Hoskinstown

Hoskinstown is a locality in Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council, New South Wales, Australia.^[2] The locality, and what remains of the cluster of settlement of the same name, is 38 km southeast of Canberra the Capital city of Australia, and 299 km southwest of Sydney. At the 2021 census, it had a population of 191.^[1]

Hoskinstown New South Wales
House at Hoskinstown, which was once a part of the Victoria Hotel building.
Hoskinstown Location in New South Wales
Coordinates	35°24′57″S 149°27′02″E / 35.41583°S 149.45056°E / -35.41583; 149.45056
Population	191 (2021 census)^[1]
Postcode(s)	2621
Elevation	761 m (2,497 ft)
Location	38 km (24 mi) ESE of Canberra 299 km (186 mi) SW of Sydney
LGA(s)	Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council
Region	Southern Tablelands
County	Murray
Parish	Molonglo
State electorate(s)	Monaro
Federal division(s)	Eden-Monaro
Localities around Hoskinstown: Bungendore Bungendore Bungendore Carwoola Hoskinstown Forbes Creek Primrose Valley Captains Flat Rossi

The area now known as Hoskinstown lies on the traditional lands of Ngarigo people.^[3][4]

Hoskinstown, was known previously as Hoskingtown; it was named after John Hosking (1805-1882), a Sydney merchant, first elected mayor of Sydney, and the owner of the nearby Foxlow station—its name was derived from his wife Martha's middle name—which he took up around 1835.^[5] Part of what was once Hoskings' landholding extented to part of the area occupied by the settlement at Hoskinstown.^[6]

The area lay of a road route, between Queanbeyan and Braidwood. Prior to 1870, it was known as 'Blackheath', a name in use since at least as early as 1835. Possibly due to confusion with the newer Blue Mountains township of Blackheath, the name of the newly-opened post office at 'Blackheath' was, only months later in 1870, changed to 'Hoskin's Town'. From around the same time, the name for the small settlement and its surrounding area became 'Hoskingtown', until around 1896, when it became Hoskinstown.^{[7][8][9][10][11][12]} Its name has been variously spelt as 'Hoskingtown', 'Hoskingstown', 'Hoskins Town', 'Hoskington', and 'Hoskintown', before, Hoskinstown, became the variant that was used universally.^{[5][13][14][15]} The post office was only renamed from 'Hoskin's Town' to Hoskinstown in 1925.^[16]

Hoskinstown's urban portion seems never to have been proclaimed a village—possibly another reason for the confusion about the spelling of its name—and was best described as a cluster of settlement; it was centred on Hoskinstown Road, roughly between modern-day Plains Road and Rossi Road.^[17][18]

Hoskinstown is known for the Molonglo Observatory Synthesis Telescope operated by the University of Sydney.

It had a public school from 1869 to 1967,^[19] aside from a mysterious event, in 1934, when the building was partially dismantled, without notice or explanation, but then restored.^[20][21][22] The site of the school was excised from land that was once owned by John Hosking.^[6] The school building built, in 1929, has been converted to a private residence,

Captains Flat railway line at Hoskinstown

Hoskinstown platform was opened along with the Captains Flat railway line in 1940, and it closed, in August 1968, a year before the line.^[23] It was a small short-platform structure.^[24]

The settlement once had a hotel, the Victoria Hotel.^[25][26] During the 1930s, a house that contained the post office and store also seems to have operated, at times, as a 'sly grog' outlet.^[27] The post office closed at the end of November 1967.^[16]

The Catholic Church is dedicated to Saint Peter and Paul. There is also an Anglican Church, St Marks. Both churches have a cemetery. During the years when there was widespread sectarianism in Australia, Hoskinstown was a notable exception, with the two churches holding combined social and sporting events, with the funds raised being shared. ^{[28][29][30][31][32]}

Hoskinstown has a public hall that opened in 1928.^[33][17] The public hall is used for public events of the Hoskinstown-Rossi Rural Fire Service brigade,^[34] although the brigade has its own building next to the Anglican Church.

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Hoskinstown". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 September 2022.  
2. "Hoskinstown". Geographical Names Register (GNR) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. Retrieved 30 July 2017.  
3. "About the Ngambri - refer to map of sites for Ngarigo-speakers". www.ngambri.org. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
4. Studies, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (10 January 2021). "Map of Indigenous Australia". aiatsis.gov.au. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
5. "History of Carwoola". Carwoola Community. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
6. Department of Lands, Sydney, N.S.W. (1962). "Parish of Molonglo, County of Murray [cartographic material] : Land District of Queanbeyan, Yarrowlumla Shire, Eastern Division N.S.W. & Austn. Capital Territory". trove.nla.gov.au. Retrieved 26 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
7. "Index page". New South Wales Government Gazette. 31 December 1870. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
8. "View Post Office Details - Hoskin's Town". www.phoenixauctions.com.au. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
9. "NSW Place and Road Naming Proposals System - Hoskinstown (Rural Place)". proposals.gnb.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
10. "NSW Place and Road Naming Proposals System - Hoskinstown (Locality)". proposals.gnb.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
11. "Government Gazette Notices". New South Wales Government Gazette. 2 December 1835. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
12. "GOVERNMENT GAZETTE". Sydney Herald. 4 November 1841. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
13. Parsons, Vivienne, "Hosking, John (1806–1882)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 25 January 2022
14. "HOSKINGTOWN". Queanbeyan Age. 31 August 1871. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
15. "FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23". Goulburn Herald and Chronicle. 24 December 1870. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
16. "View Post Office Details - Hoskinstown". www.phoenixauctions.com.au. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
17. "Satellite View - Hoskinstown Community Hall · 1697 Hoskinstown Rd, Hoskinstown NSW 2621, Australia". Google Maps. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
18. "Hoskinstown Community Hall · 1697 Hoskinstown Rd, Hoskinstown NSW 2621, Australia". Google Maps. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
19. "Hoskinstown Public School in the School history database search". New South Wales Department of Education. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
20. "SCHOLARS ARRIVE BUT NO SCHOOL - HOSKINSTOWN SURPRISE". Goulburn Evening Penny Post. 2 February 1934. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
21. "HOSKINSTOWN - BUILT IT UP AGAIN - SCHOOL MYSTERY". Goulburn Evening Penny Post. 8 February 1934. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
22. "DAY THEY PULLED THE SCHOOL-HOUSE DOWN!". Smith's Weekly. 5 May 1934. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
23. "Hoskinstown Platform". NSWRail.net. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
24. "Hoskinstown Railway Station on the now closed Bungendore to Captains Flat railway line in New South Wales, ca. 1970 [picture]". Trove. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
25. "MEMBERS BEFORE THEIR CONSTITUENTS". Daily Telegraph. 1 October 1888. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
26. "License Reduction Board". Queanbeyan Age and Queanbeyan Observer. 14 March 1924. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
27. "SLY GROG CHARGE AT HOSKINSTOWN". Braidwood Review and District Advocate. 11 October 1938. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
28. Australian Cemeteries Index - Cemetery 1588 - Hoskinstown Catholic Church
29. Australian Cemeteries Index - Cemetery 1587 - Hoskinstown Anglican Church
30. "Contact". Anglican Parish of Bungendore. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
31. "HOSKINS TOWN". Goulburn Evening Penny Post. 2 February 1926. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
32. "CHURCHES COMBINE". Goulburn Evening Penny Post. 14 February 1928. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
33. "HOSKINSTOWN HALL, Brilliant Fancy Dress Ball". Goulburn Evening Penny Post. 27 July 1928. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
34. "Get Ready brigade locations". www.rfs.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 2 February 2022.

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hoskinstown, New South Wales.

• Map of Molongolo Parish (1962), NSW Department of Lands