Murringo

Murringo is a small village in the southwestern slopes of New South Wales, Australia in Hilltops Council. It was once better known as Marengo. The name is also applied to the surrounding area, for postal and statistical purposes.

Murringo New South Wales
Main street of Murringo
Murringo
Coordinates	34°17′0″S 148°32′0″E / 34.28333°S 148.53333°E / -34.28333; 148.53333
Population	390 (SAL 2021)^[1]
Postcode(s)	2586
Location	353 km (219 mi) WSW of Sydney 141 km (88 mi) NW of Canberra 23 km (14 mi) E of Young
LGA(s)	Hilltops Council
County	Monteagle
Parish	Murringo
State electorate(s)	Cootamundra
Federal division(s)	Hume
Localities around Murringo: Bendick Murrell Crowther Godfreys Creek Young Murringo Frogmore Wombat Galong Boorowa

History

The area now known as Murringo lies on the traditional lands of the Wiradjuri people,^[2] close to the boundaries with the lands of the Ngunawal and Gandangara peoples.^[3] The Ngunawal and Gandangara peoples spoke closely related, if not identical, languages.

Although the area was outside the Nineteen Counties, within which settler colonisation was allowed, it was settled relatively early, with the Marengo Station run taken up in 1827.^[4] There were 43 settlers on three properties in the area by 1840, 21 of whom lived at the Marengo Station.^[5]

The village was known originally as Marengo. Taking its name from nearby Marengo Station, itself possibly named after the site of the Battle of Marengo, or more likely from a word of Aboriginal origin with its spelling applied by colonial settlers to resemble it.^[6] Naming a colonial-era landholding after a decisive victory of Napoleon Bonaparte—an enemy of Britain—seems improbable.

The village was surveyed by colonial surveyor James Larmer in 1849, and he seems to have used the name Murringo. It was first proclaimed a village, under that name, in 1850. In 1851, Larmer surveyed a road from the new village to Burrangong Station,^[7][8] near modern-day Young. The village became an early centre for flour milling and a resting place for teams.^[4]

It seems that the village still was most commonly known as Marengo, until around 1926. However, according to the Lands Department, the place name was Murringo, and it was proclaimed a village, for a second time under that name, in March 1885, as a consequence of the Crown Lands Act 1884.^[9][10] There is another locality, in the New England region of New South Wales, still known today as Marengo.^[11]

Marengo Post Office opened on 1 January 1857 and was renamed Murringo in 1926.^[12][13] The village's public school opened in 1860; it too used the name Marengo, until 1926, when it became Murringo Public School.^[14] From 1917, there was also a Catholic Convent School at Murringo, operated by the Sisters of Mercy, for which a new school building was erected in 1929. The opening of the convent saw an exodus of over half the existing pupils at the public school. The convent school closed in 1961. It was sold and became a private residence in 1974.^[15][16][17]

The village ceased to grow much further in population, after the discovery of gold in 1860 at Lambing Flat, now known as Young, Young was on the route of the Blayney-Demondrille railway line, from 1885, and grew to become the regional town.^[7]

During the 1860s, the area around Murringo was the scene of criminal acts by the bushrangers, Frank Gardiner,^[18] Ben Hall,^[19] John Gilbert,^[20] John Dunn,^[21] John O'Meally, and others.^[22][23] Gilbert had previously worked as a stock keeper on a property near Murringo and was well known in the area.^[20] The rough country near the Murringo Gap on the Murringo to Cowra road and the more distant Weddin Mountains were suitable hideouts for bushrangers.^[18] In 1862, a police search in the district led to a farcical arrest of two Murringo women, dressed in their brothers' clothes, who had been tracked by the police who were pursuing Gardiner.^[24][25]

Murringo was one of the childhood homes of Bill O'Reilly, from 1908 to 1917, while his father, Ernest O'Reilly, was a teacher at the public school. O'Reilly became an Australian Test cricketer and renowned as a leg spin bowler. Murringo was where he first played the game of cricket, and he later remembered his time there as one of the happiest of his life.^{[26][27][28][29][30][31]}

Present day

At the 2021 census, Murringo and the surrounding area had a population of 390, up from 365 in 2016 and 322 in 2011.^[32][33][34]

Murringo's appearance is little changed since its heyday, being described as a small but perfectly formed village. It is the oldest village in the region. Buildings such as its former inns, former convent and former police station remain. Its school building is still in use.^[35][36]

The village has two churches—Christ Church Anglican (opened 1866) and Sacred Heart Catholic (commenced 1874, opened 1877)—a village hall—commemorating local soldiers of the First World War—and a relatively large and prominent cemetery for its size.^{[7][37][17][38][39]}

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Murringo (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022.  
2. Christison, Ray (22 November 2008). "Thematic history of Young Shire" (PDF). p. 10.
3. Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (12 July 2020). "Map of Indigenous Australia". aiatsis.gov.au. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
4. Christison, Ray (22 November 2008). "Thematic history of Young Shire" (PDF). pp. 52, 53, 54.
5. McHarg, p. 29.
6. "NATIVE NOMENCLATURE. TO THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD". Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954). 7 May 1890. p. 4. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
7. "history - murringo". sites.google.com. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
8. "wragge/srnsw-indexes - A list of data harvested from the NSW State Archives Online Indexes". GitHub. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
9. "Government Gazette Proclamations and Legislation". New South Wales Government Gazette (Sydney, NSW : 1832 - 1900). 20 March 1885. pp. 1853, 1854. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
10. "Map of the village of Murringo and suburban lands [cartographic material] : Parish of Murringo, County of Monteagle, Land District of Young, Burrangong Shire". Trove. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
11. "Marengo". Google Maps. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
12. Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
13. "MARENGO". Burrowa News (NSW : 1874 - 1951). 4 June 1926. p. 5. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
14. "Murringo Public School". nswgovschoolhistory.cese.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
15. Christison, Ray (22 November 2008). "Thematic History of Young Shire" (PDF). p. 67.
16. "Marengo Convent School". Burrowa News (NSW : 1874 - 1951). 5 July 1929. p. 7. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
17. "Australian Christian Church Histories - Murringo, NSW - Sacred Heart Catholic". www.churchhistories.net.au. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
18. "MARENGO". Empire (Sydney, NSW : 1850 - 1875). 17 March 1863. p. 8. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
19. "BUSHRANGING". Herald (Melbourne, Vic. : 1861 - 1954). 26 August 1864. p. 4. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
20. "THE BUSHRANGERS". Sydney Mail (NSW : 1860 - 1871). 2 January 1864. p. 3. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
21. "DUNN THE BUSHRANGER". Illustrated Sydney News (NSW : 1853 - 1872). 16 February 1866. p. 4. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
22. "The Bushranger Ryan". Bell's Life in Victoria and Sporting Chronicle (Melbourne, Vic. : 1857 - 1868). 4 January 1868. p. 7. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
23. "MURDER OF THE MARENGO MAILMAN SIX YEARS AGO". Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933). 4 November 1868. p. 6. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
24. "GLIMPSES, INTO THE PAST". Burrowa News (NSW : 1874 - 1951). 12 February 1926. p. 8. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
25. "THE MAIDS OF MARENGO". Bell's Life in Sydney and Sporting Chronicle (NSW : 1860 - 1870). 6 September 1862. p. 3. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
26. "FAREWELL TO MR. FARRINGTON". Burrowa News (NSW : 1874 - 1951). 6 March 1908. p. 2. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
27. "TRANSFERS". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales (Sydney, NSW : 1901 - 2001). 22 June 1917. p. 3196. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
28. McHarg, Jack (1990). Bill O'Reilly : a cricketing life : the authorised biography. Newtown, N.S.W.: Millennium Books. p. 29. ISBN 0-85574-999-7. OCLC 29011923.
29. Whitington, R. S. (1970). Time of the tiger: the Bill O'Reilly story. London: Paul. p. 117. ISBN 0-09-105540-7. OCLC 134594.
30. "O'Reilly Played His First Cricket at Marengo". Burrowa News (NSW : 1874 - 1951). 13 January 1933. p. 1. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
31. "W. O'REILLY'S BIRTHPLACE". Burrowa News (NSW : 1874 - 1951). 27 July 1934. p. 5. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
32. "2021 Murringo, Census All persons QuickStats". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
33. "2016 Census QuickStats: Murringo". quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
34. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Murringo". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 26 May 2013.  
35. "Murringo". Visit Hilltops Region. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
36. "Murringo". www.visitnsw.com. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
37. "Australian Christian Church Histories - Murringo, NSW - Christ Church Anglican". www.churchhistories.net.au. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
38. Butterfield, Martin (7 January 2014). "Murringo Memorial Hall and First World War Gates". www.warmemorialsregister.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
39. "Australian Cemeteries Index - Cemetery 517 - Murringo". austcemindex.com. Retrieved 3 April 2021.

External links

  Media related to Murringo at Wikimedia Commons

• Village Webpage