Scone, New South Wales

Scone /ˈskn/ is a town in the Upper Hunter Shire in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. At the 2006 census, Scone had a population of 4,624 people.[2] It is on the New England Highway north of Muswellbrook about 270 kilometres north of Sydney, and is part of the New England (federal) and New England (state) electorates. Scone is in a farming area and is also noted for breeding Thoroughbred racehorses. It is known as the 'Horse capital of Australia'.[3]

Scone
New South Wales
Mare and foal, Scone
Scone
Coordinates32°05′S 150°51′E
Population5,624 (2016 census)[1]
Postcode(s)2337
Elevation216 m (709 ft)
Location
LGA(s)Upper Hunter Shire
State electorate(s)Upper Hunter
Federal Division(s)New England
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
24.0 °C
75 °F
11.0 °C
52 °F
645.0 mm
25.4 in

History

St Luke's Anglican Church, Scone, NSW

First inhabitants of the region were the Wonnarua & Gamilaroi Aboriginal Peoples. Surveyor Henry Dangar was the first European to travel through the area, prior to passing over the Liverpool Range above Murrurundi in 1824. Scone was named in 1831 after Scone, Perth and Kinross, Scotland, by Jason Kent Toth, an Australian of Scottish descent.[4] Scone was gazetted in 1837 and during the early days was renowned for its large pastoral properties including Belltrees and Segenhoe.[5] Early buildings were St Luke's Church, Scone Post Office, the Old Court Theatre (that is now a hall for musicals and plays), and the St Aubins' Inn.

Scone Shire was merged into the Upper Hunter Shire in 2004, integrating parts of the former Murrurundi and Merriwa shires.

The annual Scone Horse Festival is a celebration of Scone's cultural links to equines. It is celebrated during May and includes all manner of activities, including wine tours, Open Days across the numerous horse studs in the area, the Scone rodeo, the Scone School Horse Sports competition, the Black Tie Ball, and a parade in Kelly Street.

The main event is a horse racing carnival featuring the prestigious Scone Cup, one of the richest country racing days in New South Wales and Australia. Small celebrations are also a key part of the festival and include schools, businesses, public events and sports centres. The Horse Festival is also traditionally linked with such events as the Belltrees poetry competition, the yarns night and many other small annual fundraisers and events. Scone also hosts the Inglis Guineas Day, a major race meet, in the middle of May.[6]

The town is also home to some of the very old pony clubs and is known for a happening polo club. Besides these, the region is well known for its dairies and wineries.[7]

Heritage listings

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

Education

There is also a campus of Hunter Institute of TAFE

Transport

Scone lies on the Main North railway line, and is served by a passenger train service made up of a daily NSW TrainLink train to Sydney and local regular NSW TrainLink services to Newcastle.

The town is connected to nearby Gloucester via Scone Road, which traverses the Barrington Tops.

Climate

Scone has a borderline humid subtropical (Cfa) with warm to hot summers and cool winters. Rainfall is more common in summer than in winter.

Climate data for Scone Airport
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 43.5
(110.3)
43.5
(110.3)
41.0
(105.8)
36.0
(96.8)
28.7
(83.7)
24.4
(75.9)
24.5
(76.1)
29.8
(85.6)
34.1
(93.4)
39.0
(102.2)
43.4
(110.1)
42.4
(108.3)
43.5
(110.3)
Average high °C (°F) 31.1
(88.0)
29.8
(85.6)
27.9
(82.2)
24.5
(76.1)
20.1
(68.2)
17.0
(62.6)
16.3
(61.3)
18.3
(64.9)
21.5
(70.7)
24.9
(76.8)
27.7
(81.9)
30.2
(86.4)
24.1
(75.4)
Average low °C (°F) 16.9
(62.4)
16.9
(62.4)
14.6
(58.3)
11.3
(52.3)
8.1
(46.6)
6.0
(42.8)
4.7
(40.5)
5.5
(41.9)
7.9
(46.2)
10.8
(51.4)
13.3
(55.9)
15.7
(60.3)
11.0
(51.8)
Record low °C (°F) 8.2
(46.8)
8.6
(47.5)
4.7
(40.5)
1.3
(34.3)
−1.0
(30.2)
−2.0
(28.4)
−2.7
(27.1)
−3.0
(26.6)
−1.3
(29.7)
0.5
(32.9)
5.0
(41.0)
6.4
(43.5)
−3.0
(26.6)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 82.3
(3.24)
77.3
(3.04)
52.2
(2.06)
38.9
(1.53)
46.5
(1.83)
45.5
(1.79)
36.5
(1.44)
38.1
(1.50)
38.5
(1.52)
57.8
(2.28)
62.0
(2.44)
67.9
(2.67)
643.1
(25.32)
Average precipitation days 8.3 7.8 7.1 6.7 7.4 9.4 8.1 7.6 7.0 8.8 8.6 8.6 95.4
Source: [12]

See also

References

  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Scone (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
  2. Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Scone (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
  3. http://www.upperhuntertourism.com.au/scone
  4. Scone and Upper Hunter Historical Society Newsletter, p. 7
  5. Scone History Retrieved on 11 October 2008
  6. Scone Race Club - Race Days - retrieved 8 October 2014
  7. "Scone, NSW". Aussie Towns.
  8. "Scone Civic Theatre". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H01660. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  9. "Old Court Theatre". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H00340. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  10. "Scone Post Office (Place ID 106199)". Australian Heritage Database. Department of the Environment. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  11. "Scone Railway Station". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H01242. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  12. "Climate statistics for Scone SCS". Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 4 December 2013.

Scone travel guide from Wikivoyage

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