Millthorpe, New South Wales

Millthorpe is a town located between Orange and Blayney in New South Wales, Australia in the Blayney Shire. At the 2011 census, Millthorpe had a population of 1,109 people.[1] The town was once a major potato growing area and continues to have extensive agricultural activities. The town was originally called Spring Grove.

Millthorpe
New South Wales
Main Street of Millthorpe
Millthorpe
Coordinates33°27′S 149°11′E
Population1,253 (2016 census)[1]
Postcode(s)2798
Elevation960.0 m (3,150 ft)
Location
LGA(s)Blayney Shire
CountyBathurst County
State electorate(s)Bathurst
Federal Division(s)Calare
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
17.7 °C
64 °F		 6.3 °C
43 °F		 802.1 mm
31.6 in

Millthorpe is a picturesque, compact and historic village set amidst gently rolling hills. Classified by the National Trust, it has a number of fine historic buildings, as well as cobbled, bluestone-bordered streets, art galleries, gift and antiques shops, a museum, two hotels, restaurants and cafes, a bowling club and motel. Two of the main streets, Victoria (which runs east-west) and Park (north-south), follow the contours of the local topography with a more regularised grid system extending outwards from them. Millthorpe is located 252 km north-west of Sydney and 22 km south of Orange.

European settlement of the area began when a government stock station was established in 1823. The town is based upon a land grant originally known as Grove Farm which was made out to convict overseer Charles Booth in 1834. Noted explorer Thomas Mitchell twice stayed there during inland expeditions.

The area developed as a farming centre from 1840 to 1880 with orchards established in the 1860s. Local agriculture received a considerable boost from the arrival of the railway in the 1870s complete with a railway station. A large flour mill was established in 1882. Consequently, in 1884 the town's name was changed from Spring Grove to Millthorpe. Today it is still essentially a service centre to the rich farmlands which surround it.

Millthorpe's commercial area was extended after the depression of the 1890s and many of its largely brick buildings date from that period. The town's decline after World War I means that it was spared redevelopment and so many of its buildings have survived with very little alteration.

Heritage listings

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

Notable Millthorpians
  • Ellen Esther Dawson (1895-1961) - wife of Arthur Stace. Known as Pearl she was brought up in Millthorpe, later moving to Sydney to work as a domestic servant for a medical practitioner. She married Stace in 1942.[4]
  • Bluey Wilkinson (1911-1940) - Born in Millthorpe. International speedway rider. 1938 World Champion and 3 time Australian Champion.
  • Commercial Hotel
  • Post office
  • Public school

Climate

Millthorpe yields warm, stormy summers and cold, wet winters with snowfalls. Its great seasonal variation approaches that of climates much farther south, due to its far western location.

Climate data for Millthorpe, NSW (Inala); 960 m AMSL; 33° 26′ 43.08″ S
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 26.6
(79.9)		 25.9
(78.6)		 23.2
(73.8)		 18.7
(65.7)		 13.5
(56.3)		 9.8
(49.6)		 8.8
(47.8)		 10.4
(50.7)		 14.1
(57.4)		 18.1
(64.6)		 21.6
(70.9)		 24.9
(76.8)		 18.0
(64.3)
Average low °C (°F) 11.7
(53.1)		 11.9
(53.4)		 10.0
(50.0)		 6.7
(44.1)		 4.3
(39.7)		 2.0
(35.6)		 1.1
(34.0)		 1.7
(35.1)		 3.6
(38.5)		 5.9
(42.6)		 7.9
(46.2)		 10.2
(50.4)		 6.4
(43.6)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 71.2
(2.80)		 61.5
(2.42)		 55.4
(2.18)		 52.9
(2.08)		 59.9
(2.36)		 72.7
(2.86)		 75.9
(2.99)		 79.4
(3.13)		 66.1
(2.60)		 78.0
(3.07)		 64.5
(2.54)		 67.3
(2.65)		 804.8
(31.68)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) 6.7 5.9 5.8 6.1 9.1 10.7 11.7 11.2 9.7 9.1 7.7 6.9 100.6
Source: Australian Bureau of Meteorology; Millthorpe (Inala)

Notes and references
  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Millthorpe (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  2. "Millthorpe Railway Station group". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H01193. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  3. "Grand Western Lodge (former)". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H00427. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  4. Williams, Roy; Myers, Elizabeth (2017). Mr Eternity: the Story of Arthur Stace. Sydney: The Bible Society. ISBN 0994616651.
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