Tarago, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Tarago is a town in the Southern Tablelands
of New South Wales
, Australia
in Goulburn Mulwaree Council
. It is situated 39 kilometres south of the city of Goulburn
and 69 kilometres northeast of Canberra
, the capital city of Australia
. It is located on the Goulburn-Braidwood
road.
Originally known as Sherwin's Flats, the town took the name "Tarago", possibly an Aboriginal word meaning "country", from the town presently known as Lake Bathurst, which is located 7 km north of Tarago. The name change coincided with the railway line's arrival and the opening of the station on 3 January 1884.
Within the town there are several historic buildings remaining, among them the original 1884 railway station, the St Josephs Catholic Church, and the Loaded Dog Hotel, which dates from 1848.
, copper
, lead
and zinc
deposits until it was suddenly closed down in 1998. During the period of mining operations, goods sidings were added at the town's railway station to facilitate the transfer of minerals to and from the site. The closure of the mine sparked controversy when the pay entitlements of the 160 former miners, totalling $6.5 million, were not paid. Waste company Collex (now Veolia) had examined both the Woodlawn site and others during the 1990s as a new site to house Sydney
's waste, and eventually were given approval to use the site in 2002.. As part of their agreement, Collex promised to pay out the workers' entitlements. They planned to run six 55-car trains a week between a waste transfer station in the Sydney suburb of Clyde
and sidings off the Bombala Railway Line near the mine. These would take, at full capacity, 400,000 tonnes of putrescible waste a year, up to 20% of Sydney's waste.
The project was highly controversial, especially in regard to the shipping of waste by train. Residents of Clyde and neighbouring Auburn
in Sydney opposed the mine's approval on environmental grounds and took the company to court to try to stop the project. The New South Wales Land and Environment Court ruled in their favour, finding that the transfer station would cause significant air pollution problems. However, the court's decision was overturned by the New South Wales Government, led by Bob Carr
, with bipartisan agreement by special legislation The Government, in doing this, stressed the need for a new waste site for Sydney and the need to pay the mine workers' entitlements. The mine finally reopened on 7 September 2004, with mine workers receiving their entitlements shortly afterwards. An intermodal transfer station was built just outside of the township of Tarago, at Crisps Creek.
Today, the mine site is being used for developments in green energy while still providing Sydney's waste. The owners of the mine, Veolia, plan to begin using the mine in late 2007 to harvest methane
gas and use it for electricity to cut down the greenhouse gas
emissions from the mine. The company also plans to use the organic waste in the site, once broken down, for fertiliser. In 2005, the Government also gave approval to Veolia to build a $96 million, 25-tower wind farm
at the site, which would generate enough electricity to power 22,000 homes. However, as existing quotas on greenhouse gases at State and Commonwealth levels were being fulfilled at that time, the project was postponed in July 2006 until renewable energy targets were raised.
Xplorer service from Sydney
to Canberra
. The rail service is the only public transport that serves Tarago.
Southern Tablelands
The Southern Tablelands is a geographic area of the State of New South Wales, Australia. This area is located west of the Great Dividing Range.The area is characterised by flat country which has generally been extensively cleared and used for grazing purposes...
of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in Goulburn Mulwaree Council
Goulburn Mulwaree Council
Goulburn Mulwaree Council is a Local Government Area of New South Wales, Australia. The council was formed as the Greater Argyle Council in 2004 as an amalgamation of Goulburn City and parts of the former Mulwaree Shire. It was renamed in 2005 following objections from the community...
. It is situated 39 kilometres south of the city of Goulburn
Goulburn, New South Wales
Goulburn is a provincial city in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia in Goulburn Mulwaree Council Local Government Area. It is located south-west of Sydney on the Hume Highway and above sea-level. On Census night 2006, Goulburn had a population of 20,127 people...
and 69 kilometres northeast of Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, the capital city of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is located on the Goulburn-Braidwood
Braidwood, New South Wales
Braidwood is a town in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia, in Palerang Shire. It is located on the busy Kings Highway linking Canberra to Batemans Bay on the coast. It is about 200 kilometres south west of Sydney and about 60 kilometres inland from the coast...
road.
Originally known as Sherwin's Flats, the town took the name "Tarago", possibly an Aboriginal word meaning "country", from the town presently known as Lake Bathurst, which is located 7 km north of Tarago. The name change coincided with the railway line's arrival and the opening of the station on 3 January 1884.
Within the town there are several historic buildings remaining, among them the original 1884 railway station, the St Josephs Catholic Church, and the Loaded Dog Hotel, which dates from 1848.
Woodlawn Mine
The town of Tarago serves the adjoining large Woodlawn Mine. The mine originally contained goldGold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
, copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
, lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
and zinc
Zinc
Zinc , or spelter , is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
deposits until it was suddenly closed down in 1998. During the period of mining operations, goods sidings were added at the town's railway station to facilitate the transfer of minerals to and from the site. The closure of the mine sparked controversy when the pay entitlements of the 160 former miners, totalling $6.5 million, were not paid. Waste company Collex (now Veolia) had examined both the Woodlawn site and others during the 1990s as a new site to house Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
's waste, and eventually were given approval to use the site in 2002.. As part of their agreement, Collex promised to pay out the workers' entitlements. They planned to run six 55-car trains a week between a waste transfer station in the Sydney suburb of Clyde
Clyde, New South Wales
Clyde is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Clyde is located 21 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Parramatta...
and sidings off the Bombala Railway Line near the mine. These would take, at full capacity, 400,000 tonnes of putrescible waste a year, up to 20% of Sydney's waste.
The project was highly controversial, especially in regard to the shipping of waste by train. Residents of Clyde and neighbouring Auburn
Auburn, New South Wales
Auburn is a suburb in western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales Australia. Auburn is located 19 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of Auburn Council.-History:...
in Sydney opposed the mine's approval on environmental grounds and took the company to court to try to stop the project. The New South Wales Land and Environment Court ruled in their favour, finding that the transfer station would cause significant air pollution problems. However, the court's decision was overturned by the New South Wales Government, led by Bob Carr
Bob Carr
Robert John "Bob" Carr , Australian statesman, was Premier of New South Wales from 4 April 1995 to 3 August 2005. He holds the record for the longest continuous service as premier of NSW...
, with bipartisan agreement by special legislation The Government, in doing this, stressed the need for a new waste site for Sydney and the need to pay the mine workers' entitlements. The mine finally reopened on 7 September 2004, with mine workers receiving their entitlements shortly afterwards. An intermodal transfer station was built just outside of the township of Tarago, at Crisps Creek.
Today, the mine site is being used for developments in green energy while still providing Sydney's waste. The owners of the mine, Veolia, plan to begin using the mine in late 2007 to harvest methane
Methane
Methane is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest alkane, the principal component of natural gas, and probably the most abundant organic compound on earth. The relative abundance of methane makes it an attractive fuel...
gas and use it for electricity to cut down the greenhouse gas
Greenhouse gas
A greenhouse gas is a gas in an atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation within the thermal infrared range. This process is the fundamental cause of the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone...
emissions from the mine. The company also plans to use the organic waste in the site, once broken down, for fertiliser. In 2005, the Government also gave approval to Veolia to build a $96 million, 25-tower wind farm
Wind farm
A wind farm is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electric power. A large wind farm may consist of several hundred individual wind turbines, and cover an extended area of hundreds of square miles, but the land between the turbines may be used for agricultural or other...
at the site, which would generate enough electricity to power 22,000 homes. However, as existing quotas on greenhouse gases at State and Commonwealth levels were being fulfilled at that time, the project was postponed in July 2006 until renewable energy targets were raised.
Transport
Tarago is located on the Bombala branch railway line from Goulburn and as such is served by a twice-daily CountrylinkCountryLink
CountryLink is the operator of passenger rail services in country New South Wales, Australia and into Queensland and Victoria. It is an operating brand of the Rail Corporation New South Wales, a government-owned entity...
Xplorer service from Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
to Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
. The rail service is the only public transport that serves Tarago.
External links
- Veolia: Woodlawn Bioreactor - official site about Woodlawn bioreactor site.
- Woodlawn Wind Farm - proposed wind farm.