SINGLETON
Pop 12,519; 186 km NW of Sydney.
Founded in 1820 and named
after Benjamin Singleton, one of the first settlers in the region,
Singleton is one of the oldest towns in Australia. Coal mining and
agriculture, two of the more important industries for the town, and
the Australian Army's Singleton Infantry Centre, have played an
important role in the life of the community and its economic development.
Much of the town's main
street and quiet back streets remain little changed from the last
century. The Caledonian Hotel opened in 1853 and has a beautiful
ironwork verandah. It was here that in 1900 the Aboriginal outlaw Joe
Governor lay for his inquest after being shot and killed at St Clair
to the north. He is buried just outside the cemetery at Whittingham
Not far from the
town is the mammoth $240 million Liddell Power Station,
which each year burns 6m tonnes of coal from two open
cut mines.
Visitor
Information
Singleton Visitors
Centre, Cnr George and Macquarie Streets, Singleton, 2330.
Open 7 days a week from
9am to 5pm. Tel. 1800 449 888 or (02) 6571 5888; Fax (02) 6572 4197.
e-mail: 22@singletoncouncil.nsw.gov.au. |