Branxton, New South Wales

Branxton is a town in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. Branxton is 171 kilometres (106 mi) north of Sydney via the Sydney–Newcastle Freeway and New England Highway. Branxton is located mostly in the City of Cessnock, but part of it is in Singleton Shire.

Branxton New South Wales
New England Highway at Branxton
Branxton
Coordinates	32°39′S 151°21′E / 32.650°S 151.350°E / -32.650; 151.350
Population	2,255 (2021 census)^[1]
Postcode(s)	2335
LGA(s)	City of Cessnock Singleton Council
Region	Hunter Region
State electorate(s)	Cessnock Upper Hunter
Federal division(s)	Hunter

History

Branxton lies on the Traditional Country of the Wonnarua people.^[2][3] In 1801 William Paterson (explorer) was the first European to sight the area when he travelled up the Hunter River as far as Dalwood.^[4] After colonisation, the township was initially referred to as Black Creek, but in 1848, its name was changed to Branxton as the developer believed that the Black Creek would not attract buyers.^[5] As settlers took up further land grants the township expanded capitalising on trade from settlers heading further north to settle the Liverpool Plains. By 1860 it was a village of 500 residents, a steam mill, post office, a mechanics institute and four hotels.^[5] 1860 also saw the main road being built by the general store, Victoria House.^[5] In 1865 a Methodist church was built.^[5] In 1871 St John's Anglican Church was built.^[5] In 1880 the police station was completed.^[5]

Population

At the 2021 Census the population of Branxton was 2,255, of whom 2,025 were born in Australia, while 151 identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders. The most common responses for religion were Catholic 22.4% and Anglican 11.9%, while No Religion jumped from 21.4% at the 2016 census to 32.8%.^[6]

At the 2016 census, Branxton had a population of 1,991.^[1]

Transport

Branxton is located on the New England Highway between Maitland and Singleton. While the highway passes through the centre of the town, most through traffic bypasses via the Hunter Expressway.

An infamous road sign on one approach to the town states that Branxton has "two cemeteries and no hospital!" The sign, erected by the local Lions Club, is meant to act as a deterrent to rule-breaking motorists.^[7]

Branxton is located on the Main Northern railway line and has its own railway station, served by NSW TrainLink's Hunter line.

Hunter Valley Buses operates three bus routes through the village of Branxton:

• 179: Stockland Greenhills to North Rothbury via East Maitland, Maitland, Rutherford, Lochinvar, Greta^[8]
• 180: Stockland Greenhills to Singleton Heights via East Maitland, Maitland, Rutherford, Lochinvar, Greta and Singleton^[9]
• 180X: Maitland station to Singleton station via Lochinvar and Greta^[10]

Wine history

 

Dalwood Vineyards near Branxton, 1886

The Branxton region is considered one of the birth places of Australian wine.^[11] Located at the northern end of Wine Country Drive, it is the northern gateway to the world-renowned Hunter Valley wine country of Pokolbin and Rothbury.

Winemaker James Busby, widely regarded as the "father" of the Australian wine industry, planted his first grape vines on his property "Kirkton", located at Belford in the Branxton district. He later sold 600 vines to George Wyndham, who arrived in 1827 after purchasing 2000 acres of land from David Maziere adjoining the Hunter River near to where William Paterson had explored 26 years earlier. His original homestead, Dalwood House, is preserved within the grounds of the modern Wyndham Estate complex is located five kilometres east of the current town. Management was eventually taken over by his son John who expanded the business, bringing it to international acclaim receiving awards at local and international exhibitions, including the Paris International Exhibition of 1867. The Wyndhams named some of their wines after local Aboriginal words such as Bukkulla.^[12] At the height of Dalwood's success, a set of promotional photographs of the vineyard were produced in 1886, which was presented to various local dignitaries, including Queen Victoria.^[11]

Facilities

Branxton is a busy service township with a supermarket, medical centre, swimming school and an art school.

The town has several different sporting clubs. These include Greta-Branxton Colts Rugby League Football Club, Greta-Branxton Wildcats Soccer Club, Greta-Branxton United Cricket Club, and Branxton District Netball Club. Branxton also has facilities for tennis, croquet, golf and athletics.

There are two primary schools within Branxton; Branxton Public School, and Rosary Park Catholic School.^[13][14] There is no high school in the town, and most students attend high school in nearby Maitland, Singleton or Cessnock.

Heritage listings

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

• Main Northern railway: Branxton railway station^[15]
• Dalwood Road: Dalwood House^[16]

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Branxton". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 July 2017.  
2. "Preserving history and culture | Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations". www.oric.gov.au. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
3. Wonnarua People. Boundaries of the Hunter Valley Aboriginal people (PDF). Wonnarua Aboriginal Corporation.
4. "Houses erected on original land grants in the Lower Hunter, Paterson and Williams River Valleys between 1800-1850".
5. "Branxton, NSW". Aussie Towns. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
6. "2021 Branxton, Census All persons QuickStats | Australian Bureau of Statistics".
7. . Archived from the original on 12 September 2009. Retrieved 21 September 2009.
8. "| transportnsw.info". transportnsw.info. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
9. "| transportnsw.info". transportnsw.info. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
10. "| transportnsw.info". transportnsw.info. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
11. scheme=AGLSTERMS. AglsAgent; corporateName=State Library of New South Wales; address=Macquarie Street, Sydney (17 February 2016). "Wyndhams | Australian agricultural and rural life". State Library of NSW. Retrieved 5 June 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
12. "INTERCOLONIAL AND PARIS EXHIBITION". Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954). 28 February 1867. p. 5. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
13. "Home - Branxton Public School". branxton-p.schools.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
14. "Rosary Park Catholic School – Branxton". www.branxton.catholic.edu.au. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
15. "Branxton Railway Station group and movable relics". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H01098. Retrieved 18 May 2018.   Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence.
16. "Dalwood House and surrounds of Wyndham Estate". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H00377. Retrieved 18 May 2018.   Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence.

External links

  Media related to Branxton, New South Wales at Wikimedia Commons