Singleton is a town on the banks of the Hunter River in New South Wales, Australia. Singleton is 144 km north-north-west of Sydney, and 70 km northwest of Newcastle. At June 2018, Singleton had an urban population of 16,346. Singleton's main urban area includes the town centre, Singleton Heights, Dunolly, Darlington, The Retreat, Wattle Ponds and Hunterview. Surrounding rural villages include Broke, Camberwell, Jerrys Plains, Goorangoola/Greenlands, Belford and Lower Belford. Singleton is located on the north-eastern part of the geological structure known as the Sydney basin, which borders the New England region.
History
Singleton was established in the 1820s. In its early years, it was also called Patrick's Plains. The Main Northern railway line reached Singleton in 1863 and was the end of the line until 1869. The town retains many historic buildings, including the original court house built in 1841, various large churches and many traditional Australian pubs. The countryside surrounding Singleton contains an unusual number of fine old mansions, reflecting the aristocratic nature of land grants when the area was settled. They include 'Neotsfield', the elaborate 'Baroona', 'Abbey Green' and stunning 'Minimbah'. Singleton was subject to the major flooding of the Hunter River in 1955, causing extensive damage to the town. When the area was being settled, the government originally attempted to create a town at Whittingham in a flood-free area, but the town grew by the river nonetheless. An embankment was constructed following the 1955 floods to help protect the town against any future flooding.
Population
According to the 2016 census of Population, there were 16,089 people in the Singleton urban area.
85.1% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were New Zealand 2.2%, England 1.5%, Philippines 0.8% and South Africa 0.7%.
The town is located at the junction of the New England Highway and Putty Road. The Golden Highway branches northwest from the New England Highway ten kilometres south of Singleton. Singleton is also served by local and long-distance rail services. Singleton railway station on the Main Northern railway line is located at the southern end of the town centre. There are also bus services, both intercity and local. A bypass for the New England Highway is planned to divert traffic from Singleton, more than 26,000 vehicles travel through Singleton daily, the environmental assessment and concept design are open to public feedback in 2019.
Economy
Major industries near Singleton include coal mining, electricity generation, light industry, vineyards, horse breeding and cattle production. Dairying was once a mainstay in the area, but has declined. The largest employment industry is coal mining, which employs 24 percent of the town's workforce. Defence is the second largest employer with almost 4 percent of the workforce. The Lone Pine army barracks is located south of Singleton.
Media
Print
The Singleton Argus is a bi-weekly newspaper which was established in 1874. It is currently owned and published by Fairfax Media. The weekly newspaper that serves Singleton and the Hunter Valley is The Hunter Valley News, which, along with the Newcastle Herald newspaper, is published by Fairfax Media.
Radio
Radio Stations serving both Newcastle and the Hunter Valley can be received in Singleton.
Television
Singleton is part of the Newcastle-Hunter Region television market, which is served by 5 television networks, three commercial and two national services.
Tourism
Sundial. Singleton is home to one of the world's largest sundials, presented by a local coal mine for the 1988 Bicentennial Celebrations.
Wineries. The town is close to the famous Pokolbin wine region. There are also many wineries in the shire, especially around Broke.
Boating. Lake St Clair is an artificial lake located to the north of the town, with facilities for boating and camping.
Museums. Singleton has three main museums, the Singleton Historic Society Museum in Burdekin Park, the Royal Australian Infantry Corps Museum at the nearby barracks and the Mercy Convent Museum 'Sacred Spaces' within the grounds of the Convent of the Sisters of Mercy.
Heritage listings
Singleton has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
Singleton is home to a number of educational facilities. These include schools operated by NSW Department of Education and two non-government schools at both Primary and Secondary levels; as well as a TAFE campus, Singleton Community College and a number of pre-schools. St Catherine's Catholic College provides classes from kindergarten to year 12, while Australian Christian College has classes from pre-kindergarten to year 10. Schools operated by NSW Department of Education include:
Hunter Institute of TAFE operates a campus in Singleton. It provides training and further education as well as collaborating with secondary schools for students completing Senior years.
Notable people
Joseph Burnettborn in Singleton in 1899 and is best known as the Captain of the ill-fated, which was lost on 19 November 1941 in a battle with German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran
Charles Duttona Queensland politician, was born in Singleton
Dale Frankan artist, was born and currently lives in Singleton
