Gold & an old bush school : Upper Bingara 1852-1965 / Elizabeth Adams

"Upper Bingara's history is a rural saga much repeated throughout Australia. Located on a plateau above the Gwydir Valley, the village began as a gold field with a transient population of up to 2000 people. The wealth generated from mining laid the foundations of the service town of Bingara whose population exceeded Upper Bingara's by the 1870s. Many gold miners stayed on at Upper Bingara and became business people, pastoralists and labourers. The community was strengthened and grew, sustained by a network of family relationships and friendships. They fought for a school for their children and achieved that goal in 1891 and it became a focus for scattered families on the plateau. Times though were to change. Two wars, the Great Depression and post-war economic change resulted in population decline and by 1965 the school closed. It had all happened in just over 100 years. Life is easier now but the legacy of the pioneers lives on." -- Back cover.