(115.7)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 32.0
(89.6) 		31.5
(88.7) 		28.1
(82.6) 		23.1
(73.6) 		18.3
(64.9) 		14.7
(58.5) 		13.9
(57.0) 		15.7
(60.3) 		18.9
(66.0) 		22.8
(73.0) 		26.9
(80.4) 		29.7
(85.5) 		23.0
(73.4)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 16.2
(61.2) 		16.1
(61.0) 		13.6
(56.5) 		9.7
(49.5) 		6.7
(44.1) 		4.3
(39.7) 		3.4
(38.1) 		4.2
(39.6) 		6.2
(43.2) 		8.8
(47.8) 		11.9
(53.4) 		14.1
(57.4) 		9.6
(49.3)
Record low °C (°F) 7.4
(45.3) 		6.8
(44.2) 		5.0
(41.0) 		0.0
(32.0) 		−2.1
(28.2) 		−4.8
(23.4) 		−4.3
(24.3) 		−4
(25) 		−1.5
(29.3) 		1.3
(34.3) 		2.9
(37.2) 		5.1
(41.2) 		−4.8
(23.4)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 33.4
(1.31) 		28.9
(1.14) 		35.2
(1.39) 		32.2
(1.27) 		40.5
(1.59) 		44.0
(1.73) 		41.9
(1.65) 		42.7
(1.68) 		39.0
(1.54) 		42.4
(1.67) 		34.9
(1.37) 		34.1
(1.34) 		449.0
(17.68)
Average rainy days (≥ 1 mm) 2.8 2.4 3.1 3.4 4.7 5.6 6.3 6.2 5.4 4.8 4.0 3.1 51.8
Average
relative humidity
(%) 		33 35 38 46 57 65 65 57 52 45 38 33 47
Source: [14]

Facilities

Tocumwal has one state and one Catholic primary school. The nearest high school is in Finley, 21 kilometres (13 mi) to the north.

Picola & District Football League

Tocumwal is in the federal Division of Farrer and the state Electoral district of Murray.

Tocumwal was also where the largest Murray cod in the world was caught.[15]

Tocumwal has a 36-hole championship golf course at the Tocumwal Golf Club,[16] a bowls club[16] and is well known internationally for gliding at SportAviation.[17]

Gallery

  • The Big Murray Cod on the Tocumwal foreshore
    The Big
    Murray Cod
    on the Tocumwal foreshore
  • The Tattersalls Hotel, one of four pubs in Tocumwal
    The Tattersalls Hotel, one of four pubs in Tocumwal
  • The Terminus Hotel, another of the four pubs
    The Terminus Hotel, another of the four pubs
  • Tocumwal Airport
    Tocumwal Airport

References

  1. ^ a b Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Tocumwal (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 25 January 2018. Edit this at Wikidata
  2. ISBN 1-876429-14-3
  3. ^ "Tocumwal". Geographical Names Register (GNR) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. Retrieved 4 August 2013. Edit this at Wikidata
  4. ^ "Tocumwal, NSW". Aussie Towns. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  5. New South Wales Government Gazette
    . No. 120. New South Wales, Australia. 18 July 1862. p. 1283. Retrieved 28 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ^ Phoenix Auctions History. "Post Office List". Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  7. ^ "Travel - Tocumwal". The Sydney Morning Herald. 8 February 2004. Retrieved 18 February 2007.
  8. ^ "Tocumwal Branch". nswrail.net. Retrieved 1 February 2007.
  9. ^ Bozier, Rolfe. "Tocumwal Branch". NSWrail.net. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  10. ^
    ISBN 978-0-644-42798-2
  11. ^ "ACT Heritage Library Manuscript Collection: HMSS 0074 Tocumwal Houses Archive". HMSS 0074 Tocumwal Houses Archive. ACT Heritage Library. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  12. Department of Planning & Environment. H01270. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence
    .
  13. Department of Planning & Environment. H01061. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence
    .
  14. ^ "Tocumwal Airport". Climate statistics for Australian locations. Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  15. ^ The Tocumwal Foreshore
  16. ^ a b Tocumwal Golf and Bowls Club
  17. ^ Sport Aviation

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tocumwal&oldid=1220082735"