Glen Innes – a Renaissance

Australian Photographs - Glen Innes

I have been to Glen Innes many times in the past 20 years and always thought it a shabby and run down place with many historical buildings. However in the past few years it has been undergoing a renaissance. The main street has been revamped with planter boxes and trees and the magnificent streetscape has seen most of the facades painted in heritage colours. The town has many iconic buildings on the national heritage register and is well worth a visit… stay for a few days and look around.

Glen Innes - Main St - first light
Glen Innes – Main St – first light

Glen Innes was gazetted as a town in 1852, the post office was built in 1854 and the court in 1858. In 1866 the population was about 350, with a telegraph station, lands office, police barracks, courthouse, post office and two hotels. There was no coach service, but in the 1870’s a road was opened to Grafton.

By 1875 the population had swelled to about 1,500 and the town had a school, three churches, five hotels, two weekly newspapers, seven stores and a number of societies. In August 1884 the new Main North railway from Sydney opened (the station has been restored).

The prosperity in the town, is reflected in some of the beautiful buildings to be found there. The centre of the town retains many of its federation buildings and they have been placed on the Register of the National Estate.

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Heritage and History Tragic... chasing the past, one picture at a time!

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