Cobar
| Cobar New South Wales |
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| File:Cobar main street.jpg
Main street of Cobar. Cobar retains much of its late 19th-century architecture
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 Cobar
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| Coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. | ||||||||
| Population | 3,817 (2011 census)[1] | ||||||||
| Established | 1870 | ||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 2835 | ||||||||
| Elevation | 260 m (853 ft) | ||||||||
| Location |
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| LGA(s) | Cobar Shire | ||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Barwon | ||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Parkes | ||||||||
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Cobar is a town in central western New South Wales, Australia. The town is 712 km (442 mi) northwest of the state capital, Sydney. It is at the crossroads of the Kidman Way (to Queensland) and Barrier Highway (to South Australia). The town and the local government area, the Cobar Shire, are on the eastern edge of the outback. At the 2011 census, Cobar had a population of 3,817,[1] out of Cobar Shire's population of about 4,700. The Shire has an area of 44,065 square kilometres (17,014 sq mi)—about two-thirds the size of Tasmania.[2]
Contents
History
The name Cobar is derived from the Aboriginal Ngiyampaa word for copper Kuparr, Gubarr or Cuburra, meaning 'red earth' or 'burnt earth', the ochre used in making body paint for Corroborees.[3] [4] The name also represents an Aboriginal attempt to pronounce the word 'copper'.[5]
Some of the most significant Aboriginal rock art in NSW is within the shire. The indigenous Ngiyampaa/Wangaapuwan traditions of this diverse bio-region are best represented in the rock art of Mount Grenfell, 40 km west of Cobar. Over 1,300 depictions of humans, hand stencils and animals are at this site.
Pastoralists began to settle the area in the mid-1860s and copper was discovered by Papa Cornish in the 1870s. Papa Cornish rescued a party of Aboriginal trackers from near fate who in-turn guided him to Australia's largest copper deposit as a thankyou gesture.
Copper mining
Copper was rediscovered in 1870 by Papa Cornish, leading to settlements being founded with Australia's European and Asian gold rush immigrant arrivals. The Great Cobar Copper Mining Company Limited was established in 1878. It and subsequent companies operated a number of light railways[6] carrying ore and similar material, as well as timber for mine supports. Cobar and many mining outskirts accommodated the miners who travelled to the area in the late 1880s. At this time Cobar was very much a Cornish town.[7] Several fine heritage buildings from the late 1880s/early 1900s settlement are still in existence, including the Great Western Hotel (1898), reputed to have the longest iron lace verandah in the Southern Hemisphere, the Cobar Court House (1887) and Court House Hotel (1895) in Barton Street, as well as the interesting Cobar Heritage and Visitor Information Centre, located in the beautiful former Mines Office (1910). On Hillston Road southeast out of town is Fort Bourke Hill which affords an excellent view of the town, and Towser's Huts, a series of stone miners' cottages dating possibly from as early as the 1870s.
At its peak, Cobar had a population on 10,000 and its own stock exchange. However, copper mining operations slowed in 1920, and by the 1930s the town's population had dropped to little over 1,000, only to rise again and stabilise at around 3,500 through the 1970s and early 1980s. Copper mining was intermittent until 1965 when full-time operations resumed.[8] In the 1980s, Gold, silver, lead and zinc were discovered in the area, which led to a further population increase. The town's current positive economic development is due to the affluence of the mining boom. Three important mining belts are operational in the Cobar area: the Cobar belt, the Canbelego belt and the Girilambone belt. Visits to mine sites may be arranged through the Cobar Heritage and Visitor Information Centre overlooking the open cut mine. The Festival of the Miners' Ghost, held during the last weekend in October, is a festival celebrating the spirits of the old miners.
Economy
The Cobar economy relies heavily on trade with the local mines and their employees, and consequently, on world metal prices. During 2008, after a fall of 75% in world zinc prices, one local mine cut 540 of 655 jobs, with flow on effects felt by many other businesses. Over the year Cobar's workforce reduced by 10%.[9] The town has increasing benefit from being the seat of the local government area. Cobar has two primary schools, a high school, an activities youth centre and a 31-bed hospital for acute care.
Climate
Cobar has a semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSh) with hot summers and cool winters. It has a median annual rainfall of 390mm. Rainfall is extremely variable, particularly in late summer and early spring. The highest rain falls have been in excess of 200mm in any one month. Rainfall is generally only about 4 days per month.
The average relative humidity in Cobar during the summer is about 30% in the afternoon and about 50% at 9am. In winter it is about 45% at 3pm, and about 75% at 9am.
Annual mean wind speed at 9am and 3 pm is about 12.2 km/h with lesser speeds on winter mornings.[10][11]
| Climate data for Cobar | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 47.0 (116.6) |
46.1 (115) |
41.5 (106.7) |
36.0 (96.8) |
29.6 (85.3) |
26.3 (79.3) |
25.7 (78.3) |
30.5 (86.9) |
38.0 (100.4) |
39.4 (102.9) |
43.6 (110.5) |
44.1 (111.4) |
47.0 (116.6) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 34.1 (93.4) |
33.2 (91.8) |
30.0 (86) |
25.2 (77.4) |
20.0 (68) |
16.5 (61.7) |
15.8 (60.4) |
18.0 (64.4) |
21.9 (71.4) |
26.0 (78.8) |
29.4 (84.9) |
32.6 (90.7) |
25.2 (77.4) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 20.5 (68.9) |
20.1 (68.2) |
17.1 (62.8) |
12.8 (55) |
9.0 (48.2) |
6.1 (43) |
5.0 (41) |
6.2 (43.2) |
9.1 (48.4) |
12.6 (54.7) |
15.8 (60.4) |
18.7 (65.7) |
12.8 (55) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 10.3 (50.5) |
8.4 (47.1) |
6.2 (43.2) |
3.2 (37.8) |
0.4 (32.7) |
−2.0 (28.4) |
−2.3 (27.9) |
−2.5 (27.5) |
−0.3 (31.5) |
2.9 (37.2) |
4.4 (39.9) |
9.1 (48.4) |
−2.5 (27.5) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 46.7 (1.839) |
43.8 (1.724) |
35.5 (1.398) |
25.7 (1.012) |
32.5 (1.28) |
28.1 (1.106) |
29.1 (1.146) |
26.7 (1.051) |
25.0 (0.984) |
35.5 (1.398) |
36.4 (1.433) |
36.3 (1.429) |
401.3 (15.799) |
| Average precipitation days | 5.8 | 4.8 | 4.9 | 4.2 | 6.1 | 6.7 | 6.5 | 6.0 | 5.7 | 6.6 | 6.1 | 5.1 | 68.5 |
| Source: [11] | |||||||||||||
Notable people
- Nik Kosef, former rugby league player for the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, 1996 premiership player, NSW & Australia representative
- Ernie Toshack, cricketer, member of Bradman's Invincibles
Gallery
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Cobar statue.JPG
Miners Heritage Park, Cobar
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Cobar NSW Rock containing Copper Ore.jpg
Rock with copper ore
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Cobar battery.JPG
Battery
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Elevator.JPG
Elevator
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Cobar monument.JPG
Monument to the miners who lost their lives
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Aerial view of Cobar,New South Wales, 2009-03-06.jpg
Aerial view 2009
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ http://www.cobar.nsw.gov.au/ Retrieved 07-01-2010
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Shoebridge, J.W. The Railways of The Great Cobar, Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, September, 1969 pp. 189-218
- ↑ http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=wgoFxfSTfYAC&pg=PA227&lpg=PA227&dq=australia+first+fleet+cornwall&source=bl&ots=pQ8ZsDZmGb&sig=TfiFNvZO2PtZBgpAQUgjeTEuoqw&hl=en&ei=-YAHTYaRHsKYhQfXyLnuBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&sqi=2&ved=0CBoQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=australia%20first%20fleet%20cornwall&f=false
- ↑ http://www.csamine.com.au/about-us/
- ↑ http://www.smh.com.au/text/articles/2009/01/23/1232471590783.html From boom town to bust Retrieved 24-01-2009
- ↑ http://www.bom.gov.au/weather/nsw/cobar/climate.shtml Climate of Cobar, Retrieved 24-01-2009
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
External links
Media related to Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. at Wikimedia Commons
