Tocumwal

Tocumwal (/ˈtoʊkəmwɔːl/ TOH-kəm-wawl)[2] is a town in the southern Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia, in the Berrigan Shire local government area. The town, 270 kilometres (170 mi) north of the city of Melbourne, lies on the northern bank of the Murray River, which forms the border with Victoria.

Tocumwal
New South Wales
The levee and foreshore park at Tocumwal
Tocumwal is located in New South Wales
Tocumwal
Tocumwal
Coordinates35°48′54″S 145°34′05″E
Population2,682 (2016 census)[1]
 • Density5,000/km2 (13,000/sq mi)
Postcode(s)2714
Elevation126 m (413 ft)
Location270 km (168 mi) from Melbourne
LGA(s)Berrigan Shire
CountyDenison
State electorate(s)Murray
Federal division(s)Farrer
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
22.9 °C
73 °F		 9.6 °C
49 °F		 448.6 mm
17.7 in

The Newell Highway and Murray Valley Highway join at the Murray River, and form part of the main road route National Highway A39 between Brisbane and Melbourne. At the 2016 census, Tocumwal had a population of 2,682.[1] The winner of several "Tidy Town" awards, Tocumwal is affectionately known as "The Jewel in the Crown That Is The Riverina District".

The name of town is probably a corruption of the local Bangarang First Nations word, "Tucumiva" (or "Tucumival"), meaning "deep hole". Near Tocumwal is a 25-metre-deep hole in granite rock, now known as "The Blowhole", which is linked underground to the nearby Murray River.[3][4]

History

Prior to European settlement, the Tocumwal area was inhabited by the Ulupna and Bangerang people. The first pastoral runs were established in the 1840s. The town was established in the early 1860s and gazetted in 1862 as:

"a Village to be called TOCUMWAL ... Situated on the Murray River, on the road from Albury to Deniliquin, about 50 miles west of Corowa, and 40 south-east of Deniliquin."[5]

Tocumwal Post Office opened on 1 August 1868.[6]

Prior to Federation, Tocumwal was an important customs point for goods moving between the then British colonies of Victoria and New South Wales.[7]

A standard gauge branch line, from the New South Wales Government Railways (NSWGR) Main Southern railway line at Junee, reached Narrandera in 1881 and a branch from Narrandera was completed to Tocumwal in 1898.[8] The broad gauge Victorian Railways Melbourne-Shepparton railway line was extended to Tocumwal in 1908, creating a break-of-gauge location at Tocumwal, but the NSWGR line from Finley to Tocumwal was closed in 1987.[9]

During World War II the town was the site of Royal Australian Air Force Station Tocumwal, which was a major Royal Australian Air Force training airfield and aircraft depot. Units included (at various times) the 5 Operational Training Unit, 7 Operational Training Unit, 7 Aircraft Depot and the Paratroop Training Unit.[10] Today, the airfield is a renowned gliding site.

Also during the War, Tocumwal was the location of RAAF No.14 Inland Aircraft Fuel Depot (IAFD), completed in 1942 and closed on 14 June 1944. Usually consisting of four tanks, 31 fuel depots were built across Australia for the storage and supply of aircraft fuel for the RAAF and the US Army Air Forces at a total cost of £900,000 ($1,800,000).[10] Due to the break-of-gauge between the railways north and south of Tocumwal, the station was a natural choice for military-oriented storage facilities and munitions dumps.

After the War ended, families were housed at the American Air Force Hospital and the men travelled daily over the river to Yarroweyah, in Victoria, to work on farms, which they could then apply for under the soldier settlement scheme. The hospital was on or next to Barooga Station. Living quarters were in long Nissen huts, with three or four families in each and a shared bathroom. Single quarters were at the front and a cook was employed.

Also after the War, about 200 Air Force houses in Tocumwal were disassembled and trucked to Canberra to be reused in as government housing for workers from Melbourne and Sydney who were constructing the new capital city. Called Tocumwal houses, they remain a distinctive architectural feature in Canberra's suburbs, such as O'Connor and Ainslie.[11]

Heritage listings

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

Climate

Tocumwal has a semi-arid climate (BSk).

Climate data for Tocumwal
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 45.8
(114.4)		 45.7
(114.3)		 41.8
(107.2)		 37.0
(98.6)		 29.0
(84.2)		 23.7
(74.7)		 25.5
(77.9)		 30.5
(86.9)		 34.0
(93.2)		 37.0
(98.6)		 43.5
(110.3)		 43.5
(110.3)		 45.8
(114.4)
Average high °C (°F) 31.8
(89.2)		 31.4
(88.5)		 28.0
(82.4)		 23.0
(73.4)		 18.4
(65.1)		 14.8
(58.6)		 13.9
(57.0)		 15.8
(60.4)		 18.8
(65.8)		 22.4
(72.3)		 26.7
(80.1)		 29.4
(84.9)		 22.9
(73.2)
Average low °C (°F) 16.0
(60.8)		 16.1
(61.0)		 13.6
(56.5)		 9.7
(49.5)		 6.7
(44.1)		 4.3
(39.7)		 3.4
(38.1)		 4.3
(39.7)		 6.3
(43.3)		 8.8
(47.8)		 11.9
(53.4)		 14.0
(57.2)		 9.6
(49.3)
Record low °C (°F) 7.4
(45.3)		 6.8
(44.2)		 5.0
(41.0)		 0.0
(32.0)		 −2.1
(28.2)		 −4.8
(23.4)		 −4.3
(24.3)		 −4.0
(24.8)		 −1.5
(29.3)		 1.3
(34.3)		 2.9
(37.2)		 5.1
(41.2)		 −4.8
(23.4)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 32.4
(1.28)		 29.8
(1.17)		 34.8
(1.37)		 31.7
(1.25)		 40.9
(1.61)		 43.9
(1.73)		 42.3
(1.67)		 43.0
(1.69)		 38.9
(1.53)		 43.4
(1.71)		 34.2
(1.35)		 34.0
(1.34)		 449.5
(17.70)
Average precipitation days 3.9 3.5 4.5 5.0 7.2 9.0 10.1 10.1 8.2 7.2 5.5 4.5 78.7
Average relative humidity (%) 33 35 38 46 57 65 65 57 52 45 38 33 47
Source: [14]

Facilities

Tocumwal has one state and one Catholic primary school. The nearest high school is in Finley, 21 kilometres (13 mi) to the north.

Australian rules football, cricket and netball are all very popular in the town. Notable sporting teams include the Tocumwal Football Club (The Bloods) who compete in the Picola & District Football League

Tocumwal is in the federal Division of Farrer and the state Electoral district of Murray.

Tocumwal was also where the largest Murray cod in the world was caught.[15]

Tocumwal has a 36-hole championship golf course at the Tocumwal Golf Club,[16] a bowls club[16] and is well known internationally for gliding at SportAviation.[17]

  • The Big Murray Cod on the Tocumwal foreshore
    The Big Murray Cod on the Tocumwal foreshore
  • The Tattersalls Hotel, one of four pubs in Tocumwal
    The Tattersalls Hotel, one of four pubs in Tocumwal
  • The Terminus Hotel, another of the four pubs
    The Terminus Hotel, another of the four pubs
  • Tocumwal Airport
    Tocumwal Airport

References
  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Tocumwal (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
  2. Macquarie Dictionary, Fourth Edition (2005). Melbourne, The Macquarie Library Pty Ltd. ISBN 1-876429-14-3
  3. "Tocumwal". Geographical Names Register (GNR) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
  4. "Tocumwal, NSW". Aussie Towns. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  5. ["TOCUMWAL". New South Wales Government Gazette. No. 120. New South Wales, Australia. 18 July 1862. p. 1283. Retrieved 28 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. Phoenix Auctions History. "Post Office List". Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  7. "Travel - Tocumwal". The Sydney Morning Herald. 8 February 2004. Retrieved 18 February 2007.
  8. "Tocumwal Branch". nswrail.net. Retrieved 1 February 2007.
  9. Bozier, Rolfe. "Tocumwal Branch". NSWrail.net. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  10. Royal Australian Air Force. Historical Section (1995), Logistics units, AGPS Press, ISBN 978-0-644-42798-2
  11. "ACT Heritage Library Manuscript Collection: HMSS 0074 Tocumwal Houses Archive". HMSS 0074 Tocumwal Houses Archive. ACT Heritage Library. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  12. "Tocumwal Railway Station group". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H01270. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence.
  13. "Tocumwal road and rail bridge over Murray River". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H01061. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence.
  14. "Climate statistics for". Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  15. The Tocumwal Foreshore
  16. Tocumwal Golf and Bowls Club
  17. Sport Aviation
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