Wellingrove, New South Wales

Wellingrove is a village located on the Wellingrove Road about 20 kilometres north west of Glen Innes, New South Wales on the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. It is part of the Glen Innes Severn Shire Council local government area and is located in Gough County. In the 2006 Census (held on 8th August 2006), there were 113 persons resident in the Wellingrove area.

Wellingrove was established in the 1840’s when the run of 50,000 acres was taken up by George Polhill. This run became a site for Polhill, who was a resident magistrate, to conduct a court of petty sessions for the area between Ben Lomond to Bolivia. [Donald, J.Kay, Exploring the North Coast and New England, Kangaroo Press, Kenthurst, 1987.] In 1849 the Woolpack Inn was built and in 1849 Galloway, the surveyor, was instructed to survey townships at Wellingrove and Glen Innes. Despite objections from Galloway that the area was too far from main roads the town was gazetted in 1852. [Donald, J.Kay, Exploring the North Coast and New England, Kangaroo Press, Kenthurst, 1987.] Thus for several decades Wellingrove was one of the principal settlements of the northern New England district. The closure and movement of the court of petty sessions to Glen Innes in 1858 led to the decline of Wellingrove. The main industry is agriculture, principally sheep and beef cattle breeding.

However with the continued growth of the nearby towns of Glen Innes and Inverell, the village of Wellingrove declined and is now a place of minimal significance. Today Wellingrove has a church and hall in a Crown Land fossicking area where sapphires and zircons may be found.

Kings Plains National Park is located about 20 kilometres north west of Wellingrove.

References

Readers Digest Guide to Australian Places, Readers Digest, Sydney