Where Festivals Never End

Newcastle Herald

Thursday June 26, 2008

THEY love a good shindig in the Upper Hunter.

Merriwa's Festival of the Fleeces, the Aberdeen

Highland Games, Murrurundi's King of the Ranges

Stockman's Challenge and the Scone Horse Festival are

the type of community events that play a big part in the

social fabric of this rural shire.

The Upper Hunter is the most western local government

area in the Hunter Region, a shire of about 13,000 people

spread across 8000 square kilometres of largely farming

land and national park.

The council was formed in 2004 by the amalgamation of

Scone, Merriwa and Murrurundi shires. It is essentially a

typical country district but with one distinction: its agricultural-

based economy is powered by the thriving thoroughbred

industry that has grown up around Scone.

There are about 65 horse studs in the Upper Hunter

shire, which employ hundreds of people and pour millions

of dollars into the local economy each year.

As well as hands-on jobs tending horses, the equine

industry generates employment in support services. One

of the shire's larger studs has 20 full-time gardeners and a

Scone veterinary practice has up to 100 people, including

30 vets, working during the breeding season. Some farms

produce nothing but lucerne and chaff to supply studs.

Studs like Darley stand stallions for five- and six-figure

service fees, others like Segenhoe specialise in agistment

for mares and foal-rearing.

Scone bills itself as Australia's

horse capital and beyond its substantial

stud industry has other strong commercial and

recreational equine interests. It is the headquarters of

the Australian Stock Horse Society and frequently hosts

rodeos and top-class polo matches, equestrian events and

horse races.

The Scone Cup, the highlight of the local racing calendar,

is the feature event of what is the richest day of country

racing in NSW each year and draws about 8000 people to

the town's well-appointed racetrack.

The shire is home to two of the region?s best-known rural

stations in Belltrees, which grazes 5000 head of cattle and

breeds polo ponies, and Ellerston, the sprawling Packer

family estate.

Outside the equine industry, the shire's agricultural

pursuits include beef, sheep and poultry farming, dairying

and crop-growing.

Retail is the second-highest employer in the shire and

mining and manufacturing are growing industries.

The Upper Hunter sits on the edge of the region's

booming minefi elds, with only the Dartbrook underground

operation extending into its boundary, but more than 400

residents work in the industry.

Despite the absence of pits, the shire is not untouched

by mining. About 20

coal trains, some up to 1.5

kilometres long, wind through

the Scone township daily travelling

between the Gunnedah Basin and the Port of

Newcastle, and one of the hot issues locally is the push for a

New England Highway overpass to be built over the rail line.

A 2005 State Government report identifi ed only "limited"

opportunities for open-cut operations within the council

area but a proposal by Bickham Coal to mine near Murrurundi

has stimulated debate about the economic benefi ts

and environmental consequences of mining.

While future coalmining activity remains up in the air,

the shire could take a lead in renewable energy with a

proposal lodged last year for the establishment of a green

power-generating centre outside Scone.

The Kyoto Energy Park is the intitiative of a company

called Pamada that wants to build a $230 million renewable

energy centre that would harness the power of wind,

water and sun.

The proposed park includes 47 turbines, photovoltaic

solar panels spread over a square kilometre and a closedloop

hydro power station that together could generate

enough electricity to power 90,000 homes.

An application for the first phase is being considered by

the State Government.

SNAP!

? Population: 12,975 (Males

6532, females 6443)

? Biggest age group: 45/54

(1897)

? Born: Australia 11,456,

elsewhere 803

? Median age: 39

? Median individual income:

$438 a week

? Median family income:

$1091

? Median household income:

$882

? Median rent: $120

? Major employer: Agriculture,

forestry and fishing

(1257)

? Major religion: Anglican

(5361)

? Top three languages

spoken at home outside

English: Chinese (32),

Korean (18), Italian (15)

2006 Census

NEWS BIG 3

? The equine influenza

outbreak.

? Ongoing controversy about

the construction of a wind

farm near Scone.

? Storms last year with

winds up to 130 kph that

unroofed buildings, blacked

out areas and caused tens

of thousands of dollars

worth of damage.

Scone Advocate

PEOPLE

? Citizen of the Year: Upper

Hunter overall ? Wendy

O'Connell; Aberdeen and

Scone ? Wendy O'Connell;

Merriwa ? Kylie Austin;

Murrurundi - Maisie Hibbs

? Sportsperson of the Year:

Murrurundi ? Maureen

Holman; Scone ? Charlie

Manning

© 2008 Newcastle Herald

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