Glen Innes. The fine Anglican Church. NSW.
Glen Innes.
Glen Innes, the “capital “of the NSW Scottish highlands was named after Archibald Clunes Innes the former Commandant of Port Macquarie penal colony. But Innes was above all a pastoralist and land developer (he also had one of the first shops in Armidale). He grew the first sugar in the Port Macquarie area but he concentrated on sheep pastoralism across northern NSW. His head station was Furracabad where the city of Glen Innes now stands. Because of the Scottish heritage the district it acquired other Celtic town names – Ben Lomond, Glencoe and Dundee. There were also Welsh settlers up here and hence you can find Llangothlin near Glen Innes and the Welsh also named the nearby river- the Gwydir. Even some of the street names in Glen Innes are written in Gaelic. The early British links were also maintained as one of the first stations in the Glen Innes district was called Stonehenge. The earliest settlers of this region were two brother stockmen, William and John Duval from 1838 who were actually employed on Tilbuster the station that stood where the city of Armidale now stands. The Duval brothers sported long flowing beards and hence they were called the Beardies. Because they introduced other squatters to the region it became known as the “Land of the Beardies.” This name, Beardie, is used as a street name in Armidale and now is the title of the Glen Innes Museum. It is housed in the original Glen Innes hospital from 1877. The town itself was named by Mosman who owned Furracabad Station by 1852 when the town was gazetted.
Glen Innes is just south of Tenterfield the home town of Sir Henry Parkes, the main instigator of the move towards a federated Australia in the 1880s. As a local politician Sir Henry Parkes opened the Town Hall in Glen Innes in 1888. It is a good example of a late Victorian public building with a grand façade. It was completed in 1887 and officially opened in 1888 for the centenary of the founding of NSW. Other significant buildings in Glen Innes are: the Court House ( 1873); the Post Office (1890); the public School; St. Patrick’s Catholic Church (1908); the Police Station (1876); and the Railway station. In all 29 Glen Innes buildings are on the Register of the National Estate. One odd claim to fame for Glen Innes is that it is a major corn or maize producing district so your Kellogg Corn Flakes were probably grown up here at Glen Innes as Kelloggs are the major buyer of local maize!
The Celtic Standing Stones pays homage to all the Celtic settlers of Australia not just the Scottish. It reminds us of the contributions of the Irish, Welsh, Cornish, Manx and Bretons to the development of Australia. The park in which the Standing Stones are located has an annual Celtic Festival which we miss by only a few days. The large standing stones and Excalibur monument are reminiscent of the menhirs of Brittany in France and the standing circles of Avebury in England and the circles of Skye in Scotland. The Glen Innes Standing Stones are based on the Ring of Brodgar in Orkney Islands, a Neolithic stone ring dating from 2,500 BC to 2,000 BC. The Glen Innes ring is a 1988 Bicentenary project. The local tourist officer searched the bush for suitable stones that stood at least 5.5 metres high so that 3.7 metres could be above ground. Each stone is about 17 tonnes in weight. The site was finished by 1992 and officially opened by the NSW Governor.
Glen Innes. The fine Anglican Church. NSW.
Glen Innes.
Glen Innes, the “capital “of the NSW Scottish highlands was named after Archibald Clunes Innes the former Commandant of Port Macquarie penal colony. But Innes was above all a pastoralist and land developer (he also had one of the first shops in Armidale). He grew the first sugar in the Port Macquarie area but he concentrated on sheep pastoralism across northern NSW. His head station was Furracabad where the city of Glen Innes now stands. Because of the Scottish heritage the district it acquired other Celtic town names – Ben Lomond, Glencoe and Dundee. There were also Welsh settlers up here and hence you can find Llangothlin near Glen Innes and the Welsh also named the nearby river- the Gwydir. Even some of the street names in Glen Innes are written in Gaelic. The early British links were also maintained as one of the first stations in the Glen Innes district was called Stonehenge. The earliest settlers of this region were two brother stockmen, William and John Duval from 1838 who were actually employed on Tilbuster the station that stood where the city of Armidale now stands. The Duval brothers sported long flowing beards and hence they were called the Beardies. Because they introduced other squatters to the region it became known as the “Land of the Beardies.” This name, Beardie, is used as a street name in Armidale and now is the title of the Glen Innes Museum. It is housed in the original Glen Innes hospital from 1877. The town itself was named by Mosman who owned Furracabad Station by 1852 when the town was gazetted.
Glen Innes is just south of Tenterfield the home town of Sir Henry Parkes, the main instigator of the move towards a federated Australia in the 1880s. As a local politician Sir Henry Parkes opened the Town Hall in Glen Innes in 1888. It is a good example of a late Victorian public building with a grand façade. It was completed in 1887 and officially opened in 1888 for the centenary of the founding of NSW. Other significant buildings in Glen Innes are: the Court House ( 1873); the Post Office (1890); the public School; St. Patrick’s Catholic Church (1908); the Police Station (1876); and the Railway station. In all 29 Glen Innes buildings are on the Register of the National Estate. One odd claim to fame for Glen Innes is that it is a major corn or maize producing district so your Kellogg Corn Flakes were probably grown up here at Glen Innes as Kelloggs are the major buyer of local maize!
The Celtic Standing Stones pays homage to all the Celtic settlers of Australia not just the Scottish. It reminds us of the contributions of the Irish, Welsh, Cornish, Manx and Bretons to the development of Australia. The park in which the Standing Stones are located has an annual Celtic Festival which we miss by only a few days. The large standing stones and Excalibur monument are reminiscent of the menhirs of Brittany in France and the standing circles of Avebury in England and the circles of Skye in Scotland. The Glen Innes Standing Stones are based on the Ring of Brodgar in Orkney Islands, a Neolithic stone ring dating from 2,500 BC to 2,000 BC. The Glen Innes ring is a 1988 Bicentenary project. The local tourist officer searched the bush for suitable stones that stood at least 5.5 metres high so that 3.7 metres could be above ground. Each stone is about 17 tonnes in weight. The site was finished by 1992 and officially opened by the NSW Governor.