Murrumbateman

Postcode: 2582

Murrumbateman is a small village in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia. It is on the Barton Highway, approximately 30 kilometres north-west of Canberra, and is part of the Yass Valley Shire. At the 2001 census, Murrumbateman had a population of 1,267.[1]

Some of the surrounding rural properties have been developed as grape growing areas or as boutique wineries. In recent years much of the land has been subdivided into small hobby farm blocks ranging from 2 to 40 acres (8,000 to 160,000 m²). Similar subdivisions have occurred in other regions around Canberra including Bungendore, Sutton, Gundaroo and Burra. Residents tend to commute to Canberra for work rather than make a living off the small parcels of land. Other nearby towns are Yass, Gunning and Dalton.

The Murrumbateman village has a pub and a handful of retail outlets. The Murrumbateman Field Day is held in October each year and draws large crowds from Canberra and Yass.

Prior to European occupation there was a large Aboriginal population in the area, mostly Ngunnawal people. In 1821 the exploratory party of Hamilton Hume became the first known group of Europeans on the Yass Plains. Hume returned with William Hovell in 1824 during their ground-breaking expedition to Port Phillip Bay (i.e., Melbourne). Settlers followed them, bringing flocks of sheep which represented the start of the local wool industry. A bush track joined the Goulburn and Yass Plains by 1825.

One of the major figures in Australia's wool industry, Sir Water Merriman, was born in the area and educated at Murrumbateman Public School. He established a new standard of excellence for super-fine wool at his property 'Merryville'. It is exemplary of his achievements in this field that he won every major award in his field at the Sydney Sheep Show in 1953.

The Murrumbateman Field Days attract about 20 000 people each year in mid-October.

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