Uralla 4.95

Uralla is a town on the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. The town is located at the intersection of the New England Highway and Thunderbolts Way, north of Sydney and about south west of the city of Armidale. At the, the township of Uralla had a population of 2,388 people, while the larger gazetted locality of 193.5 km2 had a population of 2,754 people.At more than 1000m above sea level, Uralla's high altitude makes for cool to cold winters and mild summers.Boasting a rich history, Uralla has more than 50 building and sites of heritage significance which can be easily explored on foot or by vehicle.The community collectively bought and restored McCrossins Mill in the 1980s and 1990s, and this is now a multi-award-winning museum, gallery and function centre still run by volunteers. This is also the starting point for the heritage walk.HistoryThe word "Uralla" was taken by the European squatters from the language of the local Aniwan tribe of Indigenous Australians. Uralla described a "meeting place", or more especially "a ceremonial meeting place and look-out on a hill".During the early 1960s children at the Uralla Public School were taught that the name Uralla was an indigenous word which meant "chain of waterholes". This is an accurate description of the waterway which runs through the town. However, it is not known whether it has been verified by Indigenous linguistic studies.Samuel McCrossin, an Irishman, his wife and seven children first came to Uralla in 1839 when they camped on the creek there. They returned to Morpeth and then again returned to Uralla in 1841 to finally settle there. In the 1830s and 40s the land was occupied by squatters who had moved north beyond the limits of settlement. The squatters were attracted by the prime sheep grazing land of the New England Tableland. Some of these squatting runs were Kentucky, Gostwyck, Balala, Yarrowyck, Mihi Creek, Terrible Vale and Salisbury Court. Some of these station buildings, including Balala and the Gostwyck Chapel, have now been placed on the Register of the National Estate. Some of the land occupied by these squatters was made available to smaller farmers after the passing of the Robertson Land Acts in 1861.