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Hay, NSW: The Great Stock Crossing on The Murrumbidgee

Located on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River, in the western Riverina region lays the town of Hay, NSW approximately midway between Sydney and Adelaide.

Hay township originally developed as a coach stop called Lang's Crossing-place. Today Hay is the administrative centre for the surrounding agricultural district.

Wiradjuri and the Nari Nari People

The Nari-Nari people of the Lower Murrumbidgee, and the Wiradjuri people, inhabited large areas of the central-western inland of New South Wales, including the Hay region.

The Wiradjuri, the largest Aboriginal group in New South Wales, occuppied the land area bordered by the Lachlan, Macquarie and Murrumbidgee Rivers, known as "the land of the three rivers".

Aboriginal people generally identify with country and networks of kin relations, living within defined boundaries. Totems also were integral to Aboriginal identity and determined kinship lores and marriage rules. People with the same totem couldn't marry each other.

Marriage was arranged in traditional Aboriginal societies, often between a young girl and an older man (1.).

Traditionally, women used digging sticks to collect roots and other vegetable foods, and men hunted game using spears and other weapons.
Coolamons were traditionally used by Aboriginal women to carry water, fruit, nuts, and carry babies
Canoes were made from a single sheet of Red Gum or Black Box bark that was folded and tied at both ends with plant-fibre.
An area at the bank of the Murray River. In the foreground, the Aborigines are making a canoe out of the bark of the red rubber tree. On the river there is an Aboriginal family with dogs who are crossing the Murray River in a bark canoe. Gustav Mützel - Australia – William Blandowski’s Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Aborginal Australia. Created: 1 January 1857
Stone artefacts and scar trees (also known as a canoe tree and shield tree) may be found in the region.

On November 3, 1829, explorer Charles Sturt left Sydney with an expedition that passed along the Murrumbidgee River on horses and drays.

Sturt's diary was published in London in 1833. The Murrumbidgee River journey from Wagga to Hay was slow: "The plains were open to the horizon. Views as boundless as the ocean. No timber but here and there a stunted gum or a gloomy cypress. Neither bird nor beast inhabited these lonely regions over which the silence of the grave seemed to reign." But there were a few Aboriginals living along the river: in fact, tribes varying in number and disposition were met throughout the whole journey. There was no real trouble. Sturt was confident on his present line he would meet the Darling River. "I had no doubt," he wrote, "that ultimately I would reach the coast."

Sturt's Marked Tree (4 km east on Mid Western Highway).
Charles Napier Sturt (28 April 1795 – 16 June 1869) was a British officer and explorer of Australia,

1830s

During the late-1830s stock was regularly overlanded to South Australia via the Lower Murrumbidgee.

Pastoral runs were established west along the Murrumbidgee River, onto the Hay plains and beyond from 1832. Shepherds, stockmen and labourers also arrived, many of them ex-convicts and ticket-of-leave men.

Severe drought of 1836.

1840s

A coach station was established in 1840.

A severe economic depression in the 1840s led to many runs being abandoned or sold.

John Tooth bought the "Wooloondool" run by 1844 and later purchased the leases for "Mungadal" and "Pevensey". After Tooth became bankrupt, "Mungadal" was sold to the Lang brothers and "Wooloondool" to James McEvoy.

1850s

One of the popular stock routes (known as "the Great North Road") was established in the mid-1850s, crossing the Murrumbidgee River at Lang's Crossing-place. This area that became the town of Hay was close to"Mungadal" run, belonging to the three Lang Brothers: Dr. Thomas, Gideon Scott and William.
"LANG'S CROSSING."IN THE DAYS BEFORE HAY. Dr. Thomas Lang, who was one of
the owners of Mungadal
Pastoral runs were taken up for wool production and to provide produce for the Victorian goldfields. Teamsters with drays, pulled by horse or bullock teams, transported supplies to the region. Cattle from Queensland were taken across the river to the developing Victoria goldfields.

Aboriginal peoples hunted wild animals, gathered plants and fished. They also burnt off the old grass to attract game like kangaroos and used stones to trap fish. Settlers, however, cleared land for farming and for towns, disrupting the lives and food sources of Aboriginal people.

Hay became a major transport hub, and paddlesteamers transported wool down to Echuca on the Murray River.

In 1857, a blacksmith, Thomas Simpson, arrived at Lang's Crossing-Place and established a smithy.

By 1857 Captain Francis Cadell had begun to lobby the Government of New South Wales for the establishment of a Post Office at Lang's Crossing-place. Cadell was a major pioneer in opening up Murray River trading in 1853 with the paddle steamers.
Francis William Cadell (9 February 1822 – 1879) was a European explorer of Australia
Henry Leonard arrived at Lang's Crossing-place and constructed a new punt just upstream of "the main crossing place" by February 1858. Leonard also opened the Murrumbidgee Punt Hotel on 30 October 1858.

In March 1858, Alexander Dunbar stated that he occupied a tent at Lang's Crossing-place (Cadell's store). Captain Cadell also suggested Dundas as post master to the Postmaster general, but was rejected.

Surveyor Adams arrived in 1858 and located the proposed township on the eastern side of the river-bend, north of Leonard's and Simpson's buildings. Laying out the township was completed by Edward Twynam.
Wagga Wagga Express and Murrumbidgee District Advertiser (NSW : 1858 - 1859; 1866; 1872 - 1874), Saturday 15 October 1859
The first Telegraph Office at Deniliquin in 1859 allowed faster and easier communication.

A town was gazetted in 1859 and named after Sir John Hay, a local pastoralist and Member of Parliament.

A weekly mail delivery between Condobolin and Hay began from 1 April 1859.

Messrs Randell and Scott built an iron store in 1859, which became part of the Hay Cash Store Company.
Wagga Wagga Express and Murrumbidgee District Advertiser (NSW : 1858 - 1859; 1866; 1872 - 1874), Saturday 21 May 1859
By August 1859, Dr William Leahy Echlin, had settled at Lang's Crossing. Dr Echlin, the first Medical Practitioner at Hay, died on 27 October 1861.

1860s

From 1861, the Free Selection Acts brought thousands of new settlers into the region putting further stress on land needed for Aboriginal hunting and food sources.

One Tree Hotel, built 1862, 38 km north on the road to Booligal, featured in "Banjo" Paterson's poem 'Hay, Hell and Booligal".
New South Wales Government Gazette (Sydney, NSW : 1832 - 1900), Friday 11 September 1863
In August 1864 the Punt Hotel at Hay was purchased by Edward Ray.

The Australian Joint Stock (AJS) Bank was the first bank established in Hay in 1864.

In April 1864, a telegraph station was opened in Hay.

The NSW Land Selection Acts of the 1860s and 1870s , allowed those with limited means to acquire land.

The first Anglican minister to regularly visit Hay was Rev R T Earl, who arrived in 1866. He visited the farms and stations to offer religious services.

1870s

Swing bridge over the Murrumbidgee River - Hay, NSW, c1870, SLNSW
Hay police lock-up, located in Lachlan Street on the site of the present Hay Post Office, was proclaimed a Public Gaol on 1 December 1870.

Hay became a municipality in 1872.

Australia was connected to the rest of the world for the first time in 1872, by the Overland Telegraph, that ran some 3,200 kilometres (2,000 mi) from Adelaide through to Darwin.

The Riverine Grazier was first published in 1873.

The bridge over the Murrumbidgee opened in 1874.
Lachlan Street from Bank - Tattersall's Hotel - Hay, NSW, c 1870, SLNSW
Australian joint Stock Bank, Hay, NSW, 1870s, SLNSW
Lachlan Street showing Blewett's store, Bank, Court House and Telegraph Office - Hay, NSW. 1870 SLNSW
Former Murray & Co. Store, HAY, NSW. William Murray began as a tailor in Hay in 1870, working out of rented premises. In 1874 he had this building erected for his Clothing Emporium
Hay, NSW, c1875, SLNSW
Lachlan Street - Hay, NSW, 1875 SLNSW
Bullock team in Lachlan Street - Hay, NSW - 1875
The Hay Football Club was formed in 1876.

Sunbeam Coach. Cobb & Co. coach factory operated in Hay, from 1877 until 1896.

In the 1870s, the writer Joseph Furphy, who later wrote under the name Tom Collins, best known for his novel Such Is Life (1903), lived around Hay.

1880s

Hay Gaol. Dated: 08/01/1880. Museums of History NSW - State Archives Collection
Hay Post Office was constructed in 1882.
The Hay Railway Station opened on 4 July 1882.

The Warangesda Aboriginal Mission operated between 1880 and 1926. Rev. John Gribble was concerned about the exploitation of Aboriginal women, in the area, and founded the mission settlement to give Aboriginal people a permanent home.

The name for the mission combined "Warang" the Wiradjuri word for "camp" and "esda", the last part of the scriptural "Bethesda" (Hebrew meaning "house of mercy").

In 1882 the railway line was extended to Hay from Narrandera, connecting Hay to Sydney. About this time, the paddle steamers began to lose their importance.

The Hay Fire Brigade was established in 1886.

Linton House Hostel for Boys was built in 1888.

Hay was developing as an important centre for the Riverina.

1890s

The new gaol in Church Street opened in late 1880, and the old Lachlan Street gaol became a “Watch-house or Lock-up only”.
 MURRUMBIDGEE BLACKS.— SOME OF THE CORROBOREE PARTY. Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954), Saturday 24 April 1897
Hay Post Office, Hay, NSW, Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946), Saturday 20 May 1899
Supreme Court, Hay, NSW, Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946), Saturday 20 May 1899
 Bishop's Lodge, Hay, NSW, Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946), Saturday 20 May 1899 (Bishop's Lodge Historic House, an iron house and outbuildings designed and built in 1888 by Bishop Sydney Linton and architect, John Sulman. The residence for the Anglican Bishop of the Riverina)
LANDS AND SURVEY OFFICE, HAY, NSW, Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946), Saturday 20 May 1899

1900s

 Riverine Grazier (Hay, NSW : 1873 - 1954), Friday 5 October 1900,
Boer War Memorial, Hay, NSW. Commemorating the district volunteers who lost their lives in Sth Africa, unveiled in 6 May 1903Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1871 - 1912), Wednesday 13 May 1903
 A CORNER IN THE MACHINERY SECTION. Mr. H. B. Maclure's first-prize collection of agricultural implements and machinery at the Hay Show.Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1871 - 1912), Wednesday 29 July 1908
Interior of Rogers and Clyde's Pharmacy in Hay, N.S.W. - 1908, Aussie Mobs
Athenaeum Hall, Hay, N.S.W. - very early 1900s, Aussie Mobs
Street in Hay, N.S.W. - very early 1900s, Aussie Mobs
Superior Public School in Hay, N.S.W. - 1908, Aussie Mobs
From 1909 onwards, the Aborigines Protection Act aimed to abolish reserves and fringe-camps and incorporate Aboriginal people into white society. However, this caused stress and dislocation of communities.
The Ringer Store, Hay, NSW - circa 1910, Aussie~mobs (demolished in the early 1970s)
Group of stockmen on horses with revolvers - Hay, NSW, c1913, SLNSW
Aboriginal girls were trained for domestic service at Warangesda Aboriginal Mission and it also served as a welfare depot for younger children from other reserves and stations.
Aborigines of the Waradgery Tribe. THESE photographs were taken by Mr. David G. Stead, N.S.W. Government. A Fisheries Expert, on a recent visit to the Murrumbidgee River. Mr. Stead supplies the following note relating thereto:—The Waradgery or Wiradjuriwere an exceedingly large and powerful tribe, inhabiting principally the greater part of the Murrumbidgee country, and part of the Lachlan, with the plains between, and part of those to the south. At present there is an interesting remnant of the tribe to be seen at the aborigines' station known as Warangesda, a short distance out of Darlington Point, on the southern bank of the Murrumbidgee River (a few miles from Willbriggie railway station, on the Hay line). Many of the Waradgery were of fine physique, and the man Murray (properly 'Murree,' a native family name, meaning red kangaroo), whose photograph is shown, is a splendidly propor-
tioned fellow, with the bearing of a gentleman. THE ladies shown required a good deal of pressing before they could be prevailed upon to face the camera, but the gentlemen (except the little one), like good Australians, were not so bashful. As in so many of the Australian aborigines, these natives, especially the women, are remarkable for their naturally pleasant and gentle voices. Waradgery shire, adjacent to the town of Hay, takes its name from this tribe, as does the fine Waradgery Club at Hay. Two important divisions of the Waradgery people lived in the vicinity of Narrandera and Cootamundra.
Narrandera, by the way, is 'Narrung-derai,' or Jew-lizard; while Cootamundra (Koota-moondra) is the River-Tortoise, or Freshwater Turtle. Wagga-Wagga (Waaga-waaga, plenty crowd) is also in this tribal district. The great tribes sur-rounding the Waradgery included the Ita-Ita, Baraba-Baraba (Burra-bura-ba),Nungawal, Kamilaroi ('Gummilroy'), Wonghibon, and Bargunji (Barkinji).Sydney Mail (NSW : 1912 - 1938), Wednesday 18 February 1914
TYPICAL WARADGERY (WIRADJURI) PEOPLE AT WARANGESDA. (Warangesda Mission was established at Darlington Point by the Reverend JB Gribble in 1880) Sydney Mail (NSW : 1912 - 1938), Wednesday 18 February 1914
 THE ABORIGINES AT WARANGESDA STATION. The older man (Murree) is a splendid example
of the men of the great Waradgery tribe.Sydney Mail (NSW : 1912 - 1938), Wednesday 18 February 1914

WWI

During the First World War, 641 men enlisted from Hay and the surrounding district, one of the highest per capita enlistment rates in Australia.
World War I soldiers recruiting march. First volunteers in Lachlan Street facing the Post Office - Hay, NSW, c. 1916, by Horace J. Weymouth (Frank Butterworth, Bill Connor, W. McNamara, Jack Easton, Arnold Markey, Ebb Cooper, Les Howard, Colin Ashley, Percy Ledwidge, Oscar Sylvander, W. McFarland, Bill Whitle, Victor Cox, J. Phillips, "Bricky" Carter)
Steamer on the Murrumbidgee River NSW. c1915. Printed post card from A. O. Best in Hay
The Paddle Steamer "Wagga Wagga", for over 40 years, plyed the Murrumbidgee River and was the last operational paddle steamer until abandoned on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River at Narrandera in 1918.

1920s

Harry Logus built the Paragon Cafe on the corner of Alma and Lachlan Streets.
 Paragon Cafe was located on the corner of Alma and Lachlan Streets, Hay, NSW
Hay Court House, NSW. Dated: No date. Museums of History NSW - State Archives Collection
CourtHouse, Hay, NSW, Land (Sydney, NSW : 1911 - 1954), Friday 30 May 1924
Lachlan Street, Hay. NSW c.1925
Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954), Saturday 9 May 1925
THE HAY MOTOR and ENGINEERI NG CO'S GARAGE AND SHOW ROOMS, HAY, NSW, Riverine Grazier (Hay, NSW : 1873 - 1954), Friday 28 September 1928

1930s

Rugby league was first played in Hay during 1931.

Les Brown had the Majestic Theatre built 1931-2. Now a hardware store.
Riverine Grazier (Hay, NSW : 1873 - 1954), Friday 13 November 1931
The Harrison Family have operated a store on this site, Hay, NSW, since 1882. Riverine Grazier (Hay, NSW : 1873 - 1954), Friday 13 November 1931
Hay Fire Brigade, NSW, The names of the members of the Brigade shown in the photograph are:
Sitting: W. Carnochan, G. Sadler, A. Campbell and J. H. Reid.
Back Row: J. Hanlon (on reel), J. Donaldson, W. Clifford, J. Marshall (captain), Alex. Henry, T. A. Massie, and M. Reid. Riverine Grazier (Hay, NSW : 1873 - 1954), Tuesday 12 February 1935
First Motor Fire Engine in Hay, NSW, c1935, SLNSW
Staff of McClures Department Store, Hay, NSW, c. 1935-1936, State Library of New South Wales
Down on the right bank of the Murrumbidgee, between the bridges, a cairn informed us that Captain Charles Sturt had passed that way on November 30, 1829. Sydney Mail (NSW : 1912 - 1938), Wednesday 10 August 1938
Riverine Grazier (Hay, NSW : 1873 - 1954), Friday 6 January 1939

1940s and WWII

During WW II, Hay Gaol operated as a prisoner-of-war camp (POW). Three high-security camps were constructed there in 1940. The first to arrive were more than two thousand refugees from Nazi Germany and Austria, most of whom were Jewish.

On 10 July 1940, 2,542 detainees left Liverpool, UK, classified as "enemy aliens", aboard the Dunera, described as a overcrowded Hell-hole. After arriving in Australia, the detainees were transported by train to Hay. While interned in Australia, the internees established and administered their own township with Hay currency.

The 1985 Australian mini series The Dunera Boys represents these events. (included German Jewish refugees who had escaped from Nazi occupied territories and 200 Italian Prisoners of War, and 250 Nazis).

A large number of Japanese POWs were transferred to Hay after the Cowra breakout in February 1941.
Land Army Girl assists with jetting at Uardry Stud, Hay, N.S.W. Queensland Country Life (Qld. : 1900 - 1954), Thursday 30 December 1943
HAY, NSW. 1944-01-20. THE RIVER PADDLE STEAMER, "MURRUMBIDGEE" AND A BARGE MOORED AT THE 16TH GARRISON BATTALION PRISONER OF WAR (POW) DETENTION CAMP ON THE MURRUMBIDGEE RIVER. AWM
HAY, NSW. 1944-01-17. MEMBERS OF THE 16TH GARRISON BATTALION HOLDING A CONFERENCE OVER THE FITTING OF A NEW 10 INCH PUMPING UNIT ON THE RIVER BANK. N104534 PRIVATE J. E. PIFKE (1); N100584 WARRANT OFFICER CLASS 1 J. W. GRIBBLE, ROYAL AUSTRALIAN ENGINEERS (RAE) (2); N206035 SAPPER HUNGERFORD (3); N271059 CORPORAL T. R. SANDERS (4). AWM
JAP WAR PRISONERS GO HOME (from Hay, NSW). Daily Telegraph (Sydney, NSW : 1931 - 1954), Sunday 3 March 1946
Land (Sydney, NSW : 1911 - 1954), Friday 10 January 1947
 Lachlan Street, Hay, NSW, Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954), Wednesday 20 August 1947
 Left: CWA members. Front row includes Mesdames C. A. Cameron (pres.), E. R. Watson (sec ), G. Harrison (treas.), and J. M. Spence (first president and life member). Hay, NSW, Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954), Wednesday 20 August 1947
 Hospital staff, including Matron R. P. Wilson, Mr R. Eager (Sec.), and Mrs J.
Thompson (assist, sec.). Hay, NSW, Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954), Wednesday 20 August 1947
Postal staff, Hay, NSW, Hospital staff, Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954), Wednesday 20 August 1947
War Memorial High School. Hay, NSW, Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954), Wednesday 20 August 1947

1950s

An Aboriginal canoe tree was found on the Murrumbidgee at Hay, Mr Gibson's property.
Television for Hay, NSW, Riverine Grazier (Hay, NSW : 1873 - 1954), Friday 2 June 1950
 YOUNG FOLK AT HAY. John Best (left, front row, of Gre Gre Hay; Jill Officer, Trangie; Christine Wilkinson, Hay; Bob Watson, Wodonga, Vic- ia: Michael Tooth, Deniliquin; (top row, left) Elizabeth Allen, "Carinya," Cooma; Bob Wilkinson, Hay; and Franc Falkiner, Boonoke, Conargo.Australian Women's Weekly (1933 - 1982), Saturday 15 April 1950

1960s

From 1961 to 1974, the Hay Gaol became The Hay Institution for Girls, a maximum security institution for girls between the ages of thirteen and eighteen. Read here and Exposed to Moral Danger
Postcard of Lachlan St, Hay, NSW

1980s

The last passenger train to Hay ran in 1983.

Hay railway Station closed on 18 November 1989.

The Paragon Cafe was owned by the Haldezos' family.

1990s

THE DUNERA Boys Return After 50 Years: More than 170 former internees (mostly Jewish) from around Australia and as faraway as North America, Britain, France, West Germany, Austria and Argentina retuned to Hay in September 1990.

2HayFM began broadcasting in 1992.

2019

In December 2019, an 88,000-hectare property, Gayini (Nimmie Caira), Hay, NSW, came under the ownership of the Nari Nari Tribal Council.

2020s

Harrison & Sons IGA, HAY, NSW, 2020
2022: Hay welcomes the cast and crew for the filming of the "Mad Max" prequel "Furiosa".

2022:  Rainbow on the Plains pride festival at Hay.
2022:  Rainbow on the Plains pride festival at Hay, NSW

Around Hay

Highway Inn, Lachlan Street, Hay, NSW, was built in 1940
The Hay Fire Brigade, Hay, NSW, was established in 1886 before coming under the auspice of the Board of Fire Commissioners NSW in 1910. In 1917-18 a new Station was constructed by the Board on a site in Lachlan Street that the Brigade had occupied for a number of years previously 
The Witcombe Fountain. A gift from the then Mayor, Alderman John Witcombe in 1883, situated on the corner of Lachlan and Moppett St, Hay, NSW
A display of a Cobb & Co. Coach, typical of those used to carry mail and passengers from Deniliquin to Wilcannia from 1886 to 1901, Hay, NSW
Sunbeam Coach. Cobb & Co. operated its coach factory in Hay, from 1877 until 1896, Coach pavilion, Hay, NSW
The Terminus Hotel, Hay, NSW, was licensed from 1882 until 1940, across from the Hay Railway Station. Falling into ruin
Classical style bank of New South Wales building now a Westpac. It was built in 1877, Hay, NSW 
Japp’s Pharmacy was built in 1913 as a saddlery and tailor. It has been a pharmacy since the early 1930s, Hay, NSW
The Commercial Hotel was once the site of the Bush Inn, established by William Sabine about 1865. From the mid-1870s, the Bush Inn changed name to the Commercial Hotel, Hay, NSW
Hay Gaol, NSW, was established in 1878. As well as a gaol, it has been a maternity hospital, locked-hospital for the insane, for prisoners of war during the Second World War (Japanese and Italian)and a maximum security institute for girls under the Child Welfare Department. Ceased to operate on 30th June 1974. Now serve a museum
At Hay Museum, NSW
 Hay, NSW, railway station opened on 4 July 1882 and closed on 18 November 1989
Hay, NSW, Lands Office, built by Mr. McDonald in 1896. Shire Office, Hay, NSW, built in 1877 to be Hay’s second courthouse, which then became the Athenaeum building in1885
The Sisters of the Presentation Catholic Order arrived in Hay in February 1883, to start a convent school, Hay, NSW
St Paul's Anglican Church, Hay, NSW, built in 1885. Set to be demolished
St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, built in 1872, Hay, NSW
 Hay Jewellers store was built in 1963, on the site of the open-air cinema, Hay, NSW


Things To Do and Places To Go

Hay Historic Walk

Bishop's Lodge Historic House · Dunera Museum · Hay Gaol Museum · Shear Outback · Hay War Memorial High School Museum.

Hay Prisoner of War Interpretive Centre

Radium Hill, SA: First uranium Mine in Australia

The Radium Hill is located near Olary in eastern South Australia, approximately 530 km northeast of Adelaide.

The story of this mine, mined for radium between 1906 and 1931 and for uranium between 1954 and 1961, involves Sir Douglas Mawson, Madame Curie and Professor Lord Rutherford.
 

Ngadjuri and Wilyakali People

Wilyakali traditional lands covered an estimated 8,400 square miles (22,000 km2) from the Barrier Ranges westwards to Olary in South Australia. The clan probably only comprised 60-80 people at any one time and they spoke a dialect of the Bargundji language ("river talk")

Ngadjuri occupied the central Flinders Ranges and the western portion of the Olary Ranges.

According to Norman Tindale, before the mid-1850s, the Wilyakali People retreated southwards to resist the Ngadjuri People who wanted them to adopt their Ceremonial rites. (circumcision rite)

It is likely that various Aboriginal groups travelled over the arid land around Radium Hill to trade stone, ochre, tools, ceremonial items and other resources. Many clans appear to have met at the rockholes at Mootwingee in NSW, which had water in drought times (Gerritsen, 1976).

Rock engravings (petroglyphs) from the Karolta site on the North Olary Plains are of great antiquity. 

Various Aboriginal groups of the region identify collectively as the Adnyamathanha people.

Aboriginal cultures vary, but often, ceremonial occasions, involved scarification, circumcision, subincision and, in some regions, also the removal of a tooth.
For Aboriginal people scarification has been used as a rite of passage, Critic (Adelaide, SA : 1897-1924)
Aboriginal people in corroboree costume at Carriewerloo Station, South Australia. Observer (Adelaide, SA : 1905 - 1931), Saturday 1 July 1905

1890s

Uranium was first discovered in the Mount Lofty Ranges in 1890 .

1900s

By 1906, prospector Arthur John Smith had found and named the Little Queen Bee gold and copper mine, Outalpa gold mine, Boomerang gold mine, and King's Bluff copper mine.
 
In that same year, 1906, Smith was in the Outalpa area, near Olary, when he thought he'd found tin oxide or tungsten (Wolfram) when camped at Teasdale’s dam. He pegged a claim on 20th March, then travelled with his ore samples to Adelaide by train. The samples were later found to be radio-active.
Mr A. J. Smith, discovered ore at Radium Hill, SA, Sunday Times (Perth, WA : 1902 - 1954), Sunday 1 June 1913
The future Antarctic explorer, Douglas Mawson, was a geologist at Adelaide University where the ore samples were tested and named, the uranium/radium bearing mineral "Davidite", after Professor Edgeworth David. Mawson also proposed the name Radium Hill for the site. The mine was called "Smith's Carnotite Mine" (a similar uranium-bearing mineral) at first.

In 1906, Mawson spent weeks exploring the Olary Ranges region on horse and motorbike. He found rocks dating from one of the planet’s oldest and most widespread ice ages.
 Dr. Douglas Maw soil, of SouthAustralia,... who has plans for an Australian Antarctic Expedition.Australian Town and Country Journal (Sydney, NSW : 1870 - 1919), Wednesday 11 January 1911
Critic (Adelaide, SA : 1897-1924), Wednesday 10 November 1909
In the early days Radium Hill produced radium for Marie Sklodowska-Curie who was awarded her second Nobel Prize for the discovery of radium in 1911. Ernest Rutherford, the father of nuclear physics and the first man to successfully slit an atom, also received Radium Hill radium.

One of the stages in the break-down of uranium to radium is the production of a radioactive gas, radon, which, in a matter of a few days, disintegrates to form solid radioactive products, which adhere to dust particles and can be inhaled. 
Australian Museum

Radium Hill was isolated, dry, and arid. The days were hot and nights cold.

Radium reached a price of £13,000 per gram in 1911.
 
WWI

Mining ceased in 1914.

Waterfront land on Nelson Parade in Hunters Hill, NSW, was the site of the Radium Hill refinery, which closed in 1915.
RADIUM FACTORY AT SYDNEY (Hunter's Hill, NSW), Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954), Friday 30 January 1914

1920s

Mining operations commenced again in 1923.

A treatment plant was built in 1923 at Dry Creek near Adelaide to produce radium bromide for medical applications, but was not cost-effective and ceased operations by 1932.

At Paralana Hot Springs, a private sanatorium near Mount Painter in the 1920s, patients and guests took baths in the thermal springs of naturally occurring radium.

1940s

After the United States detonated two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August 1945, respectively, bringing an end to the war in the Pacific, finding uranium for atomic weapons and defence became a priority. 
Labor Call (Melbourne, Vic. : 1906 - 1953), Thursday 29 May 1947,
The Housing Trust designed the town, building 145 houses between 1949 and 1952.

The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) formed in March 1949.

The Provisions of the Uranium Mining Act 1949 prevented employees from revealing information about their work. Oaths were required by employees. 
Lunch time in the mess at Radium Hill, SA, News (Adelaide, SA : 1923 - 1954), Thursday 28 July 1949
Radium Hill, SA, News (Adelaide, SA : 1923 - 1954), Thursday 28 July 1949

1950s

The Korean War began in June 1950, and this anxious period motived the USA to contribute almost £4,000,000 to develop Radium Hill to supply uranium.

There was opposition in the community to atomic weapons, demonstrated by and during South Australian Peace Council’s two-day peace conference in June 1950.

In November 1951, a pilot plant was constructed at Radium Hill.

A power generator for electricity supply was installed in 1951. Water was pumped from a dam to a storage tank near the town. A pipeline was laid from the Umberumberka Reservoir near Broken Hill.
Herald (Melbourne, Vic. : 1861 - 1954), Monday 24 March 1952
Radium Hill, SA, News (Adelaide, SA : 1923 - 1954), Thursday 11 December 1952
Radium Hill, SA, News (Adelaide, SA : 1923 - 1954), Thursday 11 December 1952
Radium Hill, SA, uranium mine in 1952 - drive in. (It was not heritage listed). Photo SLSA B-70347.
The Radium Hill underground mine was recommissioned in a full-scale operation in 1954 and operated by the South Australian Government, for the British and US nuclear weapons programs. (also, a rare earths treatment plant at Port Pirie)

At Radium Hill Australian Inland Mission (AIM) Hospital, 117 babies were born between 1953 and 1961.The AIM also provided health care services to the miners and their families. The nursing sisters lived in the adjoining house and were on call 24/7. 

There was also a public school and Kindergarten, post office, police station, government retail store, weather Station, State Bank branch and a civic hall. And, later, a wet canteen ( two Nissen huts), milk bar, library, swimming pool, recreation room and drive-in cinema.
Swimming pool at Radium Hill, SA
Two churches were built by volunteers; a Catholic Church with school and a Uniting Church used by all other de-nominations.

Sports included soccer, cricket, Australian Rules football, tennis and golf.

Officially opened by Governor-General Sir William Slim on 10 November 1954.
RADIUM HILL MINE OPENING, SA. Radium Hill mine which was opened last week by the Governor-General (Sir William Slim) . This was revealed at the official luncheon by the Premier (Mr. Playford), Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1895 - 1954), Thursday 18 November 1954
Radium Hill, SA, Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1895 - 1954), Thursday 18 November 1954
Radium Hill Mine, SA, In the mine shaft at the 200 foot level (L to R) — The Premier (Mr. Playford), the Minister of Mines (Sir Lyell McEwin), the Governor-General (Sir William Slim), and the general manager of the Radium Hill project (Mr. T. A. Rodgers). Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1895 - 1954), Thursday 18 November 1954
Miners listen to Sir William Slim's opening address, Radium Hill, SA. Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1895 - 1954), Thursday 18 November 1954
The head frame showing the entrance to the shaft. (L to R) — R. Archer, a mine surveyor, and W. Cahill, a miner. Radium Hill, SA Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1895 - 1954), Thursday 18 November 1954
The Flying Doctor wireless service has many uses for outback people. Here Mr. E. Foreman, whose wife gave birth to a daughter in Broken Hill the day before the mine (Radium Hill, SA) was opened, hears news of his wife and baby from the doctor at Broken Hill, while Sister J. McKay, of the Radium Hill Hospital, operates the wireless. Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1895 - 1954), Thursday 18 November 1954
The Governor-General (Sir William Slim in a mine shaft at the 200-foot level, Radium Hill, SA. Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1895 - 1954), Thursday 18 November 1954
Bill (Hugger) Giles (pictured above) lives in an iron and wood dwelling at the end ofthe Radium Hill, SA, airstrip. News (Adelaide, SA : 1923 - 1954), Friday 12 November 1954
Mail (Adelaide, SA : 1912 - 1954), Saturday 13 November 1954
Radium Hill, SA, Mail (Adelaide, SA : 1912 - 1954), Saturday 13 November 1954
Barrier Miner (Broken Hill, NSW : 1888 - 1954), Saturday 8 August 1953
Tent camp at Radium Hill, SA, 1950s
Radium Hill minesite, SA, 1954
A town for 1100 people was built at Radium Hill, with water piped from NSW. A railway spur connected Radium Hill with the Broken Hill–Port Pirie line, and a power line was constructed from Morgan.

The ore was sent by rail to Port Pirie for treatment and shipped to America or the United Kingdom.

The uranium grades at Radium Hill were moderate to low. However, the rare earths grade was exceptional, with values up to 7% rare earth oxides.

There was a growing, overseas demand for uranium for nuclear experiments and for emerging atomic power.

Radium Hill was a substantial employer of new migrants to Australia. Wages were high. 

The safety measures involved frequent showers, washing clothes regularly, blood testing and dust monitoring. 
Minig underground at Radium Hill, SA, Beaudesert Times (Qld. : 1908 - 1954), Friday 15 April 1955
Because the residents of Radium Hill were mostly single males, only beer (ale and stout) were sold at the canteen in an attempt to avoid trouble. Opening hours were also limited. 

In April 1954, Vladimir and Evdokia Petrov, Soviet spies masquerading as diplomats in Canberra, defected to Australia. This led to security concerns, and some staff at Radium Hill were believed to be seconded from ASIO.
Site of Single Staff Mess and Living Quarters at Radium Hill, SA, South Australian History Network, (1953-1961)
United Church at Radium Hill, SA, (1953-1961), South Australian History Network
Catholic Church at Radium Hill, SA, (1953-1961), South Australian History Network
Radium Hill canteen was divided into two sections: one for men only and the other for women and their escorts (1.)
Radium Hill, SA, Australian Women's Weekly (1933 - 1982), Wednesday 4 July 1956
THE FRUIT and vegetable counter of the Government store are, from left, Mrs. Roy Simpson, Mrs. Stan Foubister, and Mrs. Jock Brown. All goods are sold at cost. Radium Hill, SA. Australian Women's Weekly (1933 - 1982), Wednesday 4 July 1956
GENERAL MANAGER of the Radium Hill project (SA), Mr. T. A. Rodgers (left), with Mr. John Kleeman, assistant mill superintendent, inspect flotation cells in the treatment plant. Women's Weekly (1933 - 1982), Wednesday 4 July 1956
Timbering operation at the 400 foot level in the uranium mine at Radium Hill, South Australia, 1957, NLAUST 
Radium Hill, SA, Walkabout. Vol. 24 No. 7 (1 July 1958)
Radium Hill, SA, Walkabout. Vol. 24 No. 7 (1 July 1958)

1960s

The mine closed in December 1961. Later, it was revealed that radioactive ore was used to construct roads and other infrastructure and the tailings dam was not capped when the mine closed. The wind had dispersed tailings into the surrounding landscape.

By the end of 1963, 165 houses, cubicles and mining structures had been demolished.

1970s

In 1979, a study found that cancer-related deaths by former Radium Hill workers to be four times the national average.

1980s

Rehabilitation in the site occurred in the 1980s.

1990s

The Radium Hill health study was finally published in 1991, concluding that radiation may have contributed to the premature deaths of workers at the site.

In late 1997, it was revealed that the disused underground workings the Radium Hill mine had been a licensed repository for radioactive wastes since 1981.

2000s

The museum established by the Radium Hill Historical Association in an old circa 1926 ex-station hand’s cottage on Tikalina Station in 1996, closed in 2018 and is being relocated.

The Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission found that the former state-owned Radium Hill mine and associated Rare Earths Treatment Plant at Port Pirie, which closed in 1961 and 1962 respectively, were
not operated, regulated or decommissioned in accordance with current practice, and nor  would they have been permitted under the current regulatory framework.
Radium Hill, SA, (abandoned uranium mine) and other mineral deposits, 2009. Frans de Wit
Radium Hill, SA, (abandoned uranium mine) and other mineral deposits, 2009. Frans de Wit
Today, all that remains of Radium Hill is some foundations, infrastructure remnants, tailings impoundment and some waste rock and heavy media reject piles.

Many cite environmental impacts, Aboriginal land access and nuclear proliferation as reasons for ceasing or restricting the nuclear industry.

Around Radium Hill


Concrete ore bins and silos, Radium Hill, SA
The Radium Hill Camp Ground from the top of Tank Hill, SA
Ruins of Swimming pool at Radium Hill, SA, South Australian History Network
Unsealed road from Radium Hill, leads to Barrier Highway via Tikilina Homestead, SA, 2011, South Australian History Network
Memorial stone at Radium Hill, on The Avenue, SA. The town's water tank on the hill in the distance, South Australian History Network
Site of Catholic Church at Radium Hill, SA. When they were demolishing the town after the mine closed in 1961, the cross fell onto the bull dozer's engine and damaged it. They thought it was divine intervention so the church was never fully demolished! South Australian History Network
Site of The Avenue at Radium Hill township, SA, South Australian History Network
Plaque at Radium Hill Pioneers Cemetery. The plaque lists those buried at the cemetery - it makes poignant reading. South Australian History Network
Tank Hill at Radium Hill, SA, 2 million gallon concrete water tank was built for the Radium Hill township, South Australian History Network
Radium Hill, SA, mining remains


Things To Do and Places to Go

Radium Hill Historical Association

The Radium Hill former uranium mine is located 40 kilometres southwest of Cockburn in South Australia and approximately 110 kilometres from Broken Hill.