INVERELL, NSW SPONSORED FEATURE
Known as the Sapphire City because of the many mines which uncovered the beautiful blue gems in the 1970s and 80s, Inverell is one of the gems of the New England High Country and is located on the Gwydir Highway, easy to access from both the Newell and New England Highways.
But there's so much more to Inverell than just fossicking for the elusive blue gems. Whether it's adventure, art and culture, history and heritage, Inverell has something for everyone and you can choose your own adventure in this beautiful unspoiled region.
TIN HISTORY AND WOOD TURNING
Our journey to the Inverell region started just down the road in Armidale, where we'd spent a chilly but pleasant long weekend visiting family. It was a wet but short 100km drive north-west via Guyra to the small town of Tingha to visit the Wing Hing Long Museum and General Store.
This fascinating building is reminiscent of a rural general store from the early 20th century with thousands of items on display depicting the rise and decline of a tin mining town as well as the importance and diversity of the contributions made by Chinese Australians to rural life.
Tin was first discovered in the district in the 1870s, resulting in a population boom which peaked later that century. Wing Hing Long was established as one of a number of general stores servicing the tin mining communities of the district. It was a typical general store where you could buy groceries, drapery, ironmongery, tobacco — just about anything.
The first ownerAh Bow (1887-1899); Charles Hing (1899-1918) and Jack Joe Lowe who bought the store in 1918.
