Bookham is a small village and rural locality in the South West Slopes and Riverina regions of New South Wales, Australia in Yass Valley Shire. It is about 29 km west of Yass on the Hume Highway.
| Bookham New South Wales | |||||||||||||||
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 Entering Bookham | |||||||||||||||
  Bookham | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 34°48′47″S 148°38′36″E / 34.8131°S 148.6433°E | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 127 (SAL 2021)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 2582 | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation | 464–737 m (1,522–2,418 ft) | ||||||||||||||
| Location |
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| LGA(s) | Yass Valley Council | ||||||||||||||
| County | Harden | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Goulburn | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Eden-Monaro | ||||||||||||||
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Overview edit
The general grazing area which now encompasses the village of Bookham was originally collectively called Bogolong and childhood memories of the races at Bogalong Racetrack inspired Banjo Paterson to write his poem Old Pardon the Son of Reprieve.[3]
The name change came about in 1839 when Lady Jane Franklin, wife of John Franklin, the Lieutenant Governor of Van Diemen's Land between 1837 and 1843, became the first European woman to travel overland from Port Phillip to Sydney and stayed in the area in 1839.[4]
Shortly after a design for the village at Cumbookambookinah near Bogolong was drawn up and that name was shortened either through general usage or by design to the current name of Bookham.[5] The name Bookham was being used officially, by August 1839.[6]
There is an urban legend of the town once being a frequent spot for hiding police to 'book em' motorists speeding through town. Further to the legend, truck drivers would jettison some of their goods (e.g. a newspaper from a paper truck) next to the hiding spot before speeding off, hence the police focusing on cars.
Iron was smelted from locally mined iron ore at a site on Jugiong Creek approximately 3 km north of Bookham in 1874, by the Bogolong Iron Mining Company.[7] Remnants of the blast furnace still exist,[8] one of only three 19th-Century blast furnace ruins in Australia and the only one in New South Wales. It is included in the N.S.W. heritage database.[9]
The southern extremity of the locality of Bookham, along Burringjuck Road, was a part of a proposed site for the national capital city of Australia, known as Mahkoolma. Had that proposed site been adopted, the village of Bookham would have become a part of the capital territory.[10]
Bookham Post Office opened on 1 September 1864, following the establishment of a mail run from Tumut in 1882. This involved crossing the Murrumbidgee at Roche's crossing. Bookham Post Office closed in 1993.[11] While the Post Office had a number of homes, its most recent has now been turned into a cafe, Barney's of Bookham.
There are two churches: the Uniting Church (c. 1926) and St. Columba's Catholic Church, (c. 1910) still standing in the town.[12] St Columba's Catholic Church has been transformed into stylish accommodation for up to 8 people. Now called The Old Bookham Church it has been lovingly restored in keeping with its heritage.
At the 2016 census, Bookham had a population of 161 people. 82.7% of people were born in Australia and 87.7% of people spoke only English at home.[13]
Climate edit
Owing to Bookham's location in between the western plains of New South Wales and the dividing range, west of Conroys Gap, it varies greatly in seasonal maximum temperatures with a distinct winter rainfall peak; unlike Yass which lies to the east of Conroys Gap. Falls of snow are by no means uncommon.
| Climate data for Red Hill State Forest (1938–1970); 640 m AMSL; 35.17° S, 148.37° E | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 28.7 (83.7) |
27.8 (82.0) |
25.1 (77.2) |
19.5 (67.1) |
14.5 (58.1) |
11.1 (52.0) |
10.0 (50.0) |
11.7 (53.1) |
15.3 (59.5) |
18.6 (65.5) |
21.9 (71.4) |
26.3 (79.3) |
19.2 (66.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 12.5 (54.5) |
12.8 (55.0) |
10.5 (50.9) |
6.7 (44.1) |
3.7 (38.7) |
1.9 (35.4) |
0.8 (33.4) |
1.5 (34.7) |
3.3 (37.9) |
5.9 (42.6) |
8.0 (46.4) |
10.8 (51.4) |
6.5 (43.7) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 73.3 (2.89) |
56.1 (2.21) |
76.1 (3.00) |
78.6 (3.09) |
108.3 (4.26) |
96.5 (3.80) |
117.0 (4.61) |
118.9 (4.68) |
91.5 (3.60) |
105.3 (4.15) |
85.1 (3.35) |
70.0 (2.76) |
1,076.7 (42.39) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 6.5 | 5.9 | 6.3 | 8.1 | 11.8 | 12.9 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 11.5 | 12.1 | 9.2 | 7.5 | 121.5 |
| Source: Australian Bureau of Meteorology; Red Hill State Forest | |||||||||||||
Gallery edit
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Bookham Memorial Hall. -
St Columba's Catholic Church. -
Upper part of Bogolong blast furnace ruin -
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References edit
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Bookham (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ Travelmate Archived 24 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine[dead link]
- ^ Tourism Australia Bookham & Banjo Patterson Archived September 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ ABC Tasmanian Stories
- ^ "Bookham". Geographical Names Register (GNR) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales.
- ^ "Government Gazette Notices". New South Wales Government Gazette. 21 August 1839. p. 930. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
- ^ Jack, Ian, 1935- (1994). Australia's age of iron : history and archaeology. Cremin, Aedeen. South Melbourne: Oxford University Press. pp. 89–95. ISBN 0424001586. OCLC 30791353.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Geocaching. "Geocaching - The Official Global GPS Cache Hunt Site". www.geocaching.com. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
- ^ "Bogolong Iron Smelter Blast Furnace | NSW Environment & Heritage". www.environment.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
- ^ Department of Public Works, New South Wales (30 May 1906). "Federal Capital Sites - Report Respecting Proposed Sites at Mahkoolma, Canberra, and Other Sites in the Yass (Lake George) District (PP no. 29 of 1906)". Trove. Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
- ^ Phoenix Auctions History, Post Office List, retrieved 27 March 2021
- ^ Tourism Australia Bookham Churches Archived September 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Bookham (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
