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Scone, New South Wales: Travel guide and things to do
Scone, NSW
Scone (which rhymes with 'bone') is a pleasant rural centre of wide, tree-lined streets situated within the Hunter Valley, 283 km north of Sydney and 26 km north of Muswellbrook. It is 202 metres above sea-level and has a population of about 4000.
The commercial and administrative centre of a pastoral, agricultural and dairying shire Scone is an important stock-selling centre noted for its horse and cattle studs. It is known as 'The Horse Capital of Australia' and claims to be the second-largest horse breeding area in the world, after Kentucky in the United States. The equine focus of the town is reflected in numerous ways: the ten-day Scone Horse Festival in May when there are street parades, a rodeo, stock sales, an airshow, race meetings and entertainment; the six-week Hunter Horse Expo held over September-October; the new hi-tech racecourse with its Equine Research Centre, and the bronze sculpture, 'Scone Mare and Foal' by Gabriel Sterk, prominently situated beside the highway in Elizabeth Park.
In pre-colonial days the Wanaruah people occupied the district. It is known that the Wanaruah had trade and ceremonial links with the Kamilaroi people who may also have occupied the area.
The Wanaruah favoured goannas as a food source, covering larger animals in hot ashes and stuffing them with grass. They also adopted burning off practices as the new shoots which emerged after fire attracted kangaroos which they surrounded and killed with clubs and spears (du-rane) barbed with sharp stones. They also used stone axes (mogo) made of hard volcanic rock bound to a wooden handle. Another food source was lerp, a sweet, edible waxy secretion found on eucalyptus leaves and produced by the young of the psyllid (an insect) for protection.
The first European in the area was surveyor Henry Dangar who, in 1824, passed by the area just west of the present townsite. He crossed over the Liverpool Range but retreated when attacked by the Geaweagal clan of the Wanaruah people west of the Murrurundi townsite.
Dangar's favourable report on the district led to an immediate land grab by wealthy settlers who had been issued warrants authorising them to take up land. One of the first to investigate the new area was Francis Little who was seeking land for himself and his uncle Dr William Bell Carlyle.
Little established Invermein in 1825. Carlyle was issued the grant of Satur (pronounced 'say-ter') which is now a suburb on the western side of Scone. Allan Cunningham passed through in 1827 when he followed Dangar's route north and went on to 'discover' the Darling Downs in Queensland.
The Crown had reserved three square miles for a townsite on the eastern bank of Kingdon Ponds, another creek just west of present-day Scone. However a village named Redbank had begun to emerge by 1828 to the west of that site. A hospital was established there in 1834, along with an inn and store. However, the traffic began to shift to the east when William Nowland discovered the pass at Murrurundi in 1827. His route eventually became part of the Great North Road. Built by 3000 convicts between 1826 and 1834 it was the first road into the Hunter Valley. In 1836 the St Aubins Arms and a store were established adjacent this track. This formed the seed from which the present township grew.
The newer settlement, officially called Invermein but locally known as St Aubins, was gazetted in 1837 as Scone. The latter name was suggested by Hugh Cameron and received a favourable hearing in the ears of fellow Scotsman Thomas Mitchell (surveyor-general). It was also decided that the parish should be called Strathearn. Both names reflect the heritage of the early European settlers - Scone being the residence of the Scottish kings and the site of their coronation. The new name was taken up by locals in 1838.
In 1840 bushranger Edward 'The Jewboy' Davis and his gang held up the St Aubins Arms and Thomas Dangar's store. John Graham, an employee of the latter, shot at the gang when they were leaving then set off to alert the police but he was pursued and killed by one of the highwaymen.
Early development was slow. In 1841, when the first Anglican church was completed, the population was only 63. At the time the area was noted for its large pastoral properties (Belltrees, Segenhoe, St Aubins and Invermein). Bishop Broughton complained of 'a great insensitivity' to religious duties amongst the community, none of whom turned up to witness the consecration of St Luke's churchyard in 1843.
The first school (Anglican) was established in 1845-46 and a proper courthouse built in 1848 (still standing). In the early 1860s a flour mill was erected (now the RSL Club) and gold was discovered in the mountains to the north-east. A national school opened in 1863.
The town received a boost when the railway arrived in 1871. By 1881 the population was still only 214. A new courthouse was constructed the following year. Scone was declared a municipality in 1888, the year the Scone Advocate was established.
English natural history artist Elizabeth Gould lived at Scone in the late 1830s, painting pictures of birds while her husband and Aboriginal helpers collected new species. English psychologist and writer Havelock Ellis stayed at Scone from about 1875 to 1879, teaching at Sparkes Creek School in 1878.
Things to see
Tourist Information Centre
The Scone Visitors' Centre is situated opposite Elizabeth Park which is on the western side of Kelly St (the name given to the highway as it passes through the central part of Scone) at the northern end of town. It is open from 10.00 a.m. - 4.30 p.m. every day except Tuesdays and Wednesdays when it is closed, tel: (02) 6545 1526. If you are interested in visiting any of the local horse studs this is the number to ring.
Heritage Walk
Just around the corner from the Tourist Information Centre is the old railway station, a small brick structure dating from 1881.
From Elizabeth Park walk southwards down Kelly St. To the left is the Belmore Hotel (1866), an attractive symmetrical building with side wings, stone quoins and iron columns supporting a timber verandah. At the intersection with St Aubins St is the Royal Hotel with a fine cast-iron lacework balcony. The oldest section of the present building dates from 1886 when the old Railway Inn was rebuilt as the Railway Hotel. It was partially rebuilt after a fire in 1924.
St Aubins Street
Guernsey Street was the main street of the town in the 1840s and it contains some interesting old corrugated iron buildings (e.g., no. 31) and some featuring pressed metal bay windows. On the south-western corner of the intersection is Harper's Cottage, originally Harper's Boot Factory (1870s), which once employed eight men. It has gabled dormer windows and a rendered facade. The two brick cottages on the left as you continue along St Aubins Street also date from the 19th century.
When you reach Hill St turn left to the intersection with Liverpool St where you will find the Anglican church.
St Luke's Anglican Church
St Luke's was built in 1883-84 to replace an older church erected in 1841. The current structure is red-brick with stone dressings. It is of an early English Gothic design and is set among well-established trees. The bell was provided by William Dangar for the first church. Thomas Cook and J.H. Doyle of Invermein made substantial contributions.
Cook is buried in the churchyard cemetery which was the first in the shire, being used between 1838 and 1864. It includes the Dangar family vault, located near the chancel. The rectory was built in 1925.
Scone Grammar School
Continue down Hill St to the Kingdon St intersection where you will see Scone Grammar School. The oldest building dates from 1846, that being erected as St Luke's denominational school, the town's first. A bellcote and additional rooms were added in subsequent years. It opened as a boys' grammar school in 1887 and closed in 1917, reopening in its current form in 1990.
Gaol Museum
The Scone Historical Museum and Records Centre is situated in the old lock-up (the town's second) and constable's quarters, both being built in 1870. There are two cells to the rear of the gaol which was intended as a holding pen for those awaiting trial or transfer. Interestingly, when the wiring in the roof was checked it was found the building had two ceilings laid crosswise upon each other to prevent escape.
The main display presents cultural artefacts which are grouped in periods that relate to different aspects of local history, including pre-colonial settlement and the goldmining days. There were several noted photographers in Scone in the early days and hence a good early photographic record exists, including an impression of the lock-up taken in 1872 soon after its construction. The museum is open Wednesdays from 10.00 a.m. - 2.30 p.m. and Sundays from 2.30 a.m. - 4.30 p.m. or by appointment, tel: (02) 6545 1218.
Courthouses
On the Aberdeen St corner is the old courthouse (1882), a rendered and painted brick building on a sandstone base with a gabled roof and rendered balusters on the verandah. It is now the Old Court Theatre, headquarters of the Scone Amateur Dramatic Society with columns from Burdekin House in Sydney and St Malo's, Hunter Hill, as part of the stage decor. The town's first courthouse (1849) is situated to the rear of the building. Designed by Mortimer Lewis it was constructed of hand-made bricks with a gabled roof and a small projecting wing to the rear. It is now used as the theatre's Green Room.
Kingdon Street Buildings
Return along Kingdon St, cross back over Hill St and to the right is the hipped roof and bull-nosed verandah of the old Convent of the Mercy Sisters (1889), now a private residence . The original St Mary's School was also located here. Next door is the town's first Roman Catholic Church (1861) with an historic graveyard. It is now an arts and crafts centre.
Continue along Kingdon St to Guernsey St. A right turn to the end of Guernsey will take you to White Park, named after the White family of Belltrees who donated the land in 1924. One of their descendants was Nobel-Prize-winning author Patrick White. Until 1994 the Scone Racecourse was located here.
On the south-eastern corner of Guernsey St and Kingdon St, is a fine Federation-style house built by the founder of the Scone Advocate.
St Andrew's Presbyterian Church
Dating from 1892 it features a hipped roof, bull-nosed verandah and some quality cast-iron lacework to the verandah awning. St Andrew's Presbyterian Church is a substantial brick building dating from 1911.
St Mary's Catholic Church
St Mary's Catholic Church was completed in 1924 it is said to be a replica of the parish church in Sligo, Eire.
Rotary Heritage Park
The stone bird table by the highway marks the site of an old store which, along with the St Aubins Arms Inn, was established by Thomas Dangar in 1836. Both buildings stood adjacent a dray track which became part of the Great North Road.
On the monument is a plaque in memory of John Graham, an employee of the store in 1840 when it, along with the inn, was held up by bushranger Edward 'The Jewboy' Davis and his gang. As they left Graham fired at them then set off to alert the police but he was pursued and killed by one of the highwaymen. A plaque on the west wall of St Luke's Anglican Church is a tribute to Graham who is buried in the graveyard.
The stone seat in the park is in commemoration of explorer Allan Cunningham who passed by this point in 1827 on an expedition which resulted in the European discovery of the Condamine River, the Darling Downs and Cunningham's Gap. The latter provided overland access to the new penal settlement of Moreton Bay, soon to become Brisbane.
The marble fountain was donated to Scone in 1901 by Thomas Cook of the Turanville estate to mark Australia's Federation.
St Aubins Arms
The old St Aubins Arms Inn is the long building opposite Gundy Rd and the park which has the appearance of being sunken into the ground. Built in 1836 it is the oldest surviving building in town. The stables and detached kitchen to the rear of the building date from around 1840.
Airlie House
The dining room and offices of Airlie House Motel were originally Airlie House, built in the 1890s by William Bakewell of St Aubins who owned a pottery works at Macdonaldtown in Sydney which supplied the bricks and tiles. This quite beautiful section of the complex must be viewed from the highway.
Lake Glenbawn Recreation Area
The lake was named after the property submerged under the dam waters. It is a popular spot for water skiing, swimming, sailing, canoeing and sailboarding. Anglers will find catfish, bass and golden perch. The foreshores consist of open woodland with an abundance of birdlife (galahs, eastern rosellas, pelicans, king parrots etc) and both kangaroos and wallaroos to be seen in the early morning and at dusk.
Brushy Hill has two separate lookouts with quite spectacular views across the beautiful lake to the far side where mountains loom overhead in close proximity. To the east are Mt Woolooma, the Mount Royal Ranges and Barrington Tops. To the north is the Liverpool Range and to the south and west the valleys of the Upper Hunter.
Glenbawn Dam was built between 1954 and 1957 to regulate the flow of the Hunter River in order to meet stock, domestic and irrigation requirements. It covers 2614 hectares, draws on a catchment area of 1295 square km, has a storage capacity of 750 000 megalitres and a maximum depth of 85 m. The main wall is 100 m high and the length of the crest is 1125 m.
Major extensions in the 1980s facilitated the development of the recreation area. Here there is a caravan park with camping sites, a kiosk (closed Mondays, except on public and school holidays), tennis courts, a recreation hall, a cricket oval and three-hole golf course, as well as appropriate facilities. There are fees for camping and day use.
The Hunter Valley Museum of Rural Life is located near the picnic area. It is only open by prior arrangement and preferably for groups rather than individuals. It contains a display relating to the early colonial days of Australia, including cheese presses from the Dalswinton estate and a marble bath from Segenhoe.
Also near the kiosk another road heads off around to the eastern shore area where there is a boat ramp, two amenities blocks, picnic and barbecue facilities, playgrounds and self-contained cabins. Details: (02) 6543 7193.
Invermein
Leave town on Liverpool St until you reach the gravel entranceway that leads into the historic Invermein property. The first to be granted in the Scone area it was issued to Francis Little. Little established Invermein in 1825 and it was by this name that the area was first known. Work began on the handsome and substantial single-storey homestead in 1826. It is made of sandstock brick in a timber frame with hipped, corrugated iron roof, French windows, and a six-panel main door. In 1895 the gables at the front were added, the stone-flagged verandah was extended and the rear wings lengthened to form a courtyard with the dairy and the kitchen. To get there drive past the offices of Invermein Stud and the homestead is on the left 2 km along the dirt road. It is privately owned.
St Aubins Homestead
2 km south of the Scone post office, off the highway, to the right is St Aubins homestead, an imposing cement-rendered brick house designed and built in the 1880s by William Bakewell. A little difficult to see from the roadside it features side wings which form a central courtyard. The outbuildings date from 1892. Bakewell was a founder of the Bakewell Brothers pottery and brickworks in Sydney which supplied some of the materials, including the decorative urns, garden ornaments, tiles and the Italianate fountain. The house is full of fine furniture and family memorabilia. The gardens were landscaped by Jocelyn Brown in the 1940s.
The house stands on the original grant made out to William Dumaresq (1829). He named his property after St Aubins Bay on the Isle of Jersey where his ancestors lived. Dumaresq built the first wooden homestead on a site to the south of the current house c.1831 and, having retired from the colonial service, resided there from 1832. The Bakewells occupied this older residence while their new house was being built.
Turanville and Birnam Wood Winery
Turanville Rd is located about 3-4 km south of Scone. The old Turanville homestead is set back from the road and somewhat obscured by trees. Turanville was originally a 4000-acre grant selected by Henry Dangar as the best local land available after he investigated the district in his capacities as assistant surveyor in 1824. The current homestead was built in the 1870s. It consisted of twelve rooms with offices and outbuildings. Additions were made at the outset of the 20th century.
2 km down the road is Birnam Wood Winery which is open for tastings (and lunch) seven days a week from 10.00 a.m. - 4.00 p.m., tel: (02) 6545 3286 or 015-203 804.
Parkville
7 km north of the Scone Post Office is Parkville. A village first developed here in the mid-19th century on land owned by William Dumaresq. In the 1860s Skinner's Inn was patronised by the teamsters who camped around Captain's Lagoon.
Tourist Information
Scone Tourist Information Centre
Cnr Susan & Kelly Sts
Scone NSW 2337
Telephone: (02) 6545 1526
Facsimile: (02) 6545 3089
Email: stic@hunterlink.nsw.gov.net.au
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