54-888: Hunter Water is a state owned corporation providing drinking water, wastewater, recycled water and some stormwater services to 500,000 people in the Lower Hunter Region in New South Wales , Australia. It was formed in 1892, when the Hunter District Water Supply and Sewerage Board was founded, and was later known as the Hunter District Water Board between 1938 and 1992. Hunter Water supplies its customers with water sourced from Chichester Dam located north of Dungog and Grahamstown Dam located east of Raymond Terrace . It also utilises water from underground aquifers at
108-660: A large number of vineyards , restaurants, shops, golf courses and country guesthouses. Other parts of the valley including the Wollombi Valley and Broke Fordwich subregion are also well known for wine, along with the Upper Hunter Valley . The main town in the Upper Hunter Valley subregion is Muswellbrook . For the purposes of Australian federal elections for the House of Representatives ,
162-534: A mission environment and had no cultural connection to those areas. The eaglehawk or wedge-tailed eagle has special significance for the Awabakal people. Kon, their "celestial entity", looks like an Aboriginal man, but in flight resembles an eagle-hawk. The Awabakal people played a significant part in shaping the environment of their region. They practised fire-stick farming extensively, which helped them to hunt and to navigate through dense prickly scrub along
216-528: A referendum on Hunter Valley statehood by 2030. Chapter VI of the Constitution of Australia allows new states to be formed, but only with the consent of the Parliament of the state in question. Awabakal people The Awabakal people / ə ˈ w ɒ b ə ɡ æ l / , are those Aboriginal Australians who identify with or are descended from the Awabakal tribe and its clans, Indigenous to
270-486: A support programme in 1983 to assist and promote university studies for indigenous people. Wollotuka's all indigenous staff moved into their new building, Birabahn in 2002, and the Wollotuka Institute was officially established in 2009. In 2013 an association of Awabakal and Guringai descendants laid claim to native title over land from Maitland to Hornsby . The claim was opposed by representatives of
324-537: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Hunter Region The Hunter Region , also commonly known as the Hunter Valley , Newcastle Region , or simply Hunter , is a region in northern New South Wales , Australia, extending from approximately 162 km (101 mi) to 310 km (193 mi) north of Sydney . It contains the Hunter River and its tributaries with highland areas to
378-485: Is a not-for-profit community controlled organisation operating in the Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and Hunter Region. It was established in 1976. It is responsible for the delivery of community and health services to Aboriginal people in this region, including: The Butterfly Cave at West Wallsend is part of "women's business" related to birthing , and has been the subject of decades of active protection by women. However,
432-448: Is one of Australia's most famous wine-growing regions, known for both its red and white wine varieties. The most important economic activity in the valley is coal mining (through businesses such as Rio Tinto and BHP ), mostly for export. The Port of Newcastle is the world's largest export facility for coal, most of which is brought to the port by rail . Coal ships are often seen off the coast of Newcastle. Electricity generation at
486-532: Is supplied from the Tomago Sandbeds , via a series of bores. The Hunter Region includes four cities. In order of population these are Lake Macquarie , Newcastle , Maitland and Cessnock . Other major centres of the Hunter Region are Dungog , Gloucester , Kurri Kurri , Muswellbrook , Raymond Terrace , Scone and Singleton . The climate of Hunter Valley is humid subtropical , similar to
540-542: Is supplied with water diverted from the Williams River just north of the Seaham Weir, through a large pump station at Balickera. The dam itself has only a small natural catchment and relies mainly on the pumped water from the Williams River. A proposal to build Tillegra Dam on the Williams River existed since the 1950s, but was scrapped in 2010. In addition to the dams, fresh water for the lower Hunter Region
594-599: Is the first, and most comprehensive record of any indigenous language in Australia. The City of Newcastle is in the process of educating the wider community about dual name sites and traditional language history of Newcastle Muluubinba. Tindale estimated Awabakal territory to cover some 1,800 square kilometres (700 sq mi). More recent estimates are that Awabakal territory covers 2870 square kilometres. The Awabakal clan were relocated from Newcastle harbour area by Rev Threlkeld to two locations at Lake Macquarie into
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#1732776504569648-469: The Eraring , Bayswater , Liddell , Munmorah , Redbank and Vales Point coal-fired power stations is a major industry of the region. The Hunter Valley is Australia's main region for the breeding and rearing of Thoroughbred horses and most of the country's best racehorses. The Upper Hunter area around Scone is one of the largest horse breeding areas in the world. Commonly known as "Wine Country",
702-642: The Greater Western Sydney region, with distinctive maritime influences from the Pacific Ocean . With its northerly latitude and close oceanic influences, the Hunter Valley is one of Australia's hottest and wettest wine regions. Flanked by mountains to the west and north the Hunter Valley acts as a funnel, pulling cool ocean breezes into the area. With those cooling breezes also comes heavy rainfall and periodic cyclonic storms in
756-647: The Sydney Basin to the south. Between these two geological areas is the Hunter- Mooki Thrust fault. At one time this fault was very geologically active and gave rise to the Brokenback range that feature prominently in the Hunter region. Strips of basalt found throughout the region also bear witness to the volcanic activity that has occurred in the history of this fault. The Permian rocks in
810-423: The (Lower) Hunter Valley proper in 1820. Today, the modern Putty Road between the cities of Windsor and Singleton follows Howe's exact path and is a major thoroughfare for wine tourists coming into the Hunter Valley from Sydney. As previous plantings in the coastal areas around Sydney succumbed to the humidity and wetness, and plantings to the west were limited by spring frost damage, northern reaches leading to
864-529: The British Empire. The Hunter River itself was discovered, by accident, in 1797 by British Lieutenant John Shortland as he searched for escaped convicts. The region soon became a valuable source for timber and coal that fuelled the steamship trade coming out of Sydney. Land prospector John Howe cut a path through the Australian wilderness from Sydney up to the overland area in what is now known as
918-541: The Hunter Region are: There is an active movement campaigning for the Hunter Region to secede from New South Wales to form its own state. The sale of the Port of Newcastle and the refusal of the NSW state government to build a container terminal in Newcastle has been cited as the motivation behind the campaign. The movement's demands include a Royal commission into the feasibility of Hunter Valley Statehood as soon as possible, and
972-562: The Hunter Region is contained within the divisions of Hunter , Lyne , Newcastle , Paterson , and Shortland . For the purposes of New South Wales elections for the Legislative Assembly , the Hunter Region is contained within the electoral districts of Cessnock , Charlestown , Lake Macquarie , Maitland , Myall Lakes , Newcastle , Port Stephens , Swansea , Upper Hunter , Wallsend , and Wyong . The following local government areas are contained within
1026-652: The Hunter Valley is a major tourist destination in New South Wales and is the 6th most visited place in Australia attracting more than 2.5 million people annually. There are regular events held in the Hunter for visitors, including the Hunter Valley Steam Trains running the first three Sundays of each month and regular scenic cruises on the Hunter River and Lake Macquarie . The Hunter Valley Wine Zone Australian Geographical Indication
1080-732: The Hunter Valley wine region. Along with the Worimi to the north and the Awabakal to the south, the Wonnarua developed a trading route connecting the Coquun (Hunter) Valley to the harbour now known as Sydney harbour . The wine-making history of Hunter Valley begins with the European settlement of the Sydney and the New South Wales region of Australia in the late 18th century as a penal colony of
1134-628: The Hunter Valley. This temporarily produced an up-tick in plantings but the global Great Depression as well as a series of devastating hail storms between 1929 and 1930 caused many growers to abandon their vineyards. The Hunter Region is considered a transitional area between the Paleozoic rock foundation of the New England Fold Belt located to the south and the Early Permian and Middle Triassic period rock formations of
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#17327765045691188-478: The Hunter became, almost by default, the wine region of the new colony. The expansive growth of the Hunter Valley wine industry in the mid to late 19th century arose from its monopoly position in the lucrative Sydney market. The provincial government of New South Wales had enacted regulations that placed prohibitive duties on wines from other areas such as Victoria and South Australia. Following World War I , many returning Australian veterans were given land grants in
1242-469: The Hunter region is almost as large, and includes most of the wine-producing areas, excluding the metropolitan area of Newcastle and nearby coastal areas, some national parks, and any land that was in the Mudgee Shire (at the western heights of the catchment). The Hunter wine region is one of Australia 's best known wine regions , playing a pivotal role in the history of Australian wine as one of
1296-454: The Hunter, many endangered ecological communities (EECs) have been declared under the TSC Act . These communities are found on both public and private land, and prior to development of land, the landowner is required to undertake an environmental assessment to ascertain whether it will impact endangered species or endangered communities. Examples of endangered ecological communities found within
1350-623: The Lower Hunter vary widely from sandy alluvial flats (often planted to Semillon), to deep friable loam (often planted with Shiraz) and friable red duplex soils . In the Upper Hunter, the rivers and creeks of the region contribute to the areas black, silty loam soils that are often overlaid on top of alkaline clay loam. Among the hills of the Brokenback range are strips of volcanic basalt that are prized by growers for their tendencies to restrict vigor and concentrate mineral flavours in
1404-588: The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service protects the Cave and the surrounding cultural landscape, including vital elements such as aquifers, traditional journey paths, creeks, stone arrangements and food source areas. The land will be managed by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and permanently protected under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974. The NSW Government will consult with
1458-518: The Tomago Sandbeds in Tomago . In January 2024, Hunter Water applied for consent to construct and operate a seawater desalination plant at Belmont , in the Lower Hunter region, at an estimated cost of $ AUD530 million. The plant is intended to supply up to 30 million litres per day, representing around 15% of the daily average consumption in the region. This corporation or company article
1512-581: The Upper Hunter, the more Triassic sandstone that can be found leading eventually to the carboniferous rocks that form the northern boundary of the Hunter with the New England Fold Belt and the foothills of the Barrington Tops . Overall, the Hunter Valley has more soils (mostly hard, acidic patches of poorly draining heavy clay) that are unsuitable for viticulture than they have areas that are ideal for growing grapes. The soils of
1566-635: The Worimi and Wonnarua as asserting rights over their own traditional territories. In 2017 the claim was withdrawn after the NSW government claimed that, while the claim group, the Descendants of the Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation had shown descent from the original people indigenous to the area, it was argued that they had failed to demonstrate continuous preservation of customary laws and practices since
1620-480: The area's investments in wine production and its emergence as a tourist destination. The Broke Fordwich area is located along the Hunter River tributary of the Wollombi Brook near the suburb of Pokolbin and was founded in 1830 by Major Thomas Mitchell who named the region after his fellow Napoleonic War veteran Sir Charles Broke-Vere . Much of the rolling countryside around Pokolbin is under vine and has
1674-609: The area's namesake, the Hunter River itself is not the dominant feature of the region—falling behind the Brokenback Range for that distinction. The greater river system of the Hunter, which includes the Goulburn and important tributaries such as Giants Creek, do provide needed irrigation for areas such as the Upper Hunter than can be prone to drought condition. The origins of the river begin the Liverpool Range of
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1728-613: The cave and its surrounds were recognised by the federal government as a significant Aboriginal area. Following 13 years of local activism, representation, and negotiation with the former owners, the NSW Government acquired a parcel of land surrounding the Butterfly Cave that was earmarked for development by Hammersmith Management, which is owned by the Roche Group. The 25.74-hectare [63.6-acre] plot, purchased by
1782-492: The central and southeastern expanse of the Lower Hunter Valley were formed when the area was underneath a shallow marine estuary . The remnants of this period has left an extensive network of coal seams that fuelled the early population boom of the Hunter Valley in the 19th century as well a high degree of salinity in the water table of much of the area. The further north and west, towards the Brokenback Range and
1836-452: The coast. Newcastle's main city thoroughfare, Watt Street was built over an Awabakal path from the shore to the top of a hill. Fishing, particularly for shellfish, was a significant part of the Awabakal people's diet and culture pre-colonisation. The Awabakal, in pre-colonisation times, were noted as being strong and determined defenders of their territory, the means by which the defence occurred need to be explored to deepen understanding of
1890-638: The coastal area of what is now known as the Hunter Region of New South Wales . Their traditional territory spread from Wollombi in the west, to the Lower Hunter River near Newcastle and Lake Macquarie in the north. The name Kuringgai , also written Guringai, has often been used as a collective denominator of the Awabakal and several other tribes in this belt, but Norman Tindale has challenged it as an arbitrary coinage devised by ethnologist John Fraser in 1892. For Tindale, Kuringgai
1944-529: The culture. They had possession of the coastal territory for thousands of years, during which time they successfully repelled incursions by the neighbouring Gamilaraay people and established places of defence, "virtual armouries", high in the Watagan Mountains . Descendants of Awabakal people who survived the British invasion and subsequent massacres of Aboriginal Australians , especially during
1998-462: The economy by the tourism industry. While the Hunter Valley has been supplanted by the massive Riverina wine region as the largest producer of New South Wales wine, it still accounts for around 3% of Australia's total wine production and is one of the country's most recognisable regions. For over 30,000 years the Wonnarua people of Aboriginal Australians inhabited the land that is now known as
2052-401: The first wine regions planted in the early 19th century. The success of the Hunter Valley wine industry has been dominated by its proximity to Sydney with its settlement and plantings in the 19th century fuelled by the trade network that linked the Hunter Valley to Sydney. The steady demand of consumers from Sydney continues to drive much of the Hunter Valley wine industry, including a factor in
2106-493: The grapes. The Warkworth Sands Woodland of the Hunter Valley are situated on these soils. The main river in the region is the Hunter River, after which the region is named. Other rivers in the region include the Allyn , Avon , Barrington , Bow , Bowman , Chichester , Gloucester , Goulburn , Isis , Karuah , Krui , Mammy Johnsons , Merriwa , Munmurra , Pages , Paterson , Wangat and Williams rivers. Despite being
2160-656: The land grab of 1826, are direct descendants of Margaret and Ned or Mahrahkah. These descendants are connected through their families/family culture together and represented by the Awabakal Descendants of the Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation. These Awabakal people are considered as the traditional owners of the Awabakal region and have lived there from at least since the last Ice Age, 11,800 years ago. Recently settled Aboriginal people in this region partake in community support organisations like 'The Awabakal Newcastle Aboriginal Cooperative Limited', which
2214-411: The large urban population of more than 500,000 living near the coast and centred on the cities of Newcastle and Lake Macquarie. State Water Corporation's Glenbawn , the largest dam in the region, Chichester and Lostock are dams on the Hunter, Chichester and Paterson rivers respectively. Hunter Water Corporation's Grahamstown Dam , the largest dam supplying the urban areas of the lower Hunter Region,
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2268-483: The local Aboriginal community on future management of the site and protection of the surrounding cultural landscape. The Awabakal Environmental Education Centre began operating in 1976. It is an NSW Department of Education and Communities facility. The centre provides opportunities for teachers and students in the Hunter Region to learn about the environment and human interactions with the natural world. Wollotuka , meaning an 'eating and meeting place' originally began as
2322-468: The north and south. Situated at the northern end of the Sydney Basin bioregion, the Hunter Valley is one of the largest river valleys on the NSW coast, and is most commonly known for its wineries and coal industry. Most of the population of the Hunter Region lives within 25 km (16 mi) of the coast, with 55% of the entire population living in the cities of Newcastle and Lake Macquarie . There are numerous other towns and villages scattered across
2376-590: The north–west by the Wonnarua , the Worimi to the north–east, and the Darkinung peoples to the west and south. Awaba is now the name of a small town in the region. The Awabakal language was recorded by Lancelot Edward Threlkeld and Awabakal Leader Birabahn in 'An Australian grammar : comprehending the principles and natural rules of the language as spoken by the Aborigines in the vicinity of Hunter's River, Lake MacQuarie & New South Wales' -'and this
2430-409: The region in the eleven local government areas (LGAs) that make up the region. At the 2021 census the combined population of the region was 682,465, and is expected to reach over 1,000,000 people by 2031. Under Australia's wine appellation system, the Hunter Valley wine zone Australian Geographical Indication (GI) covers the entire catchment of the Hunter River and its tributaries. Within that,
2484-494: The region's annual rainfall will fall with January and February being the wettest months. Between the months of October–April, the 3pm average for relative humidity in the Lower Hunter is 49%, while it is 43% in the Upper Hunter. The main industries in the Hunter Region are coal mining , manufacturing, agriculture, viticulture and wine making, tourism, horse breeding, electricity production, dairy farming and beef cattle farming, and associated service industries. The Hunter Region
2538-587: The region: The Hunter Region contains the Goulburn River National Park , Myall Lakes National Park , Barrington Tops National Park , Werakata National Park , Watagans National Park , Mount Royal National Park , Polkolbin State Forest, Putty State Forest, Chichester State Forest, Running Creek Nature Reserve, The Glen Nature Reserve, Black Bulga State Conservation Area , Myall River State Forest, and Karuah Nature Reserve. Within
2592-443: The sea. During the spring the Hunter Valley receives an average of 7.3–7.5 hours of sunshine a day. Mid-latitude westerly winds bring high pressure weather front that alternate with cold fronts on the winter. This leads to generally drier conditions in the winter months of July and August. In the summer, southeasterly winds bring weather fronts harbouring extensive amounts of moisture. Between October and April more than two thirds of
2646-488: The site sits on privately owned land allotted for a growing housing estate, owned by Hammersmith Management which is owned by the Roche Group. As of late 2021, women must seek permission to cross the owned land, despite the site being a protected site under the Federal Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection (ATSIHP) Act and was recognised as a New South Wales 'Aboriginal Place' in 2013. In 2019,
2700-403: The summer and autumn months. In the summer, the average daily temperature regularly exceeds 21.1 °C (70.0 °F) while during the winter the temperature averages around 14 °C (57.2 °F). Temperatures during January average between 22.7–23.3 °C (72.9–73.9 °F), with the temperature becoming progressively hotter the further inland you move away from the cooling influence of
2754-474: The village of Fordwich. Pokolbin , located in the "Lower Hunter Valley", is the centre of the Hunter Valley wine country, which claims to be Australia's oldest wine region. It is located between the towns of Cessnock and Branxton , about 50 km (31 mi) west of Newcastle. The wine country is primarily located within the Cessnock and Singleton LGAs. Its proximity to Sydney has been an influence on
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#17327765045692808-548: The volcanic Barrington Tops and flows south and then east down to the Pacific Ocean at the seaport city of Newcastle . Fresh water supply for the region is provided from a number of sources, which are managed by the Hunter Water and State Water Corporations. State Water Corporation's dams supply water for irrigation, industrial use at coal mines and the region's coal-fired power stations , and town water to upper Hunter Region towns. Hunter Water Corporation's dams supply
2862-506: Was registered on 1 May 1996 and is approximately the entire Hunter River catchment. It contains only one named wine region, Hunter. The Hunter Wine Region Australian Geographical Indication was declared on 18 March 1997. It is not as large as the Hunter Valley zone, but includes most of the significant vineyards. It does not extend east of the Pacific Highway . Some of the oldest vines in the Hunter Valley were planted in 1924 around
2916-455: Was synonymous with Awabakal. Arthur Capell however asserted that there was indeed evidence for a distinct Kuringgai language, which, in Tindale's schema, would imply they were a distinct people from the Awabakal. In their language, awaba was the word for Lake Macquarie, meaning flat or plain surface, and by extension referred to the people native to that area. The Awabakal were bounded to
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