Singleton sits at connection points in the Upper Hunter Valley where those travelling by road can access either the New England or Golden Highways, as well as the Putty Road opening up northwestern suburbs of Sydney. West of Singleton via the Golden Highway are Merriwa, Mudgee, Dubbo and beyond. While the New England Highway leads north to Muswellbrook and through as far as Tamworth and Queensland. Newcastle, Central Coast and Sydney can be accessed to the south.
Rail services connect Singleton to Newcastle, Central Coast and Sydney to the South, Muswellbrook and beyond to the North.
LGA Economy
Singleton is a country town at heart and features rich farmland, producing fodder crops, stud cattle, horses, sheep and dairy products. Businesses and Industry in the region are diverse, but dominated by mining and energy production. Other business includes retail, industrial, construction, agribusiness, federal, state and local government sectors and more. Coal, beef and wine are major exports of the Australian economy.
Singleton’s LGA features the hamlets and villages of Broke, Camberwell, Jerrys Plains, Bulga, Howes Valley, Putty, Ravensworth, Warkworth, Mirranie, Elderslie, Carrowbrook, Mount Olive and Belford. It is also home to the Lone Pine Barracks army base which includes a School of Infantry, Special Forces Training Centre and Defence Support Group.
Population and Work/Life Balance
Australian Bureau of Statistics advises that in 2016 the Singleton LGA had a total population of almost twenty three thousand people. This number included nearly six thousand families, with under six percent identifying as Indigenous and/or Torres Strait Islander people. Twenty two percent of those sampled were employed in the mining industry, four percent defence personnel and the next largest segment were those employed by take away food services.
Narrowing the sample to the Singleton township reveals a population of sixteen thousand people, consisting of four thousand families and a six percent sample of Indigenous and/or Torres Strait Island people. More than twenty three percent work in mining and almost six percent in defence. The next segment is again take away food services.
Work/life balance is typical of what many would expect from a country town with strong economic capability. The data across both Singleton and the LGA revealed a lower percentage of families where both adults were unemployed, in addition to a lower percentage of families were both parents worked full time.
Education and Health
The surrounding villages feature a number of schools and education centres including Broke, Jerrys Plains, Milbrodale, Kirkton and Mount Pleasant Public Schools. Singleton features three public primary schools in King Street, Hunter Street and Singleton Heights, as well as a public High School and TAFE Campus and Community College. Non-government schools include St Catherine’s Catholic College and the Australian Christian College.
Health services include Singleton Public Hospital and a number of health and community services.
Recreation and Culture
Singleton is home to a number of sporting grounds, parks, playgrounds and reserves, including the award-winning Riverside Park. The Hunter River is accessible at multiple points throughout the township. Like Muswellbrook, Singleton performs as a shopping and services hub for the LGA. The town is a short distance from the Wollemi, Yengo and Barrington Tops National Parks, as well as features like Lake St Clair, which provides facilities for swimming, fishing, boating and camping. The township is home to three museums, the Singleton Historic Society Museum, the Royal Australian Infantry Corps Museum and the Mercy Convent Museum.
The Pokolbin area is in close proximity to Singleton and features numerous scenic villages and attractions that are flocked to by tourists. Wine, food and entertainment are specialties of the area, which has become known for it’s laid-back atmosphere and beautiful scenery.
References
Australian Army Infantry Museum 2015, Exhibition Highlights, AAIM, viewed 10 August 2020, <http://www.infantrymuseum.com.au/>.
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2019, Quickstats, Singleton 2016, Code 1028 (SUA), ABS, viewed 1 August 2020, <https://quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2016/quickstat/1028>.
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2019, Quickstats, Singleton 2016, Code lga 17000 (LGA), ABS, viewed 1 August 2020, <https://quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2016/quickstat/LGA17000>.
Australian Christian College 2020, Australian Christian College Singleton, ACC, viewed 11 August 2020, <https://www.acc.edu.au/singleton/index.html>.
Australian Community Media 2019, Singleton’s Riverside Park has been Named Best in NSW, Singleton Argus, viewed 20 August 2020, <https://www.singletonargus.com.au/story/6180142/riverside-park-named-best-in-nsw/>.
Good Education Group 2020, Schools in Singleton, The Good Schools Guide, viewed 10 August 2020, <https://www.goodschools.com.au/compare-schools/in-singleton-2330>.
Destination NSW 2020, Lake St. Clair, NSW Government, viewed 1 August 2020, <https://www.visitnsw.com/destinations/hunter/hunter-valley/singleton/attractions/lake-st-clair>.
Hunter Economic Development Corporation 2018, Leading Defence in the Hunter, HEDC, viewed 1 August 2020, <https://web.archive.org/web/20110217000312/http://www.williamtownaerospace.com.au/uploads/documents/Leading_Defence_in_the_Hunter.pdf>.
Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of Australia and Papua New Guinea 2020, Who We Are, ISMAPNG, viewed 12 August 2020, <https://institute.mercy.org.au/about-us/archives-and-heritage/heritage-centres/>.
New South Wales Government 2020, Finding a Public School, NSW Government, viewed 9 August 2020, <https://education.nsw.gov.au/public-schools/going-to-a-public-school/finding-a-public-school>.
New South Wales Government TAFE NSW 2020, Singleton, NSW Government TAFE NSW, viewed 10 August 2020, <https://www.tafensw.edu.au/locations/hunter-central-coast/singleton?gclid=Cj0KCQjwvb75BRD1ARIsAP6Lcqt2WyKcowq3qBuT54w0_mIw91gwNe29TT0vgOOxFRoDigbjEhDbGCkaAnPbEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds>.
Singleton Council 2019, Community Health, SSC, viewed 12 August 2020, <https://www.singleton.nsw.gov.au/505/Community-Health>.
Singleton Council 2019, Parks, Playgrounds and Reserves, SSC, viewed 10 August 2020, <https://www.singleton.nsw.gov.au/199/Parks-Playgrounds-and-Reserves>.
Singleton Museum and Historical Society 2016, Information About the Society, SMHS Inc, viewed 12 August 2020, <http://www.singletonmuseum.com.au/>.
St Catherine’s Catholic College 2020, St Catherine’s Catholic College Singleton, viewed 11 August 2020, <http://www.singleton.catholic.edu.au/>.